TALENTS ON THE SPOT: The prestigious LVMH Prize is landing in Florence.
On the occasion of the 100th edition of the men’s wear trade show Pitti Uomo, taking place in the Tuscan city from June 30 to July 2, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has teamed with the fair’s organizing body Pitti Immagine to showcase a presentation of the award’s nine finalists.
An exclusive video, filmed inside the striking Renaissance Sala Ottagonale room of the trade show venue, as well as in the streets of Florence, will put the focus on the creations presented by the prize’s nine finalists: C
Christopher John Rogers; Conner Ives; KidSuper’s designer Colm Dillane; British Bianca Saunders; France’s Charles de Vilmorin; Colombian designer Kika Vargas; Lukhanyo Mdingi from South Africa; Albania-born, London-based Nensi Dojaka, and China’s Rui Zhou, the designer behind the genderless Rui label.
“Our goal is to show the Pitti Uomo community the work of this year’s nine talented finalists,” said Pitti Immagine chief executive officer Raffaello Napoleone.
The relationship between the LVMH Prize and Pitti Uomo is further strengthened by the fact that the trade show organizers selected as guest designers of the upcoming edition Thebe Magugu, who won the award in 2019.
The designer, the first African to win the competition, impressed the jury with a collection, named African Studies, that blended the codes of men’s and women’s wear with a mix of tailored silhouettes in sturdy outerwear fabrics and fluid pleated silhouettes, some printed with entries from the journals in which he used to record his nightmares as a child.
In 2019, Magugu also won the overall award for curation and fashion content at the International Fashion Showcase in London. Magugu will present his spring 2022 collection at Pitti Uomo with a live event on July 1.
“We feel very close to the spirit of the LVMH Prize: the promotion and support of the creative young designers; the constant attention at scouting talent wherever it is and at representing a multicultural world;
The desire of promoting dialogue and exchange between fashion and today’s languages, and the attention toward responsibility and sustainability putting at the center the link among design, artisanal craftsmanship and industrial processes.”