LVMH Prize semi-finalists 2026
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The process of starting a fashion brand can be extremely challenging. The high costs, demanding timelines, and struggle for visibility all make sustained support crucial for emerging talent. Since its launch in 2013, the LVMH Prize has become one of the industry’s most impactful responses to these problems, providing young designers with essential funding, mentorship and global exposure precisely when they need it most. Every year, thousands of designers apply, but only twenty are selected to present their collections at the semi-final showroom in Paris, where industry experts and the public vote to determine the eight finalists.
Over the past decade, the prize has played a key role in spotlighting designers who have gone on to be hugely influential, including Marine Serre, Grace Wales Bonner, Nensi Dojaka, and SS Daley. Among the more recent winners are Hodakova (2024) and Soshiotsuki (2025), both of whom are now creating waves in the industry. There are also additional honours up for grabs, like the Karl Lagerfeld and Savoir-Faire prizes, which recognise exceptional experimentation and craftsmanship.
This year’s shortlist represents 17 countries and a diverse spectrum of fashion approaches, spanning everything from artisan-led studios to innovative tailoring and material research. Notably, this marks the first time that designers from Thailand and Kenya have been featured. Until Sunday, the LVMH Prize invites the general public to have their say on the designers to vote for via the LVMH Prize website.
From artisan-driven studios to pioneering tailoring labels, below we introduce you to the 20 semi-finalists shaping fashion’s next chapter.
Kartik Kumra, 26
Based in New Delhi, Kartik Kumra founded Kartik Research in 2021 with a focus on traditional Indian craft. Handloom weaving and hand embroidery are at the core of the collections, produced in collaboration with local artisans. The garments reference everything from psychedelic rock to Indo-modernist art, exploring how heritage techniques move through contemporary culture.
Bubu Ogisi, 38
Operating between Lagos, Nairobi and Accra, Bubu Ogisi’s Iamisigo treats clothing as a form of textile research. The label works closely with artisans across Africa, transforming traditional techniques and recycled materials into sculptural garments. Pieces are handmade and often experimental, building a conversation between heritage craft and what contemporary design can look like today.
Manuela Álvarez, 38
From Bogotá, Manuela Álvarez runs MAZ as a slow fashion house rooted in craft networks across Latin America. Working with hundreds of artisans, the brand develops its own textiles while focusing on long-term systems of production. The result is clothing shaped by material research, architectural thinking and deep collaboration with craft communities.
Anil Padia, 34
Paris-based designer Anil Padia founded Yoshita 1967 as an artisan-led label shaped by his Kenyan-Indian heritage. The brand collaborates with women-led craft communities, building small-scale production systems centred on training and shared knowledge. Through handwork, the collections explore memory, identity and overlooked histories.
Kinyan Lam, 31
Working out of Hong Kong, Kinyan Lam launched his label in 2023 with a focus on handmade processes. He collaborates with artisans in China’s Guizhou province to integrate regional techniques into genderless collections. Each piece is intentionally unique, with subtle variations treated as part of the design.
Cherry W. Rain-Phuangfueang, 33 & Teerapat Phuangfueang, 31
Bangkok studio Nong Rak focuses on knitwear developed through close material experimentation. Founders Cherry W. Rain-Phuangfueang and Teerapat Phuangfueang produce garments in small quantities alongside their team, allowing the process to evolve slowly through handwork.
Julie Kegels, 27
Antwerp designer Julie Kegels launched her label in 2024 after graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Her womenswear mixes sculptural shapes with craft techniques and a dry sense of humour. Drawing on domestic spaces and personal memory, the clothes shift between everyday practicality and playful exaggeration.
Petra Fagerström, 27
Swedish designer Petra Fagerström works from London after graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2025. Her label focuses on contemporary womenswear shaped by construction and textile experimentation. Known for lenticular pleating, the work moves between digital illusion and traditional craft.
Colleen Allen, 30
Colleen Allen runs her label from New York, producing womenswear locally with an emphasis on texture and colour. The collections move between romantic silhouettes and strong outerwear, finished with detailed interiors and handwork. The figure of the witch appears throughout the work as a symbol of autonomy and intuition.
Golnar Ahmadian, 31
Based in Toronto, Iranian-Canadian designer Golnar Ahmadian approaches fashion through an architectural lens. Golshaah focuses on structure, layering and movement, shaped by her experience of modest dress and spatial design. The collections are seasonless and considered, with the brand also extending into objects and furniture.
Zane Li, 25
Born in Chongqing and now working in New York, Zane Li launched LII shortly after graduating from FIT. The brand sits between sport and couture, combining athletic references with bold silhouettes and textured fabrics. Colour and shape drive the collections, giving technical materials a more expressive edge.
Gabriel Figueiredo, 35
Paris designer Gabriel Figueiredo founded De Pino in 2020 after working as an embroiderer at Maison Margiela Artisanal and later in the Dior studio. The label merges couture craft with playful experimentation through sharp silhouettes and imagery that brings a sense of humour into traditional craftsmanship.
Luca Lin, 32
Milan-based designer Luca Lin launched ACT N°1 in 2016, drawing on his upbringing in Italy as the child of Chinese parents. The genderless label blends theatrical silhouettes with cultural references from religion, folklore and personal memory. For Lin, fashion is a space to question identity and challenge traditional wardrobe codes.
Galib Gassanoff, 31
Founded in Milan by Georgian designer Galib Gassanoff, Institution works as both a fashion label and a cultural platform. Raised near Tbilisi with Azerbaijani heritage, Gassanoff draws on the overlapping identities and traditions that shaped his upbringing. Clothing becomes a way to explore community, social structures and shared histories.
Shinya Kozuka, 40
Tokyo designer Shinya Kozuka approaches fashion as a form of storytelling. Each collection begins with a narrative that extends beyond clothing into objects, sound and atmosphere. Kozuka describes this world-building as “picturesque scenery”, where garments act as fragments of a wider environment.
Kiichiro Asakawa, 39
Kiichiro Asakawa founded ssstein after running a Tokyo store specialising in vintage clothing. Restoring and reworking old garments, the brand is a reflection of Asakawa’s tailoring skills and dedication to intricate pattern cutting.
Luke Derrick, 30
London designer Luke Derrick launched his menswear label in 2021 after training at Dunhill, Brioni and Alexander McQueen. Rooted in British tailoring, the brand pulls from military and utilitarian references while experimenting with new textiles. The result is sharp clothing designed for movement across different lifestyles and worlds.
Harry Pontefract, 37
Sheffield-born designer Harry Pontefract runs Ponte between London and Paris. The label sits between fashion and art, producing garments intended to be worn, collected or exhibited. Drawing on more than a decade inside Paris fashion houses, Pontefract mixes ready-to-wear with one-off artisanal pieces shaped by memory and narrative.
Daniel del Valle Fernandez, 30
Originally from southern Spain and now based in London, Daniel del Valle Fernandez approaches fashion through a wider artistic practice. Thevxlley draws inspiration from sculpture and performance, often drawing on botanical imagery and ideas about the relationship between humans and nature.
Tíscar Espadas, 33
Madrid-based designer Tíscar Espadas runs her label with collaborator Kevin Kohler. The studio works across fashion, craft and visual art, building a wider universe around clothing. Each piece is locally produced through experimental construction and manual processes, with an emphasis on individuality and material sensitivity.
Head here to the LVMH Prize website to vote for your favourite designer.
