The 2024 Loro Piana Knit Design Award Honors Young Knitwear Designers Pierre Sauvageot and Björn Backes, Students at École Duperré Paris
Loro Piana has named the 2024 recipient of its Knit Design Award. The winners of the award’s eighth edition, Pierre Sauvageot and Björn Backes from École Duperré Paris, created a project titled “Cavalieri, A History of Innovation,” blending Loro Piana cashmere yarns with iron threads to reinterpret knights’ armor. Their design combined the natural fiber’s legacy with modernity.
This year’s competition, marking the luxury brand’s centenary, challenged applicants with the theme of “Fast Forward Heritage,” aiming to reinterpret the art of knitwear. Loro Piana’s CEO, Damien Bertrand, emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, “We want more and more to bring knitwear [forward], from a necessity, a technicality to bringing nobility, innovation, and creativity to this métier.”
Since October, short-listed applicants explored Loro Piana factories and stores to understand production processes and the brand’s heritage. Winners will receive a scholarship, a contract to work with Loro Piana, and support to develop their designs into garments showcased at the Pitti Filati textile trade show.
The jury included executives from Loro Piana and industry experts. The Knit Design Award, established in 2016, aims to promote innovation in the brand’s signature yarns, such as Cashmere 2/27, Coarsehair, and Supercashmere.