The global competition opens applications from November 17 to January 11
LVMH has announced the timeline and updated details for the 13th edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. Established in 2013, the competition is open to designers worldwide between the ages of 18 and 40 who have produced at least two ready-to-wear collections in womenswear, menswear, or genderless fashion.
Applications for the 2026 edition will open on November 17, 2025, and will close on January 11, 2026. Designers must apply through the official website, lvmhprize.com. The semi-final round is scheduled for March 4 and 5, 2026, and will be accessible to both industry professionals and the public through the Prize’s website and social media channels. During this stage, the Prize Experts and voters will select the finalists.
The LVMH Prize comprises four awards. The main LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers grants its winner a 400,000-euro endowment and a tailored mentorship provided by LVMH teams across areas including sustainable development, marketing, communication, manufacturing, intellectual property, and financial planning. The Karl Lagerfeld Prize awards a 200,000-euro endowment and a one-year mentorship, while the Savoir-Faire Prize offers the same. The LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Graduates selects three winners from the current academic year, who join LVMH houses on one-year contracts. Each graduate and their institution also receives 10,000 euros. Graduate applications run from November 17, 2025, through April 5, 2026.
Past winners illustrate the shifting landscape of emerging talent. Recent honorees include Soshiotsuki, who won the 2025 edition, with Steve O Smith receiving the 2025 Karl Lagerfeld Prize and Torishéju awarded the Savoir-Faire Prize. The 2024 winners were Hodakova, Duran Lantink for the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, and Standing Ground for the Savoir-Faire Prize. Earlier recipients include Setchu (2023), S.S. Daley (2022), and Nensi Dojaka (2021), alongside a long list of designers who have used the platform as an early career milestone. Previous winners have included Grace Wales Bonner, Marine Serre, Marques’Almeida, Jacquemus, and Thomas Tait.
Applications for the 2026 competition formally begin this November as LVMH continues its annual search for the next generation of designers, supporting entrants through financial awards and structured mentorship across the group’s global network.