Here are the 2026 LVMH Prize Finalists
In September, nine finalists will present to the jury of experts to determine the winners of the LVMH Prize, Karl Lagerfeld Prize, and Savoir-Faire Prize.
Reported by Vogue.
The LVMH Prize just announced its nine finalists for 2026, and the roster signals something worth watching: fashion's gatekeepers are actively sourcing talent from places they historically overlooked. After more than 80 industry heavyweights reviewed submissions in March, the shortlist landed on designers spanning the U.S., Europe, China, and—critically—Kenya for the first time, according to Vogue. The names: Colleen Allen (USA), De Pino (France), Institution (Georgia), Julie Kegels (Belgium), Lii (China), Petra Fagerström (Sweden), Ponte (UK), THEVXLLEY (Spain), and Yoshita 1967 (Kenya).
The Prize's expansion into new geography matters less for its optics and more for what it reveals about where creative momentum actually lives right now. Delphine Arnault, chairman of Christian Dior and the Prize's founder, emphasized that each finalist brought "a singular creative vision" alongside "highly sophisticated interpretations of traditional craftsmanship"—code for: these aren't designers banking on novelty alone. They're synthesizing heritage techniques with contemporary perspective, which is precisely what luxury houses are desperately hunting for in 2026.
The Jury Got a Serious Upgrade
This year's committee introduced five new jurors, a significant refresh. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez (now at Loewe), Camille Miceli (Emilio Pucci), Michael Rider (Celine), and Pietro Beccari (Louis Vuitton CEO) join returning heavyweights including Jonathan Anderson, Sarah Burton, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Nigo, Phoebe Philo, and Pharrell Williams. The addition of Beccari and the Loewe creative directors signals that LVMH is embedding its own power players more directly into the discovery process—less arms-length observation, more hands-on talent curation.
The final showdown happens September 4 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, where judges will crown winners across three categories: the main LVMH Prize, the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, and the Savoir-Faire Prize. The 2025 winners were Soshiotsuki, Steve O Smith, and Torishéju respectively—names that, if you weren't paying close attention, might've passed you by until they suddenly landed a million-dollar investment and mentorship from one of the world's largest luxury conglomerates.
This Prize matters because it's where tomorrow's luxury houses get identified and funded before they go mainstream; watch these nine closely.
Read the original at Vogue.
