The coveted LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) Prize has announced its 20 semi-finalists for 2021 and Cape Town-based designer Lukhanyo Mdingi is among them.
The Lukhanyo Mdingi brand is known for creating meticulously made pieces and collaborating with artisans.
It is no secret that 2020 was a challenging year for designers. But the LVMH Prize finalists were able to adapt and expand.
Delphine Arnault, executive vice-president of Louis Vuitton and founder of the LVMH Prize, said they received over 1 900 applications. She added that many of the young designers showed maturity in their work.
“Today, designers are asked to be much more than designers, and the candidates have adapted to this new reality. They are very aware of their image, they build their businesses, and above all they think about creation and its environmental issues. All the semi-finalists show a sincere and deep commitment, whether it be social, ethical, artisanal, environmental or local. They are anchored in today’s world,” she said.
Other designers who made the list include Alicia Robinson, a 30-year-old designer who is the founder of AGR, a British womenswear brand based in the UK. Also from the UK is Bianca Saunders, 28, who creates menswear. From France are Charles de Vilmorin, 25; Andreas Steiner. 36; and Federico Cina, 27. Again from the UK are Conner Ives, 25; Nensi Dojaka, 28; Saul Nash, 31; and Amy Trinh and Evan Phillips, who own Wed, a British womenswear brand. Representing the US are Colm Dillane, 30, and Christopher John Rogers, 28. Kika Vargas, 38, represents Columbia, while Cynthia Mehrej, 32, is from Lebanon.
From China are Rui Zhou, 27, and Shuting Qiu, 27, while Takuya Morikawa, 39, and Tadu Midorikawa, 39, represent Japan. Dongjoon Lim, 29 is there for South Korea, and Adeju Thompson, 30, represents Nigeria.
The 2021 winner will receive a €300 000 (about R5 268 726) prize and a year of mentorship from designers and executives within LVMH. The winner of the Karl Lagerfeld special prize will receive €150 000 and a year of mentorship.
In 2019, Thebe Magugu won the LVMH Prize.