Since its dawn, the LVMH Prize has trampolined mass talent into fashion’s stratosphere. Each year we’re brought face-to-face with audacious designs reflective of modern challenges. At the end of the cycle, one lucky finalist walks away with a 300,000-euro endowment and a tailored mentorship by LVMH. With this mentorship, they’ll learn the ins and outs of sustainable development, communication, copyright and corporate legal aspects, as well as marketing and the financial management of a brand from the experts themselves.

Today, a star-studded panel of experts—including Jonathan Anderson, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Kim Jones, Nigo, Stella McCartney, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie, and Sidney Toledano—announces the nine competing panelists to ascend to the next ring.

The nine competing finalists are Aaron Esh from the United Kingdom, BETTTER by Julie Pelipas from Ukraine, Burc Akyol from France, DIOTIMA by Rachel Scott from Jamaica, LUAR by Raul Lopez from the United States, Magliano by Luca Magliano from Italy, Paolina Russo by Paolina Russo—from Canada— and Lucile Guilmard—from France, Quira by Veronica Leoni from Italy, and SETCHU by Satoshi Kuwata from Japan.

This edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers is markedly distinguished from the rest. For one, it’s the Prize’s 10-year anniversary. It’s also worth noting that 2023’s eclectic range of finalists might just be the most diverse the Prize has seen yet. Whether in their cultural backgrounds or experience in the industry, each participant brings a unique skill set to the table.

Take a peek at this year’s nine finalists. One will soon get the golden ticket to propel their brand to new heights.

Aaron Esh

A Central Saint Martins graduate and founder of his namesake brand, Aaron Esh challenges the bygone concept of stoic masculinity with designs that embrace fluidity, romance, and vulnerability through the male gaze.

BETTTER

Julie Pelipas launched BETTTER, an upcycling system and platform, in 2019, where she specializes in sustainable womenswear. While BETTTER might be relatively new to the scene, Pelipas is no rookie. Former Fashion Director of Vogue Ukraine, she has a lofty 15 years of experience under her belt. Pelipas, a savant in sustainability and creative direction consultancy holds an extensive resume in advising brands.

Burc Akyol

With a resume boasting legendary fashion houses, including Christian Dior and Balenciaga—not to name drop or anything, Burc Akyol zooms into LVMH’s legendary race with a heritage of sartorial savoir-faire coursing through his veins. Exposed to the art of sewing through his father’s work as a tailor, Akyol overlaps couture and the everyday wardrobe. A graduate of L’Institut Français de la Mode, Burc Akyol strives to secure a non-disposable philosophy with his namesake brand.

DIOTIMA

Let’s talk DIOTIMA. Headed by Rachel Scott, the Jamaican brand investigates fashion as the unifying thread between intellectual, aesthetic, and corporeal planes. Founded in 2021, the fashion house reimagines Caribbean style through the lexicon of sensuality. Sustainability and ethical production practices are deeply embedded within the DIOTIMA algorithm as it prides itself on its made-to-order business model.

LUAR

You might already be familiar with LUAR from its viral ANA bag. What you probably don’t know is that LUAR is an anadrome of its founder Raul Lopez’s first name. Raul Lopez, co-founder of Hood By Air, taps into the love affair between uptown and downtown aesthetics of New York City with his needle and thread. First being taken away by fashion design at 12 years old, Lopez merges New York City and the Dominican Republic through his craft.

Magliano

Bologna-born Magliano is a fashion brand that weaves Italian subcultures and movements into its threads. Founded by Luca Magliano, the namesake brand surfaces a dark and off-beat spin on classic menswear staples. Drawing inspiration from Bologna’s underground LGBTQ+ scene, Magliano experiments with gender codes to introduce a new mode of menswear.

Paolina Russo

Where the Avant-Garde and nostalgia intertwine, you’ll find Paolina Russo. The duo that merges founder Paolina Russo’s Canadian upbringing with co-founder Lucile Guilmard’s French Folklore references arrives at threads that—to put it succinctly—embody futuristic fantasy.

Quira

Born from the visionary mind of Veronica Leonis, Quira pays tribute to the fashion designer’s seamstress grandmother. From her tenures at Celine and Jil Sander to her creative direction of womenswear for 2 Moncler 1952, Leonis views fashion as a soulful and raw reflective process. Unraveling in a narrative of heritage, Quira perhaps is the epitome of her philosophy.

SETCHU

Last, but certainly not least, SETCHU is a cumulative study of all the places traversed and design experiences held by its founder Satoshi Kuwata. With a decadent repertoire at H. Huntsman and Sons on Savile Row as well as collaborations with Givenchy, Edun, Kanye West, and Gareth Pugh, Kuwata is no stranger to sharp tailoring and intricate designs. Toying with volume, gender, culture, and craft, SETCHU playfully merges Eastern and Western cultures to arrive at Kuwata’s idiosyncratic fits.

Trace back to earlier this month when The Semi-Final of the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers took place on March 2nd and 3rd. Amongst a sea of 2,400, tides of relentless aspiration and fierce vision roared and crashed. Designers presented their collections in a showroom in Paris and on the digital platform LVMHprize.com. Then, 22 designers emerged on the horizon as semi-finalists.

“The semi-final of the tenth edition of the Prize has highlighted a great maturity in the approach and work of the designers,” reflected Delphine Arnault, “Cultural diversity, celebration of traditional crafts and creative audacity define this selection. Naturally, the finalists are fully engaged in dealing with environmental issues and play with the boundaries between menswear and womenswear. Their expertise, their creativity, their uniqueness and their commitment have truly impressed me.”

With a jury composed of LVMH designers and some of fashion’s greatest trailblazers, it’s no easy feat to impress—much less save oneself from the chopping block. As the competition heats up and the playing field narrows, the LVMH Prize heads to its final round, where its jury will announce the winner of the LMVH Prize and Karl Lagerfeld award on June 7th.