​Thebe Magugu wins the 2019 LVMH Prize

By

Triana Alonso

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Sep 4, 2019

On September 4, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in the heart of Paris was the venue for the LVMH Prize’s award ceremony, hosted by Delphine Arnault, executive vice-president of Louis Vuitton and member of the LVMH group’s board of directors. Delphine Arnault opened the ceremony by remembering photographer Peter Lindbergh, who died on the same day of the ceremony.

Now in its sixth edition, the LVMH Prize for emerging designers was awarded to Thebe Magugu. The South African designer beat seven other finalists to the prize, which was won last year by Japanese designer Masayuki Ino, founder of the Doublet label. Among this year’s other finalists was Israeli designer Hed Mayner, who was awarded the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, previously known as the Jury's Special Prize. Delphine Arnault also paid tribute to the memory of Karl Lagerfeld. “This event owes much to him,” she said. “He supported us ever since the prize was created. [The LVMH Prize] won’t be the same without him, and neither will fashion. We miss him terribly."

Thebe Magugu the winner

Thebe Magugu received a cash prize of €300,000 and will benefit from a one-year mentorship by the staff of the LVMH group. He follows in the wake of French designer Marine Serre (winner in 2017), British designer Grace Wales Bonner (in 2016), Portuguese duo Marques’Almeida (in 2015), the prize’s first winner, Montreal-based designer Thomas Tait (in 2014) and Masayuki Ino (in 2018).

The winner of the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, Hed Mayner, received a cash prize of  €150,000 and he too will benefit from a one-year mentorship by the staff of the LVMH group.

The Prize's jury was composed of Delphine Arnault and other leading fashion industry names, like Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of Christian Dior Couture; Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Loewe; Kris Van Assche, creative director of Berluti; Marc Jacobs; Clare Waight Keller, creative director of Givenchy; Jean-Paul Claverie, adviser to Bernard Arnault and head of sponsorships at LVMH; and Sidney Toledano, CEO of LVMH Fashion Group. This was the first LVMH Prize final that wasn’t attended by either Bernard Arnault, president and majority shareholder of the LVMH group, and Karl Lagerfeld, after whom one of the prizes is now named.

The LVMH group created the eponymous prize in 2014 and, under the aegis of Delphine Arnault, the prize has become a major international event in support of emerging designers. In 2019, the LVMH Prize received over 1,700 applications from 100 countries.