Avoc wins ANDAM Prize for Creative Label

A few days after the show at the Conservatoire National in Paris, during which Laura Do and Bastien Laurent sent a personal message to the ANDAM jury saying how they hoped to win the prize to "turn into a real business," the designer duo was awarded the ANDAM Creative Label 2017 prize.

"We had one chance in three. Of course, I knew the other two brands, they are very different from us, I was happy to have been short-listed with them and we did it, said Bastien Laurent. We are full of self-belief, we are convinced hard work pays off and that our ideas can go far, even if we do not come from a major fashion label." »

Laura Do, a specialist in interior design at the Attilalou agency, trained at Mathias Kiss and Olivier Piel, while Bastien Laurent worked for the agency which looked after Nike's brand image. They met in Amsterdam and decided to launch a fashion label together, calling it Avoc, a reference to the name of a member of New York rap band Mob Deep, and also a nod to the English word 'havoc'.

"Our design is architectural, added Bastien Laurent, infused with contemporary flair which, after several collections, has now reached a certain kind of maturity." The designer duo has an all-round vision of fashion, and is set on providing a new take on tomorrow's business clothes and on the relationship people have with apparel in everyday life, stressing how "[Avoc's] style is always consistent, and has clear streetwear references."

By winning the Creative Label prize, Avoc bagged a €100,000 purse, "a turning point for us; we are planning to invest the money wisely, especially by fleshing out the company's organisation and drawing more and more on the expertise of those who work with us, while the recognition the prize offers should help us open new doors."

At the same time, Laura Do and Bastien Laurent will benefit from the support of Matchesfashion.com and its President Ruth Chapman, who will mentor Avoc over the course of one year, focusing on its digital and commercial strategy. French department store group Galeries Lafayette has instead pledged to buy Avoc products for two seasons, giving the label centre stage in the first-floor area dedicated to emerging brands at the group's Paris flagship store on boulevard Haussmann. Also, the Tomorrow London Ltd showroom will promote the label at its Paris and Milan branches.

Avoc wins ANDAM Prize for Creative Label

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