Kering one of three new sponsors for the Andam Prize

By

Florent Gilles

Published
Jan 30, 2014

The 25th edition of the Andam prize began accepting applications this week and identified the Kering group as one of the competition’s new patrons. The head of this year’s jury will be François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering. Registration is now open, finalists will be selected in March, and the winners will be announced in July.

“By taking part in the Andam, I am happy Kering is contributing to Paris’ influence in the creative field,” stated François-Henri Pinault. He added, “I am also very proud to be the mentor of the 2014 edition of the Andam Fashion Award. I will do my best to help the winner bring a new, original and refreshing vision to the fashion world.”

“Business plans develop over a minimum of two or three years,” observed Nathalie Dufour. “Beginning this year, the prize is going to assist the winners by adding structured support for two years rather than one. The winners of Andam have real access to experts with all kinds of know-how, thanks to our many patrons, including communications, legal advice, and even e-commerce,” according to the association Nathalie Dufour founded 25 years ago.

Andam’s efforts also receive support from the Ministry of Culture and Communication and DEFI, the French clothing industry organization. “I am very happy to welcome three new sponsors this year, allowing us to strengthen our support to young fashion designers,” remarked the founder of the association that last year honored Ami Alexandre Mattiussi and Christine Phung.

The number of sponsors may have increased, but the prize money remains the same: 250,000 euros for the grand prize and 75,000 for second place. The smaller prize has been earmarked for first collections for the past four years, thus targeting less well-developed labels.

Kering has been involved with the competition in the past, through its Yves Saint Laurent division and Pierre Bergé, founder and president of the association. Going forward, it will be the Group itself that joins the other esteemed sponsors, including the Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent Foundation, Only The Brave (OTB), Longchamp, the Galeries Lafayette group, Canadian department store Hudson’s Bay Company, Swarovski and Fashion GPS. Plus of course LVMH, longtime partner and patron of this edition, which last November launched its own competition in support of young designers. Applications for the LVMH prize are due by Sunday, February 2.

In addition to Kering, two other companies are sponsoring the French prize for the first time this year: M.A.C. Cosmetics, represented by John Demsey, head of the Estée Lauder group that owns the cosmetics brand, and Tomorrow, the international showroom that will promote sales in Paris and Milan for the First Collections prize winner. Tomorrow is represented by Stefano Martinetto.