ANDAM competition launches 32nd edition, boosts prize money

ANDAM, the French national association for the development of the arts and fashion, is now accepting applications for the 32nd edition of its emerging designer competition - with a pleasant surprise for its participants. Considering the difficulties faced by emerging labels, confronted with rising costs for digitalisation, video production and for deploying a sustainable development model, the fashion competition’s organisers are increasing the main prize’s purse from €250,000 to €300,000.

Nathalie Dufour, who founded the fashion competition in 1989 to help emerging designers, under the auspices of France’s Culture and Communication ministry and of Defi (the country’s Committee for the Development and Promotion of Apparel), emphasised that the prize boost was made possible “thanks to the support of Balenciaga,” whose boss Cédric Charbit will be the patron of this year's edition.

The ANDAM competition features four prizes: the grand prize, now worth €300,000; the Pierre Bergé prize, which has replaced the creative label prize, worth €100,000; the fashion accessories prize, worth €50,000; and the innovation prize, first introduced in 2017, with a €50,000 purse. Altogether, the prize money this year will therefore add up to €500,000.

The winners will also benefit from a mentorship programme offered by the sponsors. Balenciaga will mentor the grand prize winner; Sophie Delafontaine, creative director of Longchamp, will do the same for the Pierre Bergé prize winner; Giovanna Engelbert, creative director of Swarovski, will mentor the winner of the fashion accessories prize; and Yann Gozlan, founder and president of incubator and start-up network Creative Valley, will take under his wing the innovation prize winner.

Over the years, ANDAM’s mentoring and assistance programme has become increasingly extensive, thanks to the association’s private sponsors. Besides Balenciaga, Longchamp and Swarovski, these include Galeries Lafayette, whose Image and Communication Director Guillaume Houzé will chair the competition, Chanel, Chloé, the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation, Hermès, Kering, Google France, Lacoste, LVMH, L’Oréal Paris, OTB, Première Classe, Saint Laurent and Tomorrow.

In 2020, owing to the pandemic, ANDAM introduced a notable format change, inviting all the previous editions’ winners and finalists to compete. The €200,000 grand prize went to Marine Serre, and the second prize, worth €150,000, went to Glenn Martens and his Y/Project label.

The deadline for submitting applications this year is April 27, and the finalists’ shortlist will be announced at the end of May. The competition's winners will be revealed by the jury on July 1 2021.

ANDAM competition launches 32nd edition, boosts prize money

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