PARIS, France — 25-year-old Marine Serre is the winner of this year's LVMH Prize. The Paris-based label is helmed by Belgian-French designer Marine Serre and known for her Islamic motif-infused sportswear, which she told BoF was an answer to last year's terror attacks in Paris and Brussels. The label will receive a €300,000 grant and a year-long mentorship from executives at the French luxury conglomerate.

The winner, who graduated with highest honours from the Academy of La Cambre Mode in Brussels in June 2016, was selected from a shortlist of eight brands: Yoon Ahn (Ambush), Kozaburo Akasaka (Kozaburo), Cecile Rosted Bahnsen (Cecilie Bahsen), Nabil El-Nayal (Nabil Nayal), Molly Goddard, Maria Kazakova (Jahnkoy), Marine Serre, and Antonin Tron (Atlein). The decision was made by a jury of industry figures, comprising designers Jonathan Anderson, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Humberto Leon, Carol Lim, Phoebe Philo and Riccardo Tisci, and Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie and Pierre-Yves Roussel of LVMH.

A Special Prize was also awarded to Kozaburo, the New York-based label helmed by Japanese designer Kozaburo Akasaka, who works predominantly with denim. He receives a grant of €150,000 and year-long mentorship from the LVMH group.

The LVMH Prize was launched in 2014. The 2014, 2015 and 2016 Prizes were all won by London-based designers who graduated from Central Saint Martins: Thomas Tait, Marques'Almeida and Grace Wales Bonner, respectively.

Last year, Canadian designer Vejas Kruszewski received a Special Prize, while in 2015 the Special Prize was awarded to Simon Porte Jacquemus.

Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion. All investors have signed shareholder’s documentation guaranteeing BoF’s complete editorial independence.

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