LVMH reveals finalists in fashion's fiercest competiton

Following a presentation of their collections on March 2-3, the 23 shortlisted up-and-coming talents have been whittled down to just eight contenders for the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers Prize have been revealed.

The finalists for the prestigious fashion accolade include "Aalto," by Finnish designer Tuomas Merikoski; "Alyx", by New York-based Matthew Williams; and "Facetasm," by the Japanese creative Hiromichi Ochiai. New York designer Brandon Maxwell's eponymous label has also made the cut, alongside "Koché", by French designer Christelle Kocher, "Vejas," by Canadian Vejas Kruszewski and "Wales Bonner," by English talent Grace Wales Bonner. Rounding up the list is Belgian designer Glenn Martens's "Y/Project."

"The list reflects the vitality of the French fashion scene and the attractiveness of Paris for designers from all over the world," says Delphine Arnault, Director and Executive Vice President of Louis Vuitton.

The eight creatives will now be invited to meet the members of the prize's formidable Jury on June 16, when the winner will be selected. The panel of experts comprises some of the biggest names in contemporary fashion, including designers J. W. Anderson, Nicolas Ghesquière of Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim of Opening Ceremony and Kenzo, Phoebe Philo of Céline and Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy. Delphine Arnault, the Advisor to the president at the Fondation Louis Vuitton Jean-Paul Claverie and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH Fashion Group Pierre-Yves Roussel complete the line-up.

In addition to the €300,000 prize money, the winner will also receive support from the LVMH group in developing their fashion brand over the course of one year. Previous winners include Marques'Almeida (2015 winner), Jacquemus (2015 Special Prize winner) and Thomas Tait (2014 winner).