€400,000 win: New star of luxury fashion crowned
Belgian fashion designer Julie Kegels has been awarded the prestigious LVHM Prize, Belga News Agency reports.
Alongside a €400,000 grant, Kegels secured a year-long mentorship with LVMH’s elite team of industry experts. The rising designer accepted the accolade from American actress Jennifer Lawrence during the ceremony.
The 'LVMH Prize' has existed since 2013 and aims to support creative talent from around the world.
Julie Kegels launched her eponymous fashion label in 2024, after graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
"As a young woman from Antwerp designing for women, she approaches fashion from within, with the conviction that a woman can have many identities, sometimes even on the same day," states the fashion prize's website. "Her garments do not impose an identity but leave room for the development of the individual, tailored to the way women move through roles, spaces, and the rhythm of daily life."
"I can't believe it. Someone needs to pinch me because I can't believe it," Kegels said in an initial reaction shown on the LVMH Prize's Instagram page.
The luxury group LVMH is known for brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Moët & Chandon, and Hennessy.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the jewelry made from Karaganda coal had been showcased at the Milan Fashion Week.
