Bianca Saunders wins ANDAM fashion award
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British menswear designer Bianca Saunders has won the ANDAM Fashion Award 2021, winning 300,000 euros and a year of mentoring from Balenciaga president and chief executive officer Cédric Charbit.
In a statement, Saunders said that she plans to use the additional funding to take her brand to the “next level” by reinvesting in company infrastructure, growing brand presence internationally and hosting her first physical catwalk show on the official fashion week calendar.
Commenting on her win, Saunders said: “I can’t put into words how thrilled I am to receive such a prestigious award and I am truly honoured. Mentorship from such a key player in the industry, plus financial support like this will help me really focus on growing my business and realising my lifelong dream - establishing Bianca Saunders as a global fashion brand.”
On why Saunders stood out from the competition, Charbit, added: “Bianca Saunders presented a solid and unique project anchored in the now and today’s values. I would like to sincerely thank ANDAM and all the jury members for this choice which contributes unveil future successes and opens up our industry to broader horizons.”
The internationally recognised Grand Prize award celebrates young fashion talent and is open to a designer of any nationality, but they must own a French company or be willing to establish a sustainable business in France.
This year’s Grand Prize was a tightly fought contest with Saunders up against fellow London-based designers Grace Wales Bonner and Rokh, as well as New York-based Area, Casablanca founded by Charaf Tajer, Paris-based designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin, and Berlin-based GmbH from design duo Serhat Işık and Benjamin A. Huseby, who were recently named creative directors of Trussard.
ANDAM announces 2021 winners - Bianca Saunders, EgonLab, Aswad and Spinnova
The Pierre Bergé Prize, which focuses on young French companies, was awarded to EgonLab, a brand founded in 2019 by Florentin Glémarec and Kévin Nompeix. The duo win 100,000 euros and mentorship from Sophie Delafontaine, artistic director of Longchamp, to help them structure and grow their brand internationally.
Delafontaine said: “I am proud and pleased to offer my support and expertise to two young talents as Kevin Nompeix and Florentin Glémarec for EgonLab. I am very impressed by the incredible energy spread by all these upcoming creative entrepreneurs.
“I am delighted that Paris keeps being a breeding ground for such a young, dynamic, multicultural and international creativity like M. Pierre Bergé used to consider and value.”
The Accessories Prize, worth 50,000 euros, was won by Paris-based leather goods maker Sonia Ahmimou for her label Aswad. As winner, Ahmimou will receive a one-year mentorship and the personal guidance of Giovanna Engelbert, fashion editor, stylist and Swarovski’s creative director, and be given access to the Swarovski teams to support the development of her brand.
Engelbert added: “This year’s Accessories Prize winner, Aswad, has a unique voice, viewpoint, and sense of wonder that we can’t wait to support and nurture over the next year of mentorship.”
Bianca Saunders, EgonLab and Aswad join Finnish start-up Spinnova as 2021 ANDAM winners after it was announced in June as the ANDAM Innovation Award winner for developing 100 percent sustainable textile fibre directly out of FSC-certified wood and waste streams without dissolving or other harmful chemical processes. Spinnova will receive 50,000 euros and a one-year mentorship from Yann Gozlan, founder and president of Creative Valley.
The ANDAM French fashion awards were established in 1989 by managing director Nathalie Dufour and is supported by the French Ministry of Culture and DEFI (Committee for the Promotion and Development of the French Fashion Industry), as well as private sponsors including Balenciaga, Chanel, Chloe, Fondation Pierre Berge, Yves Saint Laurent, Galeries Lafayette, Google, Hermes, Kering, Lacoste, Longchamp, LVMH, L’Oreal Paris, OTB, Premiere Classe, Swarovski and Tomorrow.