Marques'Almeida wins LVMH Prize 2015

London-based womenswear brand, Marques'Almeida, founded by Portuguese designers Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida, has been named as the winner of the second annual LVMH Prize.

The duo beat off competition from other London-based designers including Craig Green and Faustine Steinmetz, as well as Milan-based Arthur Arbesser, Off-White, and Parisian labels Jacquemus and Vetements. As winners, the Portuguese designers receive a grant of 300,000 euros, plus a year of coaching from executives at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

The award from the luxury conglomerate aims to support “tomorrow’s stars” and this year’s winner was chosen by a judging panel that included Nicolas Ghesquière, Karl Lagerfeld, Phoebe Philo, Raf Simons, Riccardo Tisci, Marc Jacobs, Delphine Arnault, Jonathan Anderson, Carol Lim, Humberto Leon, Jean-Paul Claverie, and Pierre-Yves Roussel.

Commenting on the win, Marques said: “It’s such a huge honour, coming from this judging panel. These are the people who we’ve always looked up to. It’s extra special knowing they chose us.”

Louis Vuitton designer Ghesquière, and judging panel member added: “They’ve got a strong voice, they’re very innovative. They already sell well, and I’m sure they will continue to do so.”

LVMH Prize names 2015 winner

More than 1,000 designers entered the competition, which is open to designers under 40 years old who have presented and sold at least two collections of men’s or women’s ready-to-wear, and the aim is for the luxury conglomerate to help grow the winning brand into a global luxury company.

There was an initial round during Paris Fashion Week, which saw 26 semi-finalists showcasing their collections, before being whittled down to eight finalists, and then those designers each took part in a morning of presentations before the winner was announced at an event held at the Louis Vuitton Foundation.

In addition to the overall winner, LVMH also awarded French womenswear brand, Jacquemus, founded by self-taught designer Simon Porte Jacquemus with this year's Special Prize, giving him 150,000 euros.

The first winner of the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers was awarded to Thomas Tait. Last year there were also two special prizes awarded to Miuniki and the Hood by Air label.

Images: LVMH and Marques'Almeida Instagram