ANDAM Prize adds Hermès, Kering and LVMH to board

French fashion prize ANDAM has added Hermès executive vice president Guillaume de Seynes, Kering group managing director Jean-François Palus and LVMH fashion group chairman and chief executive officer Sidney Toledano to its board of directors.

The three luxury sector heavyweights join ten representatives from public and private sectors of key sponsors as the fashion prize expands its board to 13 members.

Nathalie Dufour, executive director and founder of ANDAM, said in a statement: “I am very honoured that Hermès, Kering and LVMH, all three faithful ANDAM’s sponsors, agreed to serve on our Board of Director. Historically institutional, ANDAM and its major role as agent and coordinator of the French fashion economic development have been constantly reinforced by the commitment of the most prestigious players of our cultural industry.

“Therefore, it was absolutely relevant to expand their presence in our governing bodies. I am glad that our Board of Directors reflects the exemplarity of our organisation which gathers the major private and public actors around the same goal : supporting creativity and participate to the transformation and future of our industry.”

They join Bruno Pavlovsky, president of global fashion at Chanel and Sophie Delafontaine, creative director at Longchamp.

As well as representatives of the French Ministry of Culture, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Recovery, the Institut Français de la Mode, DéFI, Galeries Lafayette and Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent.

Guillaume Houzé, ANDAM’s président, added: “The trust Hermès, Kering and LVMH, place in ANDAM by joining the board of directors honours ANDAM’s history and its major role in the transformation our fashion industry is currently undergoing.

“ANDAM is driven by one core mission: gathering the best of today’s fashion to unveil and mentor tomorrow’s best. With such respected professionals as Guillaume de Seynes, Sidney Toledano and Jean-François Palus entering the board, ANDAM sends a powerful signal for the emergence of a creative and committed youth that will find in Paris and France all the invaluable conditions for its development.”

The election of the board members took place at the annual meeting on December 22, 2020.

ANDAM was established more than 30 years ago and currently, the annual competition has a 500,000 euro endowment to support French and international fashion designers and innovative companies that actively contribute to the Paris fashion scene and enhance the French fashion industry.

Images: courtesy of ANDAM