Finnish fashion wins at Hyères

The 27th Hyères International of Fashion and Photography Festival was held in the south

of France over the weekend and the top fashion design prize was awarded to a trio of Finnish designers: Elina Laitinen, Siiri Raasakka and Tiia Siren.

The international jury, headed by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, award the young Finnish team’s menswear collection the prestigious prize was worth €15,000 for its ‘use of colour and futuristic styling’, after seeing all ten finalists present their collections in a catwalk show.

The annual festival provides the opportunity for emerging designers to present their collections to professionals within the fashion industry as well as to the public, and in the past has awarded designers such as Viktor & Rolf and Felipe Oliveira Baptista.

Other winners included Canadian designer Steven Tai, who won the inaugural Chloé prize for his womenswear collection, and Ragne Kikas of Estonia took the Première Vision prize and the public vote for his womenswear collection.