20 Designers From 17 Countries: Meet the 2026 LVMH Prize Semifinalists

Photo: LVMH Prize

This morning, the LVMH Prize – a renowned incubator for emerging designers that counts Simon Porte Jacquemus, Grace Wales Bonner and Duran Lantink as past winners – announced its 2026 semi-finalists.

There are some familiar faces on the list, including New York-based designer Colleen Allen, nominated as CFDA’s 2025 Emerging Designer of the Year; Tíscar Espadas, 2024 Spanish Championship winner Fashion Fashion Fund; Kartik Research is a 2023 LVMH Prize semifinalist and recently dressed Zohran Mamdani at the New York City Mayor’s Inauguration. (Last year’s LVMH Prize winner Soshiotsuki is also on the shortlist for the 2016 prize.) The 20 nominees come from 17 countries, including Georgia, Kenya and Thailand for the first time.

Delphine Arnault, chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture and founder of the LVMH Prize, said in a statement: “I am delighted with the success of the LVMH Prize on a global scale.” “I am once again honored to announce a shortlist of outstanding talents. Their collections span contemporary elegance, bold designs and even one-of-a-kind pieces. Craftsmanship and the study of materials are at the core of their creations,” she noted.

The winner of the 2026 LVMH Prize will receive a donation of 400,000 euros and a year of mentorship from LVMH experts. The winners of the Karl Lagerfeld Prize and the Savoir-Faire Prize will each receive a grant of 200,000 euros and a year of mentorship from LVMH experts.

The 20 nominees will present their work to the LVMH Prize expert committee of more than 80 industry experts on March 4 and 5, 2026, in the semi-finals exhibition hall in Paris. From March 4 to 8, the public will also have the opportunity to discover designers and vote with industry experts on LVMH’s digital platform lvmhprize.com. Eight designers will advance to the finals. Below is the full list of semifinalists for the 2026 LVMH Prize.

Action No. 1 Author: Luca Lin, Italy, genderless series

Colleen Allen Author: Colleen Allen, USA, Women’s Clothing

De Pino Gabriel Figueiredo design, France, women’s clothing

Derek Luke Derrick, UK, menswear

Gorsa Author: Golnar Ahmadian, Iran, women’s clothing

amisigo Bubu Ogisi, Nigeria, women’s and men’s clothing

mechanism Galib Gassanoff, Georgia, womenswear, menswear and genderless collections

Julie Kegels Julie Kegels, Belgium, women’s clothing

kartic research corp. Kartik Kumra, India, women’s and men’s clothing

Lin Jianyan Author: Kinyan Lam, China, genderless series