ANDAM Sweetens 2021 Prize Pot to €300,000 – WWD
Thu 4 Feb
Recognising the onerous investments required for young designers to compete today, French fashion prize ANDAM has increased the amount of its grand prize to €300,000 as it opens its 2021 edition. Previously, the top award was valued at €250,000.
Nathalie Dufour, executive director of ANDAM, cited a will to make the prize more enticing to international contenders, and noted the shift to digital presentations, showrooms and communications, plus costs related to sustainable production, have created a new set of expenses — not forgetting the impact of the pandemic on business in general.
“It’s very difficult for young brands,” she said in an interview on Wednesday.
The level of support has vastly increased because of the arrival of large corporate sponsors, which now include Balenciaga, Chanel, Chloé, Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, Galeries Lafayette, Google, Hermès, Kering, Lacoste, Longchamp, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, L’Oréal Paris, OTB, Premiere Classe, Saint Laurent, Swarovski and Tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s CEO and co-founder, Stefano Martinetto, sits on the panel of jurors for the 2021 ANDAM edition, and has done for the previous several years.