SA designer Thebe Magugu becomes first African to win LVMH Prize

Critically acclaimed South African designer and LISOF graduate Thebe Magugu was the toast of the town when he was announced as the winner of the Moët Hennessy–Louis Vuitton (LVMH) Prize for Young Fashion Designers recently.

Magugu, whose women’s wear brand bears his name, is also the first African designer to win the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers which will see him receive a €300,000 (R4.9 million) grant and a yearlong mentorship from executives at the French luxury conglomerate.

The 26-year-old beat out eight other finalists to take home top honours at a finale event held at Louis Vuitton in Paris, France.

The competition was launched in 2013 and created to honour and support young fashion designers around the world.

According to the official website, every year, a young designer and three graduates from fashion schools can claim prestigious prizes from the conglomerate.

The competition that Magugu won is open to designers under the age of 40 from every country in the world. All they need to qualify is to have produced at least two collections prior to entering.

In addition to the mentorship and the grant, Magugu will receive support in all the areas of expertise that LVMH believes are critical to a young fashion brand; intellectual property, sourcing, production and distribution, image and advertising as well as marketing.

Past winners include Canada’s Thomas Tait (2014), France’s Marine Serre (2017) and Japan’s Masayuki Ino (2018).

Formed in 1987 as a result of the merger between fashion house Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy, the French luxury conglomerate is home to over 60 subsidiaries that produce luxury lines of clothing, cosmetics, fashion accessories, jewellery, perfumes, spirits, watches and wines.

According to an organisational chart by Christian Dior, their company is the main holding company of LVMH as they own 40.9% of its shares and 59.01% of its voting rights.

Some of the conglomerate’s best-known subsidiaries include Rihanna’s Fenty clothing line, Céline, Charles & Keith, Dior, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Hublot, TAG Heuer and Bvlgari.

Social media was atwitter with news of Magugu’s win last week, with well wishes streaming in from the likes of Lindiwe Suttle, Glamour editor Asanda Sizani and media personality Maps Maponyane.

Whatever collections Magugu designs during his time at LVHM headquarters will be available online at LVMH-owned multibrand e-commerce platform 24S.

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