France’s Andam Fashion Prize Doubles Grants for Accessories, Innovation

Andam has increased its pool of available prizes to €700,000 ($737,000), the French industry consortium said as it launched the 2023 edition of its influential fashion awards.

In addition to a €300,000 grand prize and €100,000 runner-up prize for fashion designers, the organisation has doubled its awards for accessories and innovation, both now reaching €100,000. The group will also grant €100,000 to an early-stage French designer in honour of its longtime president Pierre Bergé.

Hermès managing director Guillaume de Seynes will mentor the winner of the increased accessories prize for a year, while Chloé CEO Riccardo Bellini (formerly Maison Margiela’s chief) will mentor the main fashion winners. Lacoste deputy CEO Catherine Spindler chairs this year’s Pierre Bergé Prize. A new board member, production company Bureau Betak, has pledged to help winners’ show their collections.

Founded in 1989, Andam is funded and administered by the French culture ministry and DEFI industry association alongside an array of companies involved in fashion, ranging from French luxury groups LVMH and Kering to Italy’s OTB, German e-tailer Mytheresa and tech giants Meta and Google.

Designers and start-ups from around the world are invited to apply for Andam’s prizes, on the condition that winners are expected to show on the Paris Fashion Week calendar and to invest in moving part of their supply chain or operations to France.

Andam founder Nathalie Dufour said the best applicants are often designers whose vision extends beyond fashion to include a point-of-view on issues like culture, representation and diversity, sustainability or craftsmanship.

Recent winners have included designers Botter, Y/Project and Marine Serre, sustainable dyeing start-up Ever Dye, and Dolly Cohen (the Paris-based jeweller known for her custom grills). Former winners also include Anthony Vaccarello, Martin Margiela, APC, Jeremy Scott and Lemaire.

Editor’s Note: This story has been modified 9th January at 12h50 B.S.T. A previous version of this article misstated the nationality of designer Dolly Cohen. Cohen is French.