LOOKING FOR THE STARS
Can there be any industry that searches so assiduously for its future stars as the fashion business? Fashion thrives on discovery; the search for the latest, best and most provocative is conducted with forensic exactitude.
One of the most famous competitions, which created fashion history, took place in Paris in 1954. That was when a 21-year-old from Germany and an Algerian-born Frenchman, aged 18, won the coat and dress categories in the International Woolmark Prize.
The two were, of course, Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent.
In all the major fashion destinations, year in, year out, there are competitions, prizes, awards and scholarships to unearth budding talent that has the potential to electrify the industry, chief among them being the LVMH Prize and Hyères Festival. London’s Graduate Fashion Week, celebrating its 28th anniversary this year, is among the oldest, with one of its proudest boasts being the presentation of the first Gold Award to the then-unknown Christopher Bailey, a graduate of Westminster University. Condé Nast’s global Vogue network, of course, is a massive supporter of emerging talent. In New York, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund was launched by Anna Wintour in 2003, when the fashion industry was still recovering from the events of 9/11 in 2001. Its alumni include Alexander Wang, Public School, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Altuzarra and Batsheva.
In London, the British Fashion Council/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, established in 2008, has supported most of the hottest brands at London Fashion Week, including Erdem, Christopher Kane, Peter Pilotto, Mary Katrantzou, Molly Goddard and, most recently, Wales Bonner.
In 2005, Vogue Italia and Altaroma founded Who is on Next?, a contest in support of made in Italy. Among the many names that have emerged are Nicholas Kirkwood, Marco de Vincenzo, MSGM, Stella Jean, Paula Cademartori and Paul Andrew. This event was bolstered in 2009 by Vogue Talents. A platform that functions as a seedbed to nurture and support young creatives from all over the world, it plays an equally vital role in identifying the newest stars on fashion’s horizon.
As it celebrates its 10th anniversary, Vogue Talents can look back with pride at having “spotted” a number of stars about to burn bright, including JW Anderson, Simone Rocha, Thebe Magugu, Rokh and Aquazzura. Congratulations to Vogue Talents for playing its part in the global chain of star-gazing archaeologists – working forwards, rather than backwards.