Thebe Magugu

Thebe Magugu, who hails from Johannesburg, South Africa, is the recipient of this year’s 2019 LVMH grand prize. The 26yearold designer impressed jurors with his thoughtful collections, drawing inspiration from his heritage. The Lisof Fashion Design School graduate names each of his collections after an academic field of study—for example, Gender Studies, presented in a lookbook photographed on scarecrows wearing dusty purple pleated skirts and floral apron dresses, drawing inspiration from the uniforms of the matriarchs who raised him. Magugu even uses mud instead of paint as coloured accents. His third and most recent collection expands on an exuberant palette of pinks, blues, and yellows, and continues to use wild floral motifs and balloon sleeves.