Christopher Esber, 3.Paradis Among ANDAM Fashion Awards 2024 Finalists

PARIS — Christopher Esber, 3.Paradis and Meryll Rogge are among the six finalists for the grand prize of the 2024 ANDAM Awards, joining an eclectic lineup that reflects the cultural diversity of the guest jury assembled by Anthony Vaccarello, who will mentor the winner of the fashion prize for its 35th anniversary edition.

Esber, who is based in Sydney, has won fans including Zendaya and Dua Lipa with his minimalist summer styles. He is up for the grand prize, which comes with a cash award of 300,000 euros, less than a year after making his debut at Paris Fashion Week.

The 3.Paradis label, founded in Canada by French designer Emeric Tchatchoua, staged its first fashion show in Paris in 2023 after 10 years in business. The genderless line, known for its signature dove motif symbolizing peace and unity, has been worn by the likes of Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber.

Rogge, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, launched her unisex label in 2019 after stints at Marc Jacobs and Dries Van Noten, and is known for pieces in bold and unexpected combinations of masculine and feminine elements.

They are joined by Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, who showed her first collection last year and has won plaudits for her conceptual pieces that play with everyday objects and proportions. The Brussels-born and raised graduate of La Cambre Mode(s) cut her teeth at Givenchy and Balenciaga before quickly striking out on her own.

Rounding out the shortlist are Ruohan, the label founded by Chinese designer Ruohan Nie in 2020, and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, a brand with roots in London’s queer nightlife scene that celebrates its 10^th anniversary this year.  

Candidates for ANDAM’s main prize can be of any nationality but must own a French company or set one up during the same year they receive the fellowship. ANDAM will also award a runner-up Special Prize, with a cash award of 100,000 euros, to one of the finalists in the ceremony, which is scheduled for June 27.

The three nominees for the Pierre Bergé Prize, worth 100,000 euros, are Boyarovskaya, created by designer Maria Boyarovskaya and fashion photographer Artem Kononenko; Pièces Uniques, a Paris-based clothing brand founded by Edmond Luu, and Vaillant, designed by Alice Vaillant, known for lingerie-inspired camisole tops and slipdresses worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Rita Ora.

Boyarovskaya and Vaillant had previously been shortlisted for the Pierre Bergé Prize in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

The contenders for the Accessories Prize, worth 100,000 euros, are French jewelry brand Hugo Kreit, by Hugo Kreit and Nordine Makhloufi, whose futuristic designs have been worn by rappers including Cardi B and Doja Cat; Maeden, an Amsterdam-based leather goods brand under the creative direction of Christian Heikoop, and Sarahlevy, founded by Belgian designer Sarah Levy, known for its avant-garde designs like the Chest bag, consisting of a fetish-style leather bra.

ANDAM founder and managing director Nathalie Dufour noted that almost half the finalists are women. “That’s interesting because it means things are evolving and there are more and more women entrepreneurs founding their own brands,” she told WWD.

Aside from the fact that several finalists are graduates of La Cambre, Vaccarello’s alma mater, she said the guest jury chosen by the Saint Laurent creative director had cast a wide net.

“The jury members are completely independent and have very eclectic tastes,” Dufour noted.

Blackpink’s Rosé, model and singer Carla Bruni, and actress and musician Charlotte Gainsbourg are among the 13 guest members selected by Vaccarello, who won the award in 2011.  

“Being on the ANDAM jury alongside my friend Anthony Vaccarello, who I proudly supported when he won 13 years ago, is a full-circle moment,” said model Anja Rubik, another of the guest jurors. “I’m looking for finalists who bring the same passion and innovation that Anthony did.”

The guest members join a permanent jury of senior representatives of the award’s corporate sponsors, representing a wide swathe of the fashion industry.

Fashion prizes have become an even more crucial source of funding and mentorship as small brands navigate a slowdown in luxury spending that has impacted the wholesale market, leaving many independent brands on the brink.

The Vampire’s Wife and Mara Hoffman are among the brands that recently revealed they will cease operations.

“The brands in this selection have all shown a degree of maturity, whether in their positioning, their community or their sales network,” said Dufour.

“It’s not just emerging brands competing for the grand prize, so it’s perhaps a way to support established brands that are facing hurdles to growth because of the complex geopolitical environment,” she added.

The 12 finalists will have access to deadstock materials provided by Balenciaga and Longchamp, while OTB will run a workshop on best practices in sustainable design, and WSN and Première Classe will showcase the winners at its trade shows.

Google will provide access to coaches to help the brands develop their digital presence, while online retailer Mytheresa will offer a working session with members of its digital leadership, in addition to visibility on its social media channels. Swarovski, Tomorrow and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum will also provide advice and expertise.

Created in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour, with the support of the French Ministry of Culture and the DEFI, a body that promotes the development of the French fashion industry, and with the late Pierre Bergé as president, ANDAM has been a springboard for designers who would go on to achieve international recognition.

Past winners include Viktor&Rolf, Christophe Lemaire, Jeremy Scott and Marine Serre. French designer Louis-Gabriel Nouchi scooped the 2023 prize, with Ester Manas and Duran Lantink both receiving the runner-up Special Prize.

ANDAM — the French acronym for National Association of the Development of the Fashion Arts — is supported by Balenciaga, Bureau Betak, Chanel, Chloé, Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, Galeries Lafayette, Google, Hermès, Kering, Lacoste, Longchamp, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, L’Oréal Paris, Meta, Mytheresa, OTB, Premiere Classe, Saint Laurent, Swarovski and Tomorrow.