Andam, the renowned fashion competition for emerging designers, will be celebrating its 35th edition with the appointment of Anthony Vaccarello, the talented creative director of Saint Laurent, as the head of the jury. In addition to his role as jury president, Vaccarello will also serve as a mentor to the winners of the competition for a duration of one year. The call for entries for the 2024 edition of Andam has been officially launched, and an impressive total of 700,000 euros in prize money will once again be up for grabs.
The selection of Anthony Vaccarello as the president of the jury is a poignant tribute to the late Pierre Bergé, who was one of the co-founders of Andam in 1989, alongside the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent. Bergé had served as the president of Andam until 2017 when Francesca Bellettini, the CEO of Saint Laurent, took over the competition’s sponsorship. Vaccarello, who himself won the Andam prize in 2011, holds the distinction of being the first designer to assume the prestigious role of jury president, a position that has traditionally been held by the leaders of the fashion houses supporting the competition.
Expressing his deep sense of honor, Vaccarello stated in a press release, “Andam holds a special place in the heart of Saint Laurent and myself as it has been under the leadership of Monsieur Pierre Bergé since its inception almost 30 years ago, and I have had the privilege of being an Andam prizewinner. For these reasons, I am truly honored to be joining the event as president of the jury for this significant anniversary edition.”
Vaccarello succeeds Riccardo Bellini, the former CEO of Chloé, who awarded the Andam Prize to Louis Gabriel Nouchi in the previous year. Other winners included Ester Manas and Duran Lantink who received the Special Prize, Avellano who won the Pierre Bergé Prize (formerly known as the Creative Label Prize), and Ukrainian designer Ruslan Baginskiy who was honored with the Fashion Accessories Prize.
To commemorate the 35th anniversary of Andam, a series of exciting initiatives, collaborations, pop-ups, and special projects will be taking place throughout 2024. Anthony Vaccarello will personally announce the jury members for the competition in February. Aspiring designers eager to participate can apply online at andam.fr until March 31, 2024. The shortlisted finalists will be unveiled in late May, and the jury will convene on June 27 to determine the winners. The competition will present a total of five prizes, including the prestigious Andam Grand Prize (300,000 euros), the Special Grand Prize (100,000 euros), the Pierre Bergé Prize (100,000 euros), the Fashion Accessories Prize (100,000 euros), and the Innovation Prize (100,000 euros).
Useful links:
– Andam Official Website
– Saint Laurent Official Website
