29th INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FASHION & PHOTOGRAPHY IN HYERES

By Crash redaction

The 29th Annual International Festival hosted 10 young  finalists in the fields of fashion design and photography to compete for The Grand Prix during the Fashion and Photography Awards in Hyeres from April 25 th to the 28th, 2014. Competitors were given the opportunity to meet the exhibitors and manufacturers of Première Vision show, and in some cases were able to chose their own yarns, fabrics or accessories.

The Fashion competition finalists consisted of young designers from the Netherlands, Belgium, Estonia, France, Japan, Latvia, Austria and the Ukraine. The panel of the Fashion Jury consisted of industry legends such as the Creative Directors of KENZO – Carol Lim & Humberto Leon, the general curator of Fashion and Textile at Les Arts Decoratifs – Pameka Golbin, film director Spike Jonze, fashion director of V magazine and V man – Jay Massacret, creative director of British Vogue Jaime Perlman, actress Chloe Sevigny, head buyer for Opening Ceremony – Carol Song, and fashion news director of American InStyle – Eric Wilson.

The photography competition finalists consited of 10 aspiring photographers from Poland, Finland, France, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Their panel of jurors was led by the president of the jury – Steve Hiett, fashion designer Manish Arora, associate photo editor of The New York Times Magazine – Stacey Baker, sound designer Michel Gaubert, founding member of Magenta Foundation – Clare Vander Meersch, éditorial director of IMA magazine – Mutsuko Ota, critic director and publisher at Oodee – Damien Poulain, deputy photography director of Le Monde M – Cathy Rémy, Director of the photographer’s Gallery – Brett Rogers, photographer Oliver Sieber, and visual editor and magazine consultant Andreas Wellnitz.

The Grand Prix of the Jury Premiere Vision went to Japanese designer Kenta Matsushige’s womanswear collection, Hinabi. The decision was difficult for the panel of jurors, as the competition was filled with exceptional designers. On their selection of Kenta for the Grand Prix award the members of the jury felt that the young designer « embodied longevity, a dedication to details, a coherent expression, and a sense of modernity », resulting in her Grand win.

The Grand Prix prize consists of a grant of 15 000€ offered by  PREMIERE VISION, and a high level of visibility at both PremièreVision New-York and Première Vision Paris shows. The prize also includes a collaborative project with some of Chanel’s Métiers d’arts of up to 15 000€, along with a collaboration with Petit Bateau on one or more of their emblematic products.

The Chloé Prize was shared by Austrian designer Roshi Porkar and Liselore Frowijn ‘s line ‘Afternoon of a Replicant’ of the Netherlands. The prize was accompanied by a grant of 15 000€ for each designer to further support their future creative endeavors.

Special Destinction of the Jury and the Opening Ceremony Dotation was given to Yulia Tefimtchuck of the Ukraine. Carol Lim and Humberton Leon gave insight to the panel’s decision by saying « we felt that she proposes a strong point of view, a purity, and a sense of strength. » Yulia will be carried at Opening Ceremony for two seasons.

The Public Prize/City of Hyeres prize was awarded to Coralie Marabelle of France for her collection ‘Dream Catcher’.