British designer Steven Stokey-Daley, 25, has captured hearts and minds with his theatrical shows at London Fashion Week that view the British class system through a queer lens, gaining high-profile fans including Harry Styles, who wore his graduate collection in his “Golden” music video.
Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett revealed the winner at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in the presence of jury members including Kim Jones; Maria Grazia Chiuri; Nigo, the new artistic director of Kenzo; Silvia Venturini Fendi; Stella McCartney; Nicolas Ghesquière; Jonathan Anderson, and Delphine Arnault, the force behind the prize and a key talent scout at luxury giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
The Nigerian-born, London-raised designer Idris Balogun impressed the judges with his menswear brand Winnie, rooted in his experience as an apprentice on London’s exclusive Savile Row, and as a senior menswear designer for Burberry and Tom Ford.
The jury was moved by the mettle of a group of designers emerging in the midst of a global pandemic.