The LVMH Prize Is Narrowed Down to Nine Finalists

The nine finalists are:

BIANCA SAUNDERS by Bianca Saunders (British designer based in London), menswear

CHARLES DE VILMORIN by Charles de Vilmorin (French designer based in Paris) genderless collections

CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS by Christopher John Rogers (American designer based in New York), womenswear

CONNER IVES by Conner Ives (American designer based in London), womenswear

KIDSUPER by Colm Dillane (American designer based in New York), menswear

KIKA VARGAS by Kika Vargas (Colombian designer based in Bogota), womenswear

LUKHANYO MDINGI by Lukhanyo Mdingi (South African designer based in Cape Town), womenswear and menswear

NENSI DOJAKA by Nensi Dojaka (Albanian designer based in London), womenswear

RUI by Rui Zhou (Chinese designer based in Shanghai), genderless collections

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Each year since 2014, the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers has bestowed winning grants to a group of talented and rising designers selected by some of the industry's most revered names. The Prize has helped accelerate the careers of many names you'll recognize, including Marine Serre and Thebe Magugu. Past runner-ups like Jacquemus, Hood by Air and Wales Bonner have all gone to do big things as well.

Last year's Prize was split evenly among the 8 finalists — including Peter Do, Tomo Koizumi and Casablanca — after the pandemic forced the selection committee to re-format its structure. For the first time this year, the public will get to help choose on which of the 20 semi-finalists they want to see advance to the final stage on the digital showroom at LVMHPrize.com. (The public's vote will count alongside the committee of experts which include Edward Enninful, Tim Blanks, Bella Hadid, Karlie Kloss and more.) Voting will take place from April 6 to April 11.

Among this year's class are some familiar names like Christopher John Rogers, who won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2019 and dressed Kamala Harris at this year's inauguration; Charles de Vilmorin, the 24-year-old gender-bending French designer who was just appointed creative director of Rochas; and Bianca Saunders, the London-based menswear designer whose collections celebrate her West Indian heritage.

Here is the full list of the 2021 LVMH Prize foe Young Fashion Designers semi-finalists:

AGR by Alicia Robinson, womenswear and menswear, British designer based in London

BIANCA SAUNDERS by Bianca Saunders, menswear, British designer based in London

CHARLES DE VILMORIN by Charles de Vilmorin, genderless collections, French designer based in Paris

CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS by Christopher John Rogers, womenswear, American designer based in New York

CONNER IVES by Conner Ives, womenswear, American designer based in London

FEDERICO CINA by Federico Cina, genderless collections, designer italian based in Sarsina

KIDSUPER by Colm Dillane, menswear, American designer based in New York

KIKA VARGAS by Kika Vargas, womenswear, Colombian designer based in Bogota

LAGOS SPACE PROGRAMME by Adeju Thompson, genderless collections, Nigerian designer based in Lagos

LUKHANYO MDINGI by Lukhanyo Mdingi, womenswear and menswear, South African designer based in Cape Town

MIDORIKAWA by Taku Midorikawa, genderless collections, Japanese designer based in Tokyo

NENSI DOJAKA by Nensi Dojaka, womenswear, Albanian designer based in London

POST ARCHIVE FACTION (PAF) by Dongjoon Lim, menswear, South Korean designer based in Seoul

RENAISSANCE RENAISSANCE by Cynthia Merhej, womenswear, Lebanese designer based in Beyrouth

RIER by Andreas Steiner, genderless collections, Italian designer based in Paris

RUI by Rui Zhou, genderless collections, Chinese designer based in Shanghai

SAUL NASH by Saul Nash, menswear, British designer based in London

SHUTING QIU by Shuting Qiu, womenswear, Chinese designer based in Shanghai

TAAKK by Takuya Morikawa, menswear, Japanese designer based in Tokyo

WED by Amy Trinh and Evan Phillips, womenswear, British designers based in London

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