Steven Stokey-Daley who graduated from the University of Westminster in 2020 has been announced as the recipient of the 2022 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers.
Cate Blanchett, the Oscar-winning actress, announced the winner at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris in the presence of jury members including designers Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior; Kim Jones, Creative Director of Dior Men; Nigo, Artistic Director of Kenzo; Silvia Venturini Fendi; Stella McCartney; Nicolas Ghesquière, and Jonathan Anderson.
The LVMH Prize comprises €300,000, plus a year of coaching from experts from the LVMH brands which includes Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Givenchy, Loewe and Kenzo.
Steven Stokey-Daley graduated from Westminster in 2020, having already interned at Tom Ford and Alexander McQueen. Several garments in his graduate collection were made from deadstock fabrics donated by Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen through the BFC's Colleges Council. Daley's clothes quickly gained high-profile fans after debuting as part of the Westminster runway show at London Fashion Week in February 2020, including Harry Styles, who wore them in his Golden video, as well as actors Sir Ian McKellen and Josh O'Connor.
Despite launching his business as the world went into lockdown, he rapidly built a loyal fanbase through Instagram where he sold his made-to-order designs as he built his production in Liverpool and around the UK. His first solo runway show, in September 2021, featured the National Youth Theatre and wowed critics, with Anna Wintour attending the show’s rehearsals.
Professor Andrew Groves, who taught Steven during his final year at Westminster, said:
“I'm delighted that LVMH has recognised Steven's creativity and also his innovative approach to building a sustainable business. Having taught Steven in his final year, I was incredibly impressed by his creativity and resourcefulness working on his graduate collection. Steven follows in the footsteps of Priya Ahluwalia, who graduated from the Menswear MA course at Westminster in 2018 and jointly won the LVMH prize in 2020.”
The LVMH Prize, now in its ninth year, is known for identifying top emerging fashion talent, with previous winners including Simon Porte Jacquemus, Marine Serre, Grace Wales Bonner, Thebe Magugu, and Nensi Dojaka.
The jury was completed by senior executives Delphine Arnault, the driving force behind the prize and a key talent scout at luxury giant LVMH Mot Hennessy Louis Vuitton; Sidney Toledano, Chairman and CEO of LVMH Fashion Group; and Jean-Paul Claverie, an adviser to LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault and LVMH's head of corporate philanthropy.
Find out more about Fashion courses at the University of Westminster.
