The top fashion design prize of the 27th Hyères International Fashion Festival, held in the south of France (April 27-30), was awarded Sunday to a trio of Finnish designers: Elina Laitinen, Siiri Raasakka and Tiia Siren. After the ten finalist designers presented their collections in a runway show, the international jury, headed by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, chose to single out the menswear collection from the young Finnish team for its use of color and futuristic styling.
The festival provided the opportunity for ten upcoming designers to present their collections to professionals from the fashion industry as well as to members of the public.
While the most prestigious prize of the festival, worth €15,000, was handed out to the three young Finnish designers, Canadian designer Steven Tai won the inaugural Chloé prize (also worth €15,000) for his womenswear collection, while Ragne Kikas of Estonia took the Première Vision prize (worth €10,000) and the public vote for his womenswear collection.
The Hyères International Fashion and Photography Festival is an occasion for rising talents in these two areas to present their work and has in the past awarded designers such as Viktor & Rolf and Felipe Oliveira Baptista.
