This year, The Chanel-sponsored Hyères festival celebrated its 30th anniversary and presented a 90-minute long catwalk finale.
The Première Vision Grand Prize went to Franco-German designer Annelie Schubert for her collection of original and versatile apron-inspired silhouettes. What was once simple and merely functional become decedent and elegant. Along with a prize of 15,000 euros, Schubert will also have the opportunity to work with Chanel’s prestigious specialized Métiers d’Art houses such Massaro, Maison Michel, Lemarié, and Lesage.
German designer Anna Bornhold was also a winner as she took home 15,000 euros courtesy of Chloé. What got her noticed is her use of textures. Scraps of layered thread were placed upon cotton in an outfit that she then referred to as a “spacesuit”, due to it’s weightlessness.
Dutch designer Wieke Sinnige was also recognised for his use of silkscreen prints, hand pleating, embroidery, and sheerness in a collection inspired by kaleidoscopes and called Soft Squares. Sinnige also received an amount of 15’000 euros along with access to Chanel’s resources.
However, the winner of The People’s Choice awards went to none other than Taiwanese Yiyu Chen. Chen worked on a collection entitled Humananimal based on a post-human natural world.
Nada Abdul Ghaffar