PARIS — ANDAM’s 2023 edition promises to be a purpose-driven affair, with a jury stacked with activists flanking this year’s mentor, Chloé chief executive officer Riccardo Bellini.
Gigi Hadid and Pat Cleveland will be joined by Quannah Chasinghorse-Potts, fellow American model and land protector for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; Mexican climate activist Xiye Bastida; Trisha Shetty, human rights activist and founder of SheSays, an Indian NGO working to promote gender equality, and Iranian-born actress and director Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival last year for her role in “Holy Spider.”
Rounding out the guest members of the jury are Margaret Zhang, editor in chief of Vogue China; fashion critic, writer and curator Angelo Flaccavento, and Beka Gvishiani, founder of Instagram account Stylenotcom.
“We hope for this edition, that in addition to celebrating and supporting the up-and-coming talents of the fashion industry, that we will also highlight the approach to sustainability and positive social impact within their propositions,” said Bellini, who has been instrumental in transforming Chloé into a purpose-driven company since joining the Compagnie Financière Richemont-owned fashion house in 2019.
“Today, more than ever, we will be looking to the designers of tomorrow to help drive the change, purpose and innovation that is a necessity for our industry to thrive in the future,” he added.
The guest jury members of the 2023 edition of the ANDAM Prize.
Courtesy of ANDAM
The announcement reflects emerging designers’ growing focus on sustainability, as consumers increasingly gravitate toward brands that mirror their values.
“We think of what we eat, but don’t often question whether the clothes that touch our body have contributed to the exploitation of the environment, of garment workers, who are mostly women of color,” said Shetty.
“For the ANDAM prize to prioritize values of transparency, sustainability and socio-economic issues makes them an unparalleled force in shaping culture at large. I am honored to be on the jury with Riccardo as president. Chloé has set the benchmark for sustainability and ethics,” she added of the luxury brand, which attained B Corp certification in 2021.
Applications are now open at andam.fr until March 31, with the finalists to be revealed at the end of May and the prize ceremony scheduled for June 29. This year, ANDAM will hand out grants totaling 700,000 euros to budding talents, the highest endowment since the prize was established in 1989.
ANDAM, the French acronym for National Association of the Development of the Fashion Arts, bumped up the value of its fashion accessories and innovation prizes to 100,000 euros each, from 50,000 euros previously. The winner of the grand prize will receive 300,000 euros, and the runner-up 100,000 euros, and Bellini will mentor both for one year.
“He brings together game changing personalities who, through their vision and strong commitments, can help the world change the way we think and act, and will be the most relevant to reveal a young guard of fashion talents evolving at the heart of the societal challenges and structural changes our industry is facing,” said ANDAM founder Nathalie Dufour.
Candidates for ANDAM’s grand prizes can be of any nationality, but must own a French company or set one up during the same year as the receipt of the fellowship. Past winners include Martin Margiela, Viktor & Rolf, Christophe Lemaire, Anthony Vaccarello and Jeremy Scott. Botter, designed by Lisi Herrebrugh and Rushemy Botter, scooped the honor in 2022.
Source: WWD