The LVMH Prize goes to Thomas Tait

Whittled down from a shortlist of 12

The winner of the first ever LVMH 'Prize for Young Designers' has been revealed, with the prestigious award going to London-based Thomas Tait

Following on from the build up of excitement having already announced a star panel and 12 young designer finalists, the LVMH Prize of €300,000 was awarded to Canadian, London-based Thomas Tait yesterday afternoon.

As part of the inaugural LVMH 'Prize for Young Designers' – the 40-strong judging panel each took part in the initial stages of selection, before the finalists showed their 'audition' collections in Paris today. Members on the panel include stylists and artists to corporate executives at Style.com, Vogue, Dover Street Market, and Net-a-Porter – with designers Atto by Julien Dossena, CG by Chris Gelinas, Gabriele Colangelo, Shayne Oliver's Hood by Air, Jacquemus by Simon Porte Jacquemus, Miuniku by Nikita and Tina Sutradhar, Thomas Tait, Tillmann Lauterbach, Tim Coppens, Simone Rocha, Suno by Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty, and Vika Gazinskaya all battling it out for the final prize.

The LVMH Prize Winner is... Thomas Tait

The final jury was made up of Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Humberto Leon, Phoebe Philo, Raf Simons, Riccardo Tisci – as well as Delphine Arnault, Executive Vice-President of Louis Vuitton, Jean-Paul Claverie, Advisor to Bernard Arnault and Pierre-Yves Roussel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the LVMH Fashion Division.

Delphine Arnault has said: "The jury was captivated by the personality and the work of Thomas Tait. He is a great talent. I'm proud LVMH can help him develop his brand. I have no doubt though all the other prize finalists will have an amazing journey and I wish them luck". The financial grant comes with a one year mentorship with a dedicated team within LVMH to assist Tait's development.

The LVMH Prize Winner is... Thomas Tait

Due to the competition's extraordinarily high level, the esteemed jury decided to award two special prizes: the first to Miuniku, and the second to Hood by Air. They each win €100,000 and a year long mentorship.