Julie Kegels wins the 2026 LVMH Prize

There is one name that has burst onto the international fashion scene in recent weeks: Julie Kegels. The Belgian designer, aged just 27, has won the 2026 LVMH Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious awards for young fashion talent. The win was announced on 4 September 2026 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, following the final of the prize’s thirteenth edition. Kegels will receive a grant of 400,000 euros and, above all, a year of mentorship from experts at the LVMH Group.

Julie Kegels founded her eponymous brand in Antwerp as recently as 2024, shortly after graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, one of Europe’s most important and influential fashion schools. To put it simply, it is the very same academy that produced some of the famous Antwerp Six – the group of designers who, in the 1980s, helped transform Antwerp into one of the most exciting centres of contemporary fashion. Even before founding her own brand, the designer worked at Alaïa. At the heart of her collections lies, above all, the idea of multifaceted femininity, impossible to confine to a single stereotype: with silhouettes that can be sculptural, transformable garments and upcycled materials, the result is conceptual fashion that is nonetheless grounded in real life.

The LVMH Prize was established in 2013 by the luxury giant of the same name (owner of brands such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Dior) with the aim of supporting new talent in international fashion. The competition is open to designers aged between 18 and 40 who have produced at least two ready-to-wear collections. The jury, comprising some of the LVMH Group’s most prominent creative directors and executives, not only awards the winner a substantial cash prize but also provides, for a full year, a team of experts to offer support in areas such as production, distribution, marketing and financial management.

This is why the selection process takes on even greater significance: it is not merely an award; winning can be the opportunity to transform a creative project into a more structured reality. It is no coincidence that, in the past, the LVMH Prize has opened the doors of haute couture to young designers who have gone on to achieve success, such as Grace Wales Bonner, now creative director of menswear at Hermès. There are also the well-known cases of Simon Porte Jacquemus and Virgil Abloh who, although they did not win the final prize, have gone on to forge dazzling careers in the fashion industry. Who knows if Julie will follow in their footsteps? We’ll just have to keep an eye on her to find out.