LVMH announced the eight designers selected for the final round of the LVMH Prize on 24 March. Fashion Design BA Honours graduate Steven Stokey-Daley has made the final cut from the original 20 semi-finalists, down to the final eight for this year’s LVMH Prize.
Following a two-day showroom of the semi-finalists’ work in Paris on 4-5 March, international experts of the Prize who are specialists from the world of fashion voted for the selected eight finalists. The final eight designers will compete for the grand prize, as well as the Karl Lagerfeld prize for innovation later this spring, where the winners will be chosen by a dedicated panel of LVMH designers.
Steven follows in the footsteps of Priya Ahluwalia, who graduated from the Menswear MA course in 2018 and jointly won the LVMH prize in 2020.
Steven Stokey-Daley, whose brand goes by the name S.S DALEY, gained exposure in his fashion career through dressing singer Harry Styles for his ‘Golden’ music video following completing his degree at Westminster in June 2020. This led to an immediate sell out of his clothes, which have since been worn by the likes of Sir Ian McKellen and Josh O’Connor. He was also named as one of The Observer’s Faces to Watch in 2022.
Stokey-Daley has had a range of experience in the industry, working in the menswear design teams of both Alexander McQueen and Tom Ford, preparing him to create a collection and brand identity of his own. He also gained the attention of senior Vogue journalist Sarah Mower, where he appeared in an article about the use of donate archival McQueen fabric.
Talking about his achievement on LinkedIn, Steven Stokey-Daley said: “Thrilled that S.S. DALEY has been chosen as a finalist in this year’s LVMH Prize! Thank you to those who have worked with the brand during the last year and a half of existing. The brand has been built by a community of contributing voices and it is so good to see that those voices have resonated with the LVMH team and panel of deciding experts.”
Andrew Groves, Professor of Fashion Design at Westminster, added: “It’s fantastic that Steven has been named a finalist in this month's LVMH Prize. Since graduating in June 2020, I have watched his meteoric rise within the fashion industry. Steven demonstrated that even during lockdowns and COVID-19 it was possible to be innovative and connect with people all over the world through design, passion, and integrity.
“I know Steven was inspired by the success of Priya Ahluwalia, who graduated from the MA Menswear programme in 2018 and was a co-winner of the LVMH Prize in 2020. Steven is now a source of inspiration for our current fashion students.”
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