Four African Designers Named Semi-Finalists for LVMH Prize 2025

Four African designers are among the20 semifinalists in the LVMH Prize 2025, the competition for emerging designers held annually since 2014. South African designer Thebe Magugu was thefirst African to win the prize in 2019. British Indian Nigerian designer Priya Ahluwaliawas a finalist in 2020, and Cape Town-based Lukhanyo Mdingiwon the Special Prize in 2021.

This year’s African hopefuls are British Nigerian designer Tolu Coker, Ghanaian David Boyedoe, Egyptian Yasmin Mansour, and British designer of Nigerian and Brazilian descent Torishéju Dumi.

Coker, nominated for her eponymous brand, centers culture and identity in her designs, with inspiration for her collections ranging from acombination of the memories of her late activist father and the contemporary protest movement, End SARS, to her Yoruba culture and Pidgin English. ‘OLAPEJU,’ a collection from last year, is an ode to her mother, creating chic and colorful piecesdirectly inspired by the clothes her mum wore when she moved to London from Lagos in the 1970s.

Coker and Dumi have been lauded for championing sustainable practices, notably on theJanuary 2024 cover of British Vogue alongside Priya Ahluwalia.

Dumi, nominated for her semi-eponymous brand Torishéju, also roots her work in her identity, blending influences and styles into captivating pieces. “Mami Wata,” a cross-seasonal collection released in early 2023,showed her strength at making, “esoteric, intelligent, and abstract design[s].” Dumi put together her first Paris Fashion Week show later that year with the collection, “Fire on the Mountain,” opened by the revered supermodel Naomi Campbell. The collection also led to Dover Street Market (DSM)carrying Torishéju in all its stores.

Boyedoe is the first Ghanaian to be named a semifinalist in the LVMH Prize. His semi-eponymous brand blends African heritage and ethical elegance into an“afro-luxurious” whole. Boyedoe is rooted in sustainability, with culture, folklore and eclectic patterns underscoring its pieces and collections. The brand’s pieces are made from discarded or unsold stock, upcycling them and finding inventive uses within the ethos of deconstruction and reconstruction.

Mansour, nominated for hereponymous brand, weaves texture and structure into her refined vision of luxury. Her brand’s pieces are committed to a unique, sculptural elegance by melding architectural silhouettes, intricate pleating, and a reverence for traditional craftsmanship. Mansour’s commitment to sustainability is underlined by the timeless nature of her designs, presenting creations that bridge fashion and contemporary art.

The LVMH semifinalists will present their collections in early March, after which over 80 experts will vote for the eight finalists. The LVMH Prize includes three awards: The LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, and the most recently added Savoir-Faire Prize. Winners of all three prizes will receive year-long mentorship programs and financial endowments ranging from €200,000 to €400,000 ($209,000 to $418,000).