Panel of experts announced

Supermodel Mariacarla Boscono London - Arab Today Applicants to the luxury giant's new 'Young Fashion Designer of the Year' will have to face some of the industry's savviest players on their way to the top. During the upcoming Paris fashion week 40 of fashion's biggest names will be working as a panel of experts whittling down the final 30 successful LVMH Prize applicants to a lucky shortlist of ten young designers, who will then present work to the top jury in May. The 40 experts include Style.com's Tim Blanks, supermodel and Givenchy muse Mariacarla Boscono, the Editor in Chief of Vogue China Angelica Cheung, fashion photography legend Patrick Demarchelier, stylist Carine Roitfeld, and another one of fashion's most famous faces, the Russian model Natalia Vodianova. They will then have to face the top jury, which contains eight creative directors from LVMH's stable of fashion houses: Nicolas Ghesquière (Louis Vuitton), Marc Jacobs (Marc Jacobs), Karl Lagerfeld (Fendi), Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (Kenzo), Phoebe Philo (Céline), Raf Simons (Dior) and Riccardo Tisci (Givenchy). The crack team of creative directors will work alongside Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie (advisor to Bernard Arnault and head of corporate philanthropy for LVMH) and Pierre-Yves Roussel (Chairman and CEO of the LVMH Fashion Group) to find the top talent in the pile. The eventual winner of the Young Fashion Designer of the Year award will receive a €300,000 grant, as well as personalized assistance for 12 months from a team of LVMH experts. Budding designers still have time to apply online here, with the final entries set to close on February 2. Source: Relaxnews