Japanese designer Soshi Otsuki wins the prestigious 2025 LVMH Prize

The prize was presented to Otsuki by honorary jury member and Louis Vuitton brand ambassador Deepika Padukone at an award ceremony at Paris’ Fondation Louis Vuitton on Wednesday. The Tokyo-based designer joins a robust list of established winners, several of whom have gone on to become household names in the world of fashion. Winners Marine Serre and Grace Wales Bonner, and Simon Porte Jacquemus who received a runner-up Special Prize in 2015, have all since found major success with their own brands.

Established by Christian Dior Couture CEO Delphine Arnault in 2014, the LVMH Prize is one of the most prestigious prizes awarded to promising fashion upstarts in the industry today, with a panel of judges including legendary designers like Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs and Phoebe Philo. It’s also one of the most lucrative: Otsuki will earn 400,000 euros (US$466,000) in prize money, while both Dumi and Smith will take home 200,000 euros each. All three winners will receive a year’s worth of mentorship by LVMH.

In an interview with the winners following the ceremony, Dumi said the prize money would allow her to “take the brand to many different heights” and expand her team beyond a one-woman show. The Brazilian-Nigerian designer, who landed a huge celebrity style moment by dressing Kendall Jenner for the Met Gala earlier this year, counts Zendaya and Naomi Campbell among her many celebrity fans. Upon graduating from Central Saint Martins, she was an early favourite of fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson.