A jury including Haider Ackermann, Renzo Rosso, Caroline de Maigret, and
Pierre-Yves Roussel named French men’s streetwear label Pigalle Paris,
known for its colourful, eye-catching designs worn by the likes of Rihanna
and A$ap Rocky, as the 2015 Andam Grand Prix award winner.
Pigalle Paris, helmed by French designer Stéphane Ashpool, wins 250,000
euros, as well as two seasons of mentorship from Chanel’s Bruno Pavlovsky,
10,000 euros worth of Swarovski crystals, a collaboration with online
retailer thecorner.com, and brand-building guidance from Mac cosmetics.
Ashpool, who is a self-taught designer, launched his menswear label in
2008 with a store in Paris’ Pigalle neighbourhood and wowed the jury with a
high-energy presentation featuring basketball players from a team he
coaches.
“It is incredible, I am so glad. Seeing life in colours, diversity,
peace, love,” Ashpool said of his win to Vogue. “Making fashion to create
wellbeing is what I feel, and I thank the jury for celebrating all this.”
When asked what he plans to do with the prize money, Ashpool told
Style.com: “I’m going to invest in a proper in-house atelier from which to
design, create, communicate, and sell. What you’d call in the past a maison
couture, but with a new flavour.”
Pigalle Paris beat off tough competition from Japanese brand Anrealage,
Turkish designer Umit Benam, tailoring specialist Pallas Paris, and Demna
Gvasalia from the Paris-based collective Vêtements to win the coveted
accolade.
Andam names fashion prize winners
Andam also announced Léa Peckre, who has worked at Isabel Marant and
Rick Owens as the winner of its First Collection prize of 90,000 euros.
Peckre beat off competition from Étienne Deroeux, Gauchère and Journé to
win the cash prize. She will also receive commercial and strategic
mentorship from the Tomorrow showroom, as well as an exclusive space in
Galeries Lafayette’s flagship in Paris to present two collections.
While the inaugural Accessories Prize of 30,000 euros was scooped by
Charlotte Chesnais, a jewellery designer and Nicolas Ghesquière protégé.
Chesnais will also receive mentoring from Nadja Swarovski, a member of
Swarovski’s executive board.
The Andam Fashion Award was founded in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour, and has
become renowned for acting as an international springboard for an array of
designers, including British designer Gareth Pugh, Margiela, Viktor & Rolf,
Christophe Lemaire, Jeremy Scott, and, most recently, Iris Van Herpen, who
won the Grand Prix accolade last year.
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Images: Pigalle Paris and Stéphane Ashpool
