If you fancy splashing £1,000 on one of Hakaan's coveted dresses you'll have to head to London's Harvey Nichols. This season the department store managed to secure an exclusive for the whole of the Turkish ANDAM winner's collection
This is huge for the retailer and naturally flows on from their recent attempts to celebrate cutting edge contemporary brands. Earlier this year they launched the re-design of the forth floor boasting brands like Alexander Wang, Meadham Kirchoff and Marc by Marc as well as a wall dedicated to women's trainers. "We are targeting a customer that I have believed strongly in for sometime," Avery Oates, Harvey Nicols buying director, said at the time. "The new floor gives us a lot of scope to spread our wings and tap into new emerging markets which also include a younger generation of shopper. We are able to execute this within an environment that encompasses a modern way of shopping and embraces all aspects of a fashionable lifestyle from fashion to furniture to art. Expect the unexpected!"
Back in May we reported that the ANDAM prize fund finalists had been announced by Anna Wintour and the rest of the jury - Mark Fast, Turkish designer Hakaan Yildirim, former Mugler designer Alexandre Vauthier,Francesco Scognamiglio, former Christian Lacroix and Balenciaga designer Bouchra Jarrar, and Calla Haynes, who worked for Oliver Theyskens for five years at Rocha, as well as Nina Ricci.
Fighting off the tough competition to claim the prize of €220,000 was Hakaan Yildirim, who when asked to comment from Istanbul replied with his collaborator and good friend Mert Alas, "This is so magical. We are honoured." Hakaan's first show in London took place only last February, and caused quite an unexpected stir on the fashion scene, bringing Carine Roitfeld, Kate Moss and Emmanuelle Alt to the front row, whilst Natalia Vodianova, Lara Stone, Maricarla Boscono and Natasha Poly walked.
The €220,000 ANDAM prize previously has helped winners Gareth Pugh and Giles Deacon move to Paris Fashion Week for runway season, not to mention boost their global appeal. And now, six new nominees have been announced by the ANDAM jury - led by Carine Roitfeld and including Alber Elbaz, Jefferson Hack, Hilary Alexander, Colette's Sarah Lerfel and Opening Ceremony's Humberto Leon.
The potential honorees include plus-size advocate Mark Fast; couturier Alexandre Vauthier, who formerly worked with Thierry Mugler; Turkish Hakaan Yildirim, who drew Roitfeld and Kate Moss to the front row of his last show, and Lara Stone and Natalia Vodianova to the runway; Balenciaga and Christian Lacroix's Bouchra Jarrar; Francesco Scognamiglio, who's won the eye of Anna Dello Russo; and Calla Haynes, who designed with Olivier Theyskens for five years at Rochas and Nina Ricci.
We'll have to wait until the end of the next month to see who'll win.
It seems that British designer Giles Deacon may be a permanent fixture at Paris Fashion Week, after showing his SS10 collection there boosted sales. "Sales were up 42 per cent for the spring collection, and a lot of new buyers came to the show. I work in London, employ people here, but I need to look at the bigger picture", the designer revealed at the annual Luxury Briefing Conference held in London this week.
Deacon showcased his Spring collection in Paris after winning this year's ANDAM award, which provides winning designers with funding of up to €160,000. The award, launched in the 1980s focuses on designers under the age of 40 who are hoping to expand their business in France, and has previously supported the likes of Viktor & Rolf, Gareth Pugh and Richard Nicoll. WWD also revealed that Deacon has a small range of cycle clothing in the pipeline, for London shop 14 Bike Co, and a line of stationary for Harvey Nichols.
To celebrate 20 years of ANDAM (Association Nationale pour le Développement des Arts de la Mode), Charles Anastase, Jeremy Scott and design duo Bless have transformed the legendary Longchamp Le Pliage bag. ANDAM works to promote and support up-and-coming French and international fashion talent, with previous winners of the prestigious award each creating limited editions of the bag as part of their prize.
All three designers were thrilled at the chance to recreate the classic, with Anastase admitting that he'd "always dreamed of transforming a Longchamp bag", and Scott referring to The Pliage as a modern French icon - "The Pliage bag is a French icon, no different from the croissant or the Eiffel tower - it is chic, sophisticated and handsome all in one".
Anastase's first design features a pair of ballet shoes, the second featuring Persian cats; Scott's consists of a digital print of himself as a "nouveau samurai"; and design team Bless have transformed the bag into a bracelet to push the boundaries of shape and function. "Here are three styles, three ideas, three ambiances that reflect the diversity which it is ANDAM's misson to nurture. Longchamp should be congratulated on taking part in this game of transformation with such enthusiasm," says head of ANDAM, Nathalie Dufour. We couldn't agree more, particularly when the celebration involves three beautiful birthday bags.
Be sure to head down to a Longchamp boutique from October 1st, to bag yourself a limited edition Longchamp Le Pliage.
