City of Paris Design Prize winners revealed

Every year, the City of Paris recognises six emerging talents in the field of fashion, design and fine craftsmanship, awarding the Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris. The winners' names for this year were announced on 25th January at the Hôtel de Ville, the majestic building home to Paris' local administration, in the presence of deputy mayor Frédéric Hocquard.

In fashion’s 'established designer' category, the award went to Christophe Lhote, for his jewellery, blending traditional craftsmanship and new technologies. Lhote was a finalist at the first edition of the Hyères International Festival's fashion accessories prize last year. He launched his brand in 2015, having first developed it through the Ateliers de Paris, a municipal organisation supporting art and design start-ups, and has opened a store in the city, in rue Budapest. "It was the third time I submitted my collections for this prize," he said. "I've worked on this collection's models for four months non-stop. This is perhaps what made the difference. An award like this is very important, as it gives visibility and credibility to brands."

Still for the fashion prize, Coralie Marabelle was recognised in the ‘emerging designer’ category. Marabelle cut her teeth at Hermès and Alexander McQueen, and showed her 'couture-à-porter' collections at the Paris Fashion Week in September 2016. In March 2017, she was awarded the L’Oréal Paris Fashion Grant. Marabelle - who also enjoyed the support of the Ateliers de Paris - and her partner Antoine Gagey, have set up their shop and studio in rue de la Folie-Méricourt. Marabelle's label, which introduces new looks every month on its e-shop and in-store, will also feature at the Designers Apartment showroom for the next Paris Women's Fashion Week.

The prizes for the fine craftsmanship category went to Aurélia Leblanc, an emerging textile designer specialised in weaving, printing and embroidery, and to Simone Pheulpin, a textile sculptor with a highly exclusive expertise in cotton, already the winner of several awards. Finally, the prizes for the design category went to Studio Brichet & Ziegler for their furniture collections, and to Sandrine Nugue, specialised in typeface design.

The winners were awarded a prize of €8,000, and the French Women's Ready-to-wear Federation also endowed the fashion prizes with €5,000.

City of Paris Design Prize winners revealed

See also