Jennifer Lawrence, Priyanka Chopra and Yaya Sperbund Present at the 2026 LVMH Prize in Paris
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton brought three high-profile actresses to its 2026 LVMH Prize ceremony at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, tapping Jennifer Lawrence, Priyanka Chopra and Urassaya "Yaya" Sperbund as presenters for the fashion industry's most generously funded young-designer award. WWD
Lawrence, a Dior ambassador, handed out the grand prize: a cash endowment of 400,000 euros plus mentorship from LVMH teams. Chopra, a face of LVMH-owned jeweller Bulgari, presented the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, the runner-up award worth 200,000 euros with one year of advice. Sperbund, described by the group as a friend of Louis Vuitton, presented the Savoir-Faux Prize — also 200,000 euros with a one-year mentorship — and sat on the jury.
The jury itself grew sharply this year, from 13 members to 17. New arrivals included Michael Rider of Celine; Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the designers of Loewe; and Camille Miceli of Pucci. Maria Grazia Chiuri rejoined the panel as chief creative officer of Fendi, succeeding Silvia Venturini Fendi in that role.
One familiar face was absent. Marc Jacobs sat out the LVMH Prize jury for the first time, a consequence of the sale of his brand to WHP Global and G-III Apparel Group — loosening a tie to the parent company that had lasted since the prize's early editions.
The nine finalists vying for the awards spanned nine countries. They were Julie Kegels of Belgium, Petra Fagerström of Sweden, De Pino by Gabriel Figueiredo of France, Ponte by Harry Pontefract of the United Kingdom, The Vxlley by Daniel del Valle of Spain, Institution by Galib Gassanoff of Georgia, Lii by Zane Li of China, Colleen Allen of the United States, and Yoshita 1967 by Anil Padia of Kenya.
What stands out is the scale of the cash on the table. Combined, the grand prize, the Karl Lagerfeld Prize and the Savoir-Faire Prize total 800,000 euros — a sum that, alongside the mentorship component, positions the LVMH Prize as the richest single competition for emerging designers in the industry. The mentorship is the part that can matter as much as the money: winners get direct access to LVMH's production, distribution and merchandising teams for a year.
The presenter choices were not accidental. Each woman has a working relationship with an LVMH house — Lawrence with Dior, Chopra with Bulgari, Sperbund with Louis Vuitton — and the ceremony placed them in front of an audience of designers, buyers and press who shape the early careers of independent labels. The LVMH Prize, launched in 2013, has become a reliable launchpad; past winners include Marine Serre and Thebe Magugu, both of whom built global distribution after taking the award.
