The Andam award announces its 2017 shortlist

The Andam Prize recognizing young French designers or those active in France has announced the finalists for this year’s competition.

Only four names made the cut in 2017, compared to six finalists in 2016. The winner of the Andam Fashion Award Grand Prize will take home a 250,000 euros. In 2016, the Andam went to the Wanda Nylon label and its designer Johanna Senyk.

This year's four lucky finalists include Aalto, by Finnish Tuomas Merikoski, and Christelle Kocher's Koché, which were also in last year’s final cut. The two other shortlist candidates are Belgian designer Glenn Martens, who founded the Y/Project in 2013, and Martine Rose.

Finalists for the Creative Brand prize (100,000 euros prize money, formerly known as the First Collections Prize) are Avoc, (Laura Do and Bastien Laurent), Nïuku (Kadiata Diallo and Lenny Guerrier), and French designer Marine Serre, who was also a finalist this year for the LVMH Prize and the Festival de Hyères.

Competing for the Fashion Accessories Prize of 50,000 euros are jewelry labels Ana Khouri, Gramme by Adrien Messié and Erwan le Louër, as well as handbag brand laContrie by Edwina de Charrette.

This year's awards also includes the new Fashion Innovation Prize of 30,000 euros, which will go to one of three finalists startup labels: Euveka, Percko or Smartpixels.

Now in its 27th year, the ANDAM organization (Association Nationale de Développement des Arts de la Mode) was founded by Nathalie Dufour in a joint initiative with the French government. Its purpose is to recognize and support emerging French fashion design talent foreign designers active in France. Besides the annual competition, ANDAM also offers ongoing support to young fashion brands “in their structuring and development and introduce them to the various actors of the fashion industry,” according to its mission statement.

The Andam Fashion Award jury will conduct a final review of the finalists’ work on June 30, with an announcement of the winners shortly thereafter.

The Andam award announces its 2017 shortlist

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