Hyères festival: Yui Chen becomes first Chinese winner of the top fashion prize
The Parsons Paris graduate won over a jury led by Chloé designer Chemena Kamali with her unisex collection “Food Cover”. Sassa Ann van Wyk took the accessories prize.
Archive image · Photo: Gzen92 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
At the 41st International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories in Hyères in southern France, Chinese designer Yui Chen won the Grand Prix du jury Mode. According to FashionUnited, she is the first designer from China to receive the award. Chen graduated from Parsons Paris; according to Hugo Lucchino, director of the Villa Noailles, she came to fashion from sculpture.
Her unisex collection “Food Cover” takes its cue from the food covers placed over fruit baskets and plays with architectural volumes, transparency and pastel colours. The fashion jury was chaired by Chloé creative director Chemena Kamali. Chen told FashionNetwork she wants to keep creating and bring new things to fashion.
Spanish designer Brais Albor received the public prize and a special jury mention for a wardrobe aimed at plus-size clients. The accessories Grand Prix, awarded by a jury led by Cecilie Bahnsen, went to Sassa Ann van Wyk, while Japan's Motoki Nakatani won in photography.