H&M Design Award: Eight young designers compete for 150,000 euros
H&M has named the eight finalists of its revived Design Award. They come from fashion schools in Tokyo, London, Florence, Brussels, Paris and Antwerp.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
Fashion group H&M announced the eight finalists of the H&M Design Award 2026 on Tuesday. The competition for fashion school graduates was relaunched in January after a pause of several years. According to WWD, more than 1,000 candidates from over 60 fashion schools worldwide applied. Each finalist receives 10,000 euros.
The finalists are Chico Yu (Bunka Fashion Graduate University, Tokyo), Macy Grimshaw and Ennis Finnerty Mackay (Central Saint Martins, London), Evelina Kryvopust (Polimoda, Florence), Fantin Delattre Pirenne (La Cambre, Brussels), Jessica Lin (Institut Français de la Mode, Paris), and Yichun Liu and Yvonne Schichtel (Royal Academy of Antwerp). The jury includes model Paloma Elsesser, stylist Ib Kamara, the design duo Chopova Lowena and H&M head of design Ann-Sofie Johansson, who told WWD the selection was “super, super tough”.
The winner will be named at a ceremony in London on 18 November. The prize is 150,000 euros and a year of mentoring in production, marketing and sustainability; according to H&M, the winning collection will go on sale in selected stores and online in September 2027. “We know starting out in fashion today takes more than just talent, so we're putting real support behind it,” said chief executive Daniel Ervér. Previous winners include Minju Kim, Stefan Cooke and Priya Ahluwalia.