Designer Hed Mayner recently became the first Israeli to enter and win the Karl Lagerfeld Prize for Young Fashion Designers.
Chosen from a field of 1,700 global designers from 100 countries, Mayner received his prize at the Louis Vuitton LVMH 2019 global competition in Paris in September. He won €150,000 plus business and design support from some the biggest names in fashion history.
Among the judges were Maria Gracia Curio, creative director at Dior; fashion designer Marc Jacobs; Nicola Gascier, creative director of the House of Louis Vuitton; and Claire White Keller, artistic director of Givenchy.
“I am so proud to be the first Israeli designer to ever enter this competition, let alone win this prize,” said Mayner. “I spend a lot of my time in Paris, but Israel is always part of who I am. There is a sense of freedom here that cannot be felt anywhere else in the world.”
Mayner is a graduate of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem. His designs incorporate Israel’s traditional Jewish dress and the IDF uniform.
His men’s collection has been presented in French fashion weeks and his clothes are sold at boutique and department stores all over the world, including at Dover Street Market, JOYCE, Antonioli, Galeries Lafayette and others.