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This year’s coveted award of the Grand Prix du Jury Première Vision for talented young designers at the 34th International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories in Hyères has gone to Christoph Rumpf from Austria.
Aside the 20,000 euros prize money from Première Vision and the patronage of renowned fashion houses that come with the grand award, Rumpf will also be invited by Mercedes-Benz to present his collection at the MBFW in Berlin in July as part of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Talents programme.
At the 34th edition of the renowned Hyères Festival, the mobility service provider also presented the showrooms “The Shortlisted” and “The Formers” in the south of France from
25 to 29 April 2019.
Since 1986, the villa Noailles in Hyères has been transformed each April into the centre for young talent in the international fashion world. In the showroom “The Shortlisted presented by Mercedes-Benz” ten fashion finalists present their collections away from the catwalk. In the showroom “The Formers presented by Mercedes-Benz” the fashion and accessory creations of ten former participants in the festival can be viewed. Mercedes-Benz once again enlisted the services of concept artist Marc Turlan to design the showrooms. This year, he placed a strong emphasis on the 10-year anniversary of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Talents.
For the high-profile jury, comprising of jury president Natacha Ramsay-Levi (Artistic Director Chloé), last year’s winners Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, Samira Nasr (Fashion Director Vanity Fair USA), Jojo Qian (Fashion Director T Magazine China) and Charlotte Casiraghi, it was a tough choice selecting a winner from among ten promising fashion talents. In the end, it was Christoph Rumpf who won the day, ahead of Dita Enikova (Latvia), the designer trio of Tetsuya Doi, Youta Anazawa & Manami Toda (Japan), Emilia Kuurila (Finland), Milla Lintilä (Finland), Yana Monk (Russia), Roísín Pierce (Ireland), Tina Schwizgebel (Switzerland), Tsung-Chien Tang (Taiwan) and Lucille Thievre (France).
Christoph Rumpf from Styria in southern Austria is currently studying at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.
“My collection relates the story of a little boy who grew up in the jungle devoid of human contact. We later learn that he is a prince who had gone missing and he finds it difficult to live up to this role after returning to society. My aim was to show the contrast between clothing’s primary function (protection) and what clothing stands for today (self-presentation)”, explained the designer, who always approaches fashion in the context of history and character.
“I want people to become someone else when they wear my clothing.”
He has produced part of his collection from recycled fabrics. “I worked with used materials from flea markets, including carpets and curtains, and I used belly dancing accessories for ornamental purposes. In this way, I am seeking to find my way towards a more sustainable approach.”
Commenting on Rumpf’s feat, Head of Branded Entertainment, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Bettina Haussmann, said, ”In Christoph Rumpf, we are delighted to have attracted an international fashion talent to Berlin. This year marks the tenth anniversary of our Mercedes-Benz Fashion Talents sponsorship programme, through which we support design talents around the world, and our cooperation with the Hyères Festival has been a mainstay of our involvement with the fashion world since 2012. The tenth show will be a highlight at the MBFW and will showcase the importance of fostering talent in the fashion sector.”
On its on-going partnership with Mercedes-Benz, Founder and General Director of the festival, Jean-Pierre Blanc, said, “I am once again pleased to renew the partnership between Mercedes-Benz and the International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories in Hyères. Thanks to these partnerships, each year we continue to support French and International young designers.”
The Grand Prix du Jury Première Vision at the International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories in Hyères serves as a springboard for young designers headed for international success.
The winner can look forward to prize money of 20,000 euros from Première Vision, an opportunity to work with CHANEL’s Métiers d’Art, a joint project with Petit Bateau valued at 10,000 euros to create one or more items for the brand and the chance to visit Swarovski’s headquarters and archives in Austria. This year, Mercedes-Benz has additionally promised that the prize winner will be invited to show their collection at the MBFW in July. Mercedes-Benz will cover all the related costs and provide know-how for the purposes of preparing the show.
Ten years of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Talents
In 2009 Mercedes-Benz established the group’s own programme, “Mercedes-Benz Fashion Talents”, to support young people in the world of fashion. The goal has been to help pave the way for talented designers to enter the fashion sector outside of their home markets and provide them with support in their international careers. Over the past ten years, as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Talents the automotive manufacturer has enabled shows to be held for more than 90 aspiring designers on approximately 30 platforms around the world, including in Milan, London, Prague, Istanbul and Berlin. The programme is growing continually and is being extended on an on-going basis with new initiatives and partnerships. The overview of the company’s involvement is revised annually.
24 years of Mercedes-Benz fashion activities
Over 24 years Mercedes-Benz has established itself worldwide as a major player in the fashion industry and title sponsor of selected fashion weeks and events. The brand is currently active at around 80 fashion events in over 40 countries, including the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks in Sydney, Mexico City, Madrid, Tbilisi and Berlin as well as the renowned International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories in Hyères. In addition to this,
Mercedes-Benz has been a member of the Fashion Council Germany (FCG) since 2017 and a member of the German Fashion Designers Federation e.V. (GFDF) since 2018. The overview of the company’s involvement is revised annually.
