Yui Chen Wins Hyères' Fashion Grand Prix, With a €20,000 Chanel Grant

Yui Chen, a designer from China, won the Grand Prix of the Fashion Jury at the 41st Hyères Festival on Saturday, October 17. The villa Noailles, which runs the festival in Hyères in the south of France, posted the winners one by one through the prize-giving. The fashion jury was chaired by Chemena Kamali, Chloé's creative director.

Chen was one of ten fashion finalists, and FashionNetwork's preview of the competition described the collection as everyday objects turned into clothes. The look the villa posted with the prize fits that: a sheer tulle dress built over a frame like a paper lantern, ruffles at the cuffs and a vast ruffled hat on top.

What the Grand Prix comes with

The prize is mostly support, not cash in hand. It includes a €20,000 grant from Chanel for a project with one or more of the craft houses at le19M, Chanel's home for its métiers d'art, a supply of European flax linen, an editorial in Madame Figaro, a year's mentorship with The Arrow and Sterling International, and €50,000 of support within Groupe Watteau.

The other fashion prizes

Dieter Vlasich Obermann (Mexico and Germany) took the le19M Métiers d'art Prize, created in 2019 for the best collaboration between the finalists and those craft houses, with €20,000 for a new project with them. Xiao Xu (China) won the Supima Prize for the best use of Supima cotton, which comes with fabric for a next collection and a trip to the Supima Design Lab in New York on November 5. Rachel Luurssen (Netherlands) won L'Atelier des Matières Prize for a look made from recycled materials, with €10,000 of deadstock and recycled fabric. Brais Albor Rodriguez (Spain), whose collection FashionNetwork described as plus-size menswear between beachwear and tailoring, took both the public's prize and the jury's special mention.

villa Noailles (photo: lucbrtrd)

Accessories and photography

Sassa Ann van Wyk (Austria) won the Accessories Grand Prix from a jury chaired by Cecilie Bahnsen, with a €20,000 collaboration project with the le19M craft houses and direct access to the AZ Academy acceleration programme; FashionNetwork's preview described her work as dreamlike hats and hair accessories. Daniel Cheruzel (France), whose finalist capsule was bags and gloves, won the AZ Academy award, a place on the acceleration programme created in honour of Alber Elbaz.

villa Noailles (photo: lucbrtrd)

In photography, under a jury chaired by the photographer Camille Vivier, Motoki Nakatani (Japan) won the 7L Grand Prix: a book, a show in Paris during Paris Photo, €20,000 from Chanel and a year of agency support. Pull&Bear gave its fashion photography prize for the first time, a €20,000 grant and a commissioned campaign or project, to Xueling Chen (China). Valeria Sarto (Italy and the US) won American Vintage's prize, a fashion series commission worth €15,000, and Julien Rahmani (France) the public's photography prize.

The read

Follow the money and Hyères looks more and more like a Chanel scouting ground: Chanel funds the Grand Prix grant and the photography grant, and three of the prizes are projects with its own craft houses at le19M. For a young designer that's worth more than a cheque, and it gives Chanel an early look at whoever Hyères finds. Pull&Bear's new prize is the other thing to notice: a high-street brand putting its name next to Chanel's at a festival built on discovery.

The winners come back. This year's exhibitions at the villa include last year's Grand Prix winner, Lucas Emilio Brunner, alongside last year's photography and accessories winners, Noémie Ninot and Amaury Darras, and the festival's exhibitions stay open until February 28, 2027.