Paolo Carzana and Standing Ground are LVMH Semi-finalists
Photo Credit: Kasia Wozniak
Sarabande designers Paolo Carzana and Standing Ground have been announced as semi-finalists for the LVMH Prize! The prize is open to fashion designers from all over the world aged between 18 and 40, making it a huge achievement to reach the semi-finals.
This week has been a exciting week for the two designers; with Paolo having an interview feature in Financial Times Fashion and dressing the one and only Zendaya for the Dune Two Press Tour, Standing Ground also dressed Florence Pugh and the iconic Naomi Campbell for the Edward Enninful's 76th and final edition of British Vogue.
For those who are unfamiliar with the two designers, Paolo Carzana is a Welsh London-based designer crafting collections with organic, plant-based and antique materials. Paolo sculpts his clothing, building emotionally driven silhouettes through creative cutting and delicate construction.
Vegetables, flowers and spices make up the dyes of his fabrics, while his designs strike a the balance between strength and fragility. An earth-sensitive and inspired colour palette is created to channel the importance of the handmade, with ornate attention to details and finishing.
Welsh textiles are carved through tailoring and draping in a romantic and deconstructed approach, to showcase a modern luxury built into a world of hope and fight for change.
Paolo will be presenting his AW24 Collection this Sunday at London Fashion Week.
Michael Stewart, born in Ireland, established Standing Ground in 2022, dedicated to modern evening-wear, custom garments, and body ornaments.
Standing Ground’s practice is informed by the specificity of the body where draping, sculpting and crafting techniques respond to the individual form. Through proportion and silhouette, Standing Ground articulates the temporal resonances found within ancient landscapes, artefacts and relics, fusing these with qualities of speculative futures.
Reanimating the traces of such objects, landscapes and histories, Standing Ground places ancient pasts in resonance with envisioned futures to create designs which are distinctly timeless.
We’re gonna keep you up to date with the competition, wishing Paolo and Michael the best of luck along the way.