ANDAM Awards: Prestigious Honors That Promote French Design and Savoir-Faire

“The ANDAM Prize was created in 1989 based on a simple observation: France lacked a truly structured system to support young designers”, recalls Nathalie Dufour, who created these awards, which are unparalleled in the industry. At the time, as the fashion program manager at the Ministry of Culture, she brought Pierre Bergé, the President of DEFI, on board for the venture. The idea was to “build a bridge between design and the industry, with substantial resources and high standards”. Yves Saint Laurent’s former partner, “played a decisive role, lending credibility and a strong sense of ambition to the project”, emphasizes Nathalie Dufour. Until 2017, the year of his passing, the former President of ANDAM attended every awards ceremony. And he offered consulting to each winner during one-on-one interviews! 

According to Nathalie Dufour, ANDAM “stands out for its comprehensive approach and operational support, whereas other awards are primarily about media exposure.” It requires winners to have “a genuine industrial foundation,” which it facilitates through “access to an entire French ecosystem.” A close connection to ‘Made in France’” is also fostered through a collaboration with the Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création (MSFC).

Beyond its initial foundation (the Ministry and DEFI), the Association was quickly joined by its first private partners who shared “this vision of an ecosystem to be built to help the younger generations of designers emerge.” While the luxury giants had not yet emerged, Galeries Lafayette-Monoprix, Saint-Laurent, Kenzo, media outlets (Jardin des modes…), journalists, and fashion historians (Laurence Benaïm, Florence Muller…) acted as pioneers in raising the Prize’s profile.

Key players in the industry

Since then, Nathalie Dufour has been proud to have succeeded in “coordinating and bringing together luxury groups and private companies such as LVMH, Kering, Chanel, Hermès, Longchamp, Lacoste, Galeries Lafayette, WSN, Karla Otto (since 2026), and institutions such as the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the Musée de la Mode de Paris, the IFM, BPI France, and the IFCIC, as well as international partners: OTB, Instagram, Zalando, and Karla Otto”. In this virtuous cycle: Alexandre Mattiussi (Maison Ami), Grand Prix winner in 2013, has become a patron! “Our governance is truly shared among all these stakeholders,” she emphasizes. Luxury groups know that it’s very important to devote some of their financial resources and expertise to the younger generation, in order to maintain creative vitality for their future and that of ‘Made in France’.”

This massive show of support has made it possible to increase prize funds, expand the number of awards, and enrich the support program to keep pace with the sector’s growing complexity. “In 2008, the introduction of a single cash prize of €100,000 marked a true leap in scale for the winners. Jérémy Scott, the first recipient, was thus able to establish his business and hold a fashion show in Paris”. Today, the Grand Prix, worth €300,000, represents “a real catalyst for a brand that is already well-established.”

New awards, each worth 100,000 €, were subsequently introduced: the Innovation Prize (created in 2017 to encourage technological innovations in fashion), the Fashion Accessories Prize (2018), the Pierre Bergé Prize (2020)—the successor to similar awards supporting promising up-and-comers—and the Special Jury Prize (2023), which recognizes a Grand Prix finalist with potential…

30% made in France

Another milestone: the 2011 requirement for winners to establish a French company, produce at least 30% of their collections in France, using the Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création (MSFC) platform to connect with contract manufacturers and receiving personalized consulting from the team. This change was linked to the arrival of the first British winners, such as Gareth Pugh “whereas before, they were often French, like Christophe Lemaire, Isabelle Ballu, or Jean Touitou, and were already working with French contract manufacturers”. Anthony Vaccarello, winner of the 2011 Grand Prix, thus established his company—which had previously been based in Belgium—in France…

The ANDAM support program, meanwhile, has been strengthened as “the needs of young designers have become more structured”, with financial issues, international growth, sustainability, and production taking on greater importance. In 2026, Marie Adam-Leenaerdt (Grand Prix) and Pauline Dujancourt (Special Prize) are mentored by Alexandre Mattiussi (Ami). Anthony Calydon, winner of the Pierre Bergé Prize, is mentored by Frédéric Maus (WSN), Philéo Landowski, winner of the Fashion Accessories Prize, is mentored by Pelagia Kolotouros, creative director at Lacoste, while Alphalyr, winner of the Innovation Prize, is mentored by Yann Gozlan (Creative Valley).

And he can draw on insights from the IFM (business structuring); BPI France and the IFCIC (finance and legal matters); WSN (organizer of the Who’s Next and Première Classe trade shows), the Betak agency, and Karla Otto (communications and events); as well as L’Oréal (fashion shows) and Instagram (influencer marketing). The RUN platform, launched in 2024 by WSN, thus helps designers who do not yet have a showroom during Paris Fashion Week® (through runway shows and events, spaces at their trade shows, etc.). On the e-commerce distribution side, Galeries Lafayette and Zalando provide support, Andrea Rosso (OTB) provides consulting on sustainable development, and OTB, Swarovski, Balenciaga, and Longchamp grant access to their dead stock.

Personalized support from the MSFC

The MSFC, for its part, introduces designers to French manufacturers capable of producing their collections. This “matchmaking” provides “a crucial quality filter for identifying and gaining access to workshops of excellence—a complex task, as each has its own specific characteristics”, notes Nathalie Dufour. While “designers may be concerned about the cost of ‘Made in France,’ it is an essential lever for moving upmarket. But it’s also key to expanding internationally, as high-quality savoir-faire and the integration of traceability and sustainability—now indispensable—increase the chances of long-term collaborations, particularly in the United States, where standards on these issues are very high.”

ANDAM thus helps forge lasting ties between designers and French manufacturing. According to Nathalie Dufour, “once a designer has had access to this savoir-faire, they will remember it, even if they one day become the Creative Director of a luxury house… And many award winners who have become international icons have maintained this connection, such as Christophe Lemaire, Alexandre Mattiussi, and Viktor & Rolf, who still present their collections at Paris Haute Couture week...”

The first winner in 1989, Belgian designer Martin Margiela—who was already showing in Paris—was able to establish his company in France and “has always explained that the Prize played an essential role in the development of his artisanal collection”. Buoyed by this remarkable success story, the fashion house was later acquired by the Italian company OTB… which went on to become a financial partner of ANDAM! Nathalie Dufour also cites the 2015 ANDAM Grand Prix winner, Stéphane Ashpool (Pigalle label), who was then mentored by Bruno Pavlovsky (Chanel). Ten years later, he returned to 19M to have his collection for Le Coq Sportif produced there—the brand selected to design the uniforms for French athletes at the 2024 Olympics. The result: “incredible embellishments (embroidery, tiny feathers…)”.

A “Made in France” future?

What about tomorrow? “Generally speaking, against a backdrop of challenging economic conditions (the Chinese market’s refocus on its local brands, Ukraine, the Middle East…), young designers will face difficult years ahead,” says Nathalie Dufour. Their only way to weather the storm will be to position themselves around high-quality savoir-faire, niche markets of excellence, and “haute couture” services, in the face of fashion with mass distribution dominated by the giants”. For its part, ANDAM will work “to further increase the prize money and support provided to winners to help them adapt to a more complex globalized market”. Nathalie Dufour invites brands to apply “as long as they have a project that sets them apart. “They will be seen and will have a chance to be noticed by all of our partners and jury members, and we will be there to support them throughout their journey by helping them overcome their challenges”.