The 2024 ANDAM Fashion Award ceremony took place on June 27 at the Palais Royal gardens in Paris. This year, Lebanese-born Australian designer Christopher Esber won the Andam Grand Prize.
This prestigious award was founded in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour, its managing director, to support emerging fashion designers. Today, it is known as a gateway to success for young designers wishing to participate in Paris Fashion Week and it is backed by the Ministry of Culture and is chaired by Guillaume Houzé.
This year’s Grand Prize winner, Esber, received a cash prize of 300,000 euros and mentorship from Anthony Vaccarello, Creative Director of SAINT LAURENT. In addition, The jury’s special prize, the Pierre Bergé prize, the fashion accessories prize, and the Innovation prize each received €100,000 and a one-year mentorship from an exclusive sponsor.
Esber established his eponymous women’s ready-to-wear brand, Christopher Esber, in Sydney in 2010. He was a finalist for the Woolmark Prize in 2013 and joined the official Paris Fashion Week calendar for the first time in September 2023.
The brand celebrates the allure of feminine sensuality and effortless sophistication. Esber’s designs blend constructed forms with flowing ensembles embellished with cut-outs and incorporate elements of men’s tailoring, subverting the preconceptions of women’s fashion.
The Jury’s Special Award this year went to French designer Emeric Tchatchoua for his brand 3. PARADIS. The brand features formal streetwear with the symbol of the pigeon and has participated in Paris Fashion Week for the last two seasons.
Other awards included the Pierre Berger Award for the Pièces Uniques brand by French designer Edmond Luu, and the Accessories Award for the leather goods brand Maeden by Dutch designer Christian Heikoop.