{"id":2977,"date":"2025-06-30T16:49:41","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T23:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/?p=2977"},"modified":"2025-06-30T16:49:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T23:49:41","slug":"meryll-rogge-is-the-2025-andam-fashion-award-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/?p=2977","title":{"rendered":"Meryll Rogge Is The 2025 ANDAM Fashion Award Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tThis article has been updated on June 30 at 5:17 p.m. EST.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\tPARIS \u2014 <\/strong>Second time was the charm for Meryll Rogge, who scooped up the Grand Prize of the 2025 ANDAM Fashion Award on Monday.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHonestly, we just said it like it is, I didn\u2019t really change much versus last year,\u201d said the Belgian designer. \u201cI think we just evolved and grew a lot in the last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd what a 12-month run it\u2019s been for the Ghent, Belgium-born designer who was a finalist of last year\u2019s ANDAM.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to becoming the first woman to be named designer of the year at the 2024 Belgian Fashion Awards and being a 2025 Woolmark Prize finalist, she saw her designs land on the likes of Dua Lipa, Chlo\u00e9 S\u00e9vigny and Rihanna.<\/p>\n

\n\tHaving shown her collections in Paris since 2021 in presentations, she held her first fashion show in March, presenting a collection she deemed her \u201cmost developed pieces.\u201d These were among the designs she showed to the ANDAM jury earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot that she is letting it get to her head. \u201cIt just shows that we are stepping it up every year,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd now we\u2019re going to be able to make huge leaps, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA 2008 graduate of Antwerp\u2019s Royal Academy of Fine Arts who dreamed of being an illustrator as a child, she swapped paint for textile swatches when moving to New York. After working her way up to lead designer at Marc Jacobs over seven years, she was back in Antwerp working for Dries Van Noten as head of women\u2019s design in 2014 before going solo in 2020.<\/p>\n

\n\tSeveral of her pieces have been acquired recently by MoMu Antwerp and Brussels\u2019 Fashion & Lace Museum.<\/p>\n

\n\tHow she plans on spending the 300,000-euro purse that comes with this win is \u201cvery clear for us,\u201d Rogge said.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne priority is direct-to-consumer channels, particularly e-commerce, a yet-untapped opportunity for her business.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a big one for us because we do get a lot of views on our website, lots of DMs and we can never support it, which is a shame,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 41-year-old is also looking at expanding in accessories. \u201cWe dabbled in shoes, working on a collaboration with [Japanese footwear brand] Grounds and we want to go further,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to the cash award, she will be mentored by 36th jury president Sidney Toledano, an adviser to LVMH Mo\u00ebt Hennessy Louis Vuitton chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault, as well as president of the Institut Fran\u00e7ais de la Mode fashion school.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe seasoned executive will also have another mentee: Special Prize winner Alain Paul, who parlayed a 10-year career working for the likes of Vetements and Louis Vuitton into his eponymous Alainpaul brand, cofounded in 2023 with husband Luis Philippe.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere too, being plugged in directly to consumers is a must. It\u2019s a particularly important avenue for emerging brands for the revenue it generates, but also for the direct consumer insights.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt really allows us to work on a collection plan that meets what clients are looking for and not waste so much time on pieces we don\u2019t need,\u201d Philippe said.<\/p>\n

\n\tSummer will therefore be busy for the brand, as plans for e-commerce that previously were on hold due to the costs involved can now move forward as early as September, the cofounders said.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd Paul is also among the finalists of the 2025 LVMH Prize for Young Designers.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Merryl<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tMeryll Rogge and Sarah Levy<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDominique Ma\u00eetre\/WWD<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe Pierre Berg\u00e9 Prize and its 100,000-euro purse went to Bur\u00e7 Akyol, whose eponymous genderless label marries sexiness with austerity \u2014 and flawless tailoring.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe will be mentored by Alexandre Mattiuissi, the founder and artistic director of Ami who scooped up the grand prize in 2013. The brand came on board as a sponsor of the design competition with this edition.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou never expect it,\u201d said an elated Akyol. \u201cI talked about the importance of craftsmanship and it resonated. We tend to forget the product in our industry today, and people think it\u2019s borderline ugly to say the word \u2018product,\u2019 but I disagree. I think it\u2019s at the heart of what we do and I\u2019m happy, because that\u2019s what I stand for. I won with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe designer said he looked forward to getting advice from Mattiussi, who has parlayed his independent brand into a thriving business.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI want to find out how he did it, because it\u2019s an empire. I remember when Ami was founded. His initial inspiration was so organic. He wanted to dress a few friends that inspired him and make that available for others,\u201d Akyol said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great financial success, which again comforts me in the idea that there is a place for product.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe plans to use the prize money to fund his next collection for the label, which is a two-person operation.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt our level, we have a knife at our throat every season,\u201d Akyol said. \u201cI always have to juggle in terms of cash flow. Now, we will finally be able to develop these categories that we\u2019re always thinking about and don\u2019t have the time to do, because you need real industrial know-how.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso in the running in this category dedicated to emerging creative labels were Jeanne Friot and Mouty by couple Bertille and Thomas Mouty.<\/p>\n

\n\tBelgian designer Sarah L\u00e9vy of Sarahlevy beat out footwear designer Phil\u00e9o Landowski and jeweler Marco Panconesi to win the 2025 accessories prize, which comes with 100,000 euros and purse and mentoring by Sophie Delafontaine, creative director of Longchamp.<\/p>\n

\n\tToledano said he\u2019s had eyes on all the winners through the tentacular reach of LVMH Mo\u00ebt Hennessy Louis Vuitton. He met Rogge when she worked at Marc Jacobs, which belongs to the luxury group, while L\u00e9vy designs accessories for Patou, another one of its labels.<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, he first discovered Paul and Akyol\u2019s work through the LVMH Prize for Young Designers. Akyol was a finalist last year, while Paul is among the final eight this year.<\/p>\n

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\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Alain<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tAlain Paul and Luis Philippe<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDominique Ma\u00eetre\/WWD<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cThese four winners are exactly the type of candidate that need our help because they have reached a critical size. They\u2019re doing fine on their own, but they really want to take their brands to the next level and I want to help them do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year, the innovation prize was awarded separately in May and went to Losanje, a fashion tech company based in the central French city of Nevers that is helping brands implement the use of circular textiles.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe edition\u2019s jury included 11 guest members, including Pascal Morand, executive president of the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, Sarah Andelman and fashion documentary director Lo\u00efc Prigent.<\/p>\n

\n\tJoining them were multihyphenate actress and author Lou Doillon; Lucky Love, the singer who performed at the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games; musical artist Eddy de Pretto; art gallery founder Emmanuel Perrotin, and model, actress and entrepreneur Liya Kebede.<\/p>\n

\n\tRounding out the 2025 group sitting alongside permanent members, who are mainly executives drawn from sponsors, were creative consultant Carlos Nazario; writer and fashion critic Sophie Fontanel, and Beka Gvishiani, who\u2019s behind the Stylenotcom Instagram account.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Burc<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tBurc Akyol<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDominique Ma\u00eetre\/WWD<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tCreated in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour with the support of the French Ministry of Culture and the DEFI, a body that promotes the development of the French fashion industry, and with the late Pierre Berg\u00e9 as president, ANDAM has been a springboard for designers who would go on to achieve international recognition.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn October, a retrospective at the Mus\u00e9e des Arts D\u00e9coratifs gave an overview of the ANDAM\u2019s 35-year run, featuring works by winners across fashion and accessories including Viktor & Rolf, Jeremy Scott, Marine Serre, Y\/Project, Christopher Esber and Ukrainian milliner Ruslan Baginskiy.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2013 With contributions from Joelle Diderich<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article has been updated on June 30 at 5:17 p.m. EST. PARIS \u2014 Second time was the charm for Meryll Rogge, who scooped up the Grand Prize of the 2025 ANDAM Fashion Award on Monday. \u201cHonestly, we just said it like it is, I didn\u2019t really change much versus last year,\u201d said the Belgian designer. \u201cI think we just evolved and grew a lot in the last year.\u201d And what a 12-month run it\u2019s been for the Ghent, Belgium-born designer who was a finalist of last year\u2019s ANDAM. In addition to becoming the first woman to be named designer of the year at the 2024 Belgian Fashion Awards and being a 2025 Woolmark Prize finalist, she saw her designs land on the likes of Dua Lipa, Chlo\u00e9 S\u00e9vigny and Rihanna. Having shown her collections in Paris since 2021 in presentations, she held her first fashion show in March, presenting a collection she deemed her \u201cmost developed pieces.\u201d These were among the designs she showed to the ANDAM jury earlier in the day. Not that she is letting it get to her head. \u201cIt just shows that we are stepping it up every year,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd now we\u2019re going to be able to make huge leaps, of course.\u201d A 2008 graduate of Antwerp\u2019s Royal Academy of Fine Arts who dreamed of being an illustrator as a child, she swapped paint for textile swatches when moving to New York. After working her way up to lead designer at Marc Jacobs over seven years, she was back in Antwerp working for Dries Van Noten as head of women\u2019s design in 2014 before going solo in 2020. Several of her pieces have been acquired recently by MoMu Antwerp and Brussels\u2019 Fashion & Lace Museum. How she plans on spending the 300,000-euro purse that comes with this win is \u201cvery clear for us,\u201d Rogge said. One priority is direct-to-consumer channels, particularly e-commerce, a yet-untapped opportunity for her business. \u201cIt\u2019s a big one for us because we do get a lot of views on our website, lots of DMs and we can never support it, which is a shame,\u201d she said. The 41-year-old is also looking at expanding in a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2977"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}