Belgian Designer Julie Kegels Wins Prestigious LVMH Prize
Belgian fashion designer Julie Kegels has won the 2026 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, one of the most prestigious awards in the industry. The 27-year-old Antwerp-based designer, who launched her eponymous label just two years ago, received the €400,000 prize at a ceremony at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris on Friday, presented by actress Jennifer Lawrence. Kegels beat approximately 2,400 international candidates, making her the first Belgian to win the main award since its founding in 2014.
A Meteoric Rise
Kegels’ victory caps a remarkably rapid ascent. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where she studied under Walter Van Beirendonck and Dirk Van Saene—two members of the legendary ‘Antwerp Six’—she launched her label in 2024 after designing under Pieter Mulier at Alaïa. Her designs, which explore the multiple roles women navigate in daily life, have already attracted a celebrity following including Dua Lipa, Demi Lovato, Rosalía, and Charli XCX.
According to VRT NWS, Kegels was visibly emotional upon receiving the award. “I’m speechless,” she said in her first reaction. “So much thanks to my whole team. Without you this was not possible. You are so talented, so passionate and so committed. That is why I stand here.”
Her rapid success comes as no surprise to those who know her background. “Julie comes from an entrepreneurial family,” said Eva Koninckx, fashion coordinator at Flanders D.C., in an earlier interview with VRT NWS. “She is the daughter of Xavier Kegels, founder of Kipling and Hedgren, and has a real nose for business. In just a few seasons she built a brand that resonates worldwide.”
A Full Silhouette Vision
The LVMH Prize jury—which included industry titans such as Jonathan Anderson, Phoebe Philo, Nicolas Ghesquière, Maria Grazia Chiuri, and Pharrell Williams—was particularly impressed by Kegels’ comprehensive approach to her brand. As Vogue Business reported, Delphine Arnault, founder of the LVMH Prize and Dior CEO, noted that “the jury this time around was very focused on where people produce, where they distribute, and who the final client is.”
Arnault highlighted Kegels’ commercial acumen alongside her creative talent. “She was talking about the bags and shoes she’s developing, so it was really about a full silhouette,” Arnault said, as reported by WWD. “She was one of the designers with the highest turnover among the finalists, which means there is an actual customer for her designs.”
Pietro Beccari, CEO of Louis Vuitton and LVMH Fashion Group, echoed this sentiment: “She is really multitalented. I think that she can do superb creativity in terms of crazy creations, while she has a business sense.” Sidney Toledano, special adviser to LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault, added: “I think she has a business model that will work very well.”
From Runway to Retail
Kegels’ brand is already carried in 38 points of sale worldwide, with her e-commerce site accounting for 28 percent of sales and growing by 85 percent in the last year. Her work has been featured in ELLE, which noted that her collections are populated by “imagined characters with competing impulses and unexpected habits,” translated into clothes that are “practical yet surreal.”
Her design philosophy centers on the complexity of modern femininity. “She can be a warm mother in the morning, a businesswoman during the day, and at night a social being,” Kegels said of the women she designs for. “When I design, I try the clothes on myself and also other women around me, and the most important thing is that the clothes feel comfortable on the body, but still precious enough or special enough to be proud of yourself while wearing it.”
Challenges of Emerging Designers
The win comes at a time when emerging designers face significant hurdles, from shrinking wholesale sectors to cash-flow pressures. Kegels has been candid about these challenges, particularly after Canadian retailer Ssense filed for bankruptcy protection. “That was terrible for us,” she told WWD. “Now if we go and work with a retailer, we check them, and we have to be confident.”
She plans to use the prize money to strengthen her brand’s infrastructure and build out her team. “Sometimes, it’s hard to get manufacturers to make more complex pieces,” she said. “It would be great to be put in contact with some high-quality suppliers.”
A Belgian Fashion Moment
Kegels’ victory adds to a remarkable period for Belgian fashion. She is part of a new wave of designers—alongside Marie Adam-Leenaerdt and Meryll Rogge—building independent labels on the global stage. Adam-Leenaerdt won the ANDAM Fashion Awards Grand Prize earlier this summer, while Rogge was appointed creative director of Italian luxury house Marni in 2025.
The LVMH Prize, established by Delphine Arnault in 2014, has become one of fashion’s most coveted accolades, with previous winners including Grace Wales Bonner, Marine Serre, and Thebe Magugu, according to Wikipedia. This year’s other award recipients included Zane Li’s label Lii, which took the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, and Anil Padia’s Yoshita 1967, which won the Savoir-Faire Prize—marking the first time a Kenyan designer has been a finalist in the prize’s history.
Kegels will present her spring collection at Paris Fashion Week on September 28. As she put it after the win: “There’s a lot to do, but I’m excited.”