An international jury in London named New York-based designer Ximon Lee the winner of the H&M Design Award 2015. The 24-year-old graduate from Parsons the New School for Design is the first menswear designer to win the accolade. He presented the winning collection at Stockholm’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on Tuesday.
Lee’s designs, inspired by the documentary “Children of Leningradsky” about homeless children living in post-Soviet era Moscow, led the designer to travel to Russia to create his own mood boards for the collection. The 22-piece line builds layers upon layers of organic and man-made materials, like plastic, cardboard and bonded denim, to create exaggerated shapes that sit away from the body.
H&M’s head of design for new development Ann-Sofie Johansson said, “Ximon’s collection captivated the jury with its contemporary yet poetic mood, with a strong feeling for fabric and an incredible attention to detail.”
In addition to the show in Stockholm, Lee was awarded 50,000 euros (about $56,000), and will receive mentorship and a chance to create pieces from his winning collection to be sold at select H&M stores.
This year’s jury included Johansson, singer Lily Allen, Marc by Marc Jacobs design director Luella Bartley, British Vogue fashion director Lucinda Chambers, creative director Paula Goldstein di Principe, visual journalist Tommy Ton, fashion critic Angelo Flaccavento, Mytheresa buying director Justin O’Shea and H&M creative advisor Margareta van den Bosch.
