The LVMH Prize, now in its twelfth edition, has named its 2025 semi-finalists, and among them are four designers from Africa and the diaspora: Tolu Coker, Torishéju Dumi, David Boyedoe, and Yasmin Mansour.

 

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Torishéju Dumi, a London-born designer of Nigerian-Brazilian heritage, has been on tap of her game with her eponymous label, Torishéju. After earning her degrees from the London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins, she gained invaluable experience under Phoebe Philo at Celine.

 

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Her debut collection, “Mami Wata,” drew from African folklore and contemporary fashion, while her more recent “Fire on the Mountain” collection, featuring Naomi Campbell as the opener and Paloma Elsesser as the closer, validated her status as one of the most exciting names in the industry. Dumi’s work is characterized by fluid, sculptural silhouettes, hand-dyed fabrics, and a reverence for tradition that feels both historical and futuristic.

Similarly, Ghanaian designer David Boye-Doe is challenging the status quo with Boyedoe, his label that defies gender norms and merges Afrofuturism with classic West African tailoring.

 

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His approach to design is rooted in sustainability, incorporating deconstruction and reconstruction techniques to breathe new life into existing materials. Boye-Doe’s aesthetic is bold and unapologetic, rejecting the binaries of menswear and womenswear in favor of something altogether more fluid. His work has already graced runways in Milan and Paris, turning heads with its detailed craftsmanship and modern interpretations of traditional Ghanaian dress.

Tolu Coker is another designer who has made it her mission to tell stories through fashion. The British-Nigerian creative explores identity, migration, and the African diaspora in her collections, blending recycled materials with artisanal techniques to craft pieces that are as thoughtful as they are striking.

 

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A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Coker’s work is a mix of raw emotion and meticulous design, often incorporating text and imagery that pay homage to Black history and culture. Her collections, which have been showcased at London Fashion Week, feel like wearable narratives, each piece infused with meaning and depth.

Adding to this year’s lineup is Yasmin Mansour, a designer from Egypt who has built her Qatar-based brand on the foundations of luxury womenswear with an Arab twist.

 

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Since launching her label in 2014, she has become known for her edgy, sculptural silhouettes and ornate layering techniques. Sustainability plays a key role in her process, with upcycled materials forming the basis of many of her designs. Mansour’s pieces, often adorned with architectural embellishments, have attracted the attention of fashion icons such as Farida Khelfa and Natalia Vodianova, cementing her status as a designer to watch.

The stakes for the LVMH Prize 2025 are higher than ever, with the winning designer set to receive a €400,000 endowment and a one-year mentorship from an LVMH team, a career-defining opportunity in the fashion industry. Additionally, the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, which honors a finalist with a €200,000 endowment and mentorship, remains a coveted accolade. This year also marks the second edition of the Savoir-Faire Prize, introduced in 2024, which recognizes exceptional craftsmanship with the same €200,000 award and mentorship package. Last year, Michael Stewart of Standing Ground became the first recipient of this distinction.

The LVMH Prize remains one of the bastions of genuine artistic recognition, and this year’s semi-finalists reflect a growing shift towards diversity and cultural storytelling in fashion. With over 2,300 applicants from around the world, the competition is fiercer than ever. The selected designers will present their collections in Paris on March 5th and 6th, where the industry’s most influential figures will decide who moves forward.