LONDON — For Delphine Arnault, young creatives — students, interns and emerging designers — are the lifeblood of the luxury business, which is why she’ll never stop supporting them.
Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, said creativity lies at the center of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, and building a pipeline of talent both for the luxury giant, and the industry as a whole, is crucial.
“Our artistic directors invent the products that will become the icons of tomorrow,” said Arnault in an interview ahead of the Fashion Awards Monday night. She was receiving a Special Recognition award from the British Fashion Council for her “exceptional contribution” to the global fashion industry and long-standing support of emerging talent.
Arnault said that at LVMH, artistic directors also need robust teams — to work on ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, custom jewelry, scarves and other accessories.
“It’s not just one person. It’s very important for me to identify young talents for the group, and to help them grow. That was the purpose of the LVMH Prize when it launched in 2013, and it still is today,” she said, adding that the prize isn’t just about the winners, but about identifying the stars of tomorrow.
“Throughout the years, we’ve had amazing talents participate in the prize — even if they didn’t all win,” she said, ticking off the names of winners including Grace Wales Bonner, who’s headed to Hermès as the new head of menswear, Marine Serre and Simon Porte Jacquemus, all of whom have built stand-alone businesses.
Even some who missed out on the LVMH prizes, including Simone Rocha, Demna, and the late Virgil Abloh, hit the big time. Abloh would go on to design Louis Vuitton menswear and see LVMH take a majority stake in his label Off-White, which is now owned by Bluestar Alliance. Rocha sits at the helm of a thriving independent business, while in February Demna will unveil his first full collection as creative director of Gucci after a long stint at Balenciaga.
Arnault said she has always been amazed by the bravery of the applicants. “I think that it’s always exciting to see the willpower, courage and energy that they have, because you need to be very brave to create a brand on your own. Most of the time, they’re working alone, or with one other person, and they have to multitask,” she said.
She appreciates the balancing act.
“They have to be creative and have a unique product and, at the same time, do the accounting, and the production, and have a very clear vision of what they want their brand to be. It makes me really happy when I see designers like Jacquemus or Marine Serre succeed and find a commercial response to their creativity. Because at the end of the day, you also need to have a customer who buys your product and who is happy to wear it.”
During her visit to London, Arnault was also giving back. On Monday, she revealed a new Dior womenswear scholarship to match the menswear one that launched in 2020.
Dior Men supports the BFC Foundation MA Scholarship, which funds a U.K.-based menswear design student every two years.
The scholarship covers tuition fees and contributes to living costs, while also offering the recipient one-on-one mentorship from the Dior Men’s design team.
“Women’s fashion is a very important part of our business, so it makes makes sense to add it. If we can help more students, then all the better,” she said.
