Fashion

H&M Just Announced Their Design Award Finalists

by Tess Yocom

H&M is back at it with its real life version of Project Runway. The retail giant just announced the finalists for its 2015 H&M Design Award. Eight young designers from around the world have been selected to present their fashion lines to a jury of fashion experts. Finalists include graduates from the Royal College of Art in London, Parsons Design, and the Swedish School of Textiles.

What’s at stake here? The winner will receive €50,000, a fashion show during Fashion Week Stockholm, and their own line at H&M. Judges include British Vogue Fashion Director Lucinda Chambers, Marc by Marc Jacobs Design Director Luelle Bartley, and Lily Allen. So, yeah, no pressure or anything.

H&M may be our go-to for cozy sweaters and LBD’s, but they’re also pretty committed to launching young designers’ careers.

“As a design-driven company, it is an honor for H&M to be able to support fashion’s future talents. The level of creativity, passion and technical skill we’ve seen for this year’s H&M Design Award is exceptional.” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s Head of Design, New Development.

Last year, 24-year-old Belgian fashion student Eddy Anemian took home the top prize and launched his own line at H&M in October. This year’s winner will be announced on January 27.

Here’s a list of all the finalists, plus some of their crazy good designs:

Andrea Jiapei Li (US)

Magdalena Brozda (Poland)

Andreas Eklof (Sweden)

Fiona O'Neill (Ireland)

Graham Fan (Canada/Hong Kong)

James Kelly (UK)

Leonard Kocic (Serbia/Sweden)

Ximon Lee (US)

Images: H&M (4)