NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The winner of the fourth annual H&M Design Award 2015 is Ximon Lee, a 24-year-old graduate from Parsons School of Design in New York, whom was chosen by prominent jury members like Lily Allen and Tommy Ton. Ximon is the first U.S. and menswear designer to receive the prestigious award, which was presented today along with his winning collection at a fashion show during Fashion Week Stockholm. In addition to the show, Ximon has won €50,000 and the opportunity to develop pieces from his collection to be sold at selected H&M stores and online at hm.com later this fall.
"Ximon's collection captivated the jury with its contemporary yet poetic mood, its strong feeling for fabric and an incredible attention to detail," says Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M's Head of Design, New Development.
"I think he is a highly accomplished designer. He had everything; his research was beautiful, the fabric development was really skillful and his design was good," says Luella Bartley, Design Director of Marc by Marc Jacobs and member of the jury.
Ximon, originally from Hong Kong but now based in New York City, was selected by a world-renowned jury in London. His innovative collection creates layers of organic and synthetic textures, including materials such as plastic and cardboard, to build exaggerated forms that move outward from the body. These new silhouettes push menswear forward in the garments' cut and shape. Key inspiration stemmed from the documentary, Children of Leningradsky, and as a result Ximon traveled to Russia to create his personal mood boards for the collection.
This year's jury members included:
Lily Allen, Singer/Songwriter
Luella Bartley, Design Director of Marc by Marc Jacobs
Lucinda Chambers, Fashion Director of British Vogue
Paula Goldstein di Principe, Creative Director, H&M
Tommy Ton, Visual Journalist
Angelo Flaccavento, Freelance Fashion Critic
Justin O'Shea, Buying Director for MyTheresa.com
Ann-Sofie Johansson, Head of Design, New Development, H&M
Margareta van den Bosch, Creative Advisor, H&M
"It's very street, it's very art-inspired, it's very architectural, and it's very individual, but at the same time the collection is approachable because you can see the story and history behind everything that Ximon Lee does. There is a lot of promise in him. We all saw that and we felt unanimously that he was the front runner," says Tommy Ton.
"I was stunned when they announced I was the winner. The H&M Design Award means so much to me at the beginning of my career – I cannot imagine how I'd start my own label without it. My collection was designed as menswear but I'm excited to see it also worn by women," says Ximon Lee.
As a rapidly expanding brand, H&M offers endless possibilities. We are always looking for new talent to grow with the company and take on new challenges. For all available job positions please visit career.hm.com
For more information about H&M Design Award 2015, visit www.designaward.hm.com
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H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is quoted on NASDAQ Stockholm. The company's business concept is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. In addition to H&M, the group includes the brands & Other Stories, Cheap Monday, COS, Monki and Weekday as well as H&M Home. The H&M Group has around 3,500 stores in 55 markets including franchise markets. In 2013, sales including VAT were SEK 150,090 million and the number of employees is more than 116,000. For further information, visit hm.com.
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB Master Samuelsgatan 49 Stockholm SE-106 38 Sweden
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