How the L.A. and Barcelona-based design studio Feels Like is bringing the illustrious prize closer to the people who love fashion.
For over a decade, now, the LVMH Prize has acted as a launchpad for emerging designers. Previous finalists of the prestigious award include both Jacquemus and the late Virgil Abloh. For the 2024 edition of the award, LVMH has again partnered with Feels Like, the design studio specializing in creating bespoke digital experiences, to create a digital showroom in a bid to democratize fashion and bring the luxury experience online. But the question remains: do audiences truly connect with digital fashion spaces?
LVMH has been working with Feels Like on its awards platforms since 2021, aiming to create digital experiences that move beyond generic templates. Bel Lipikson, a Client Partner at Feels Like, says: “In an industry where digital experiences often feel templated and impersonal, our work with the LVMH Prize allows us to break away from the conventional.”
While the winner of the LVMH Prize receives $400,000 euros and a one-year tailored mentorship, LVMH themselves obviously stand to gain from the prize, as it solidifies their role as both a shepherd and predictor of the future of fashion. Trying to answer the question of how to capture an audience through the digital realm is therefore paramount.
Lipsikon says the goal of their collaboration with LVMH is “creating an emotional connection between the designers and a global audience.” As the fashion world moves more and more online, it makes sense that its awards initiatives and prizes would follow suit — and, after the real-world shutdown of the pandemic, digital experiences persist. What is perhaps most successful in Feels Like’s website design is that it weaves together all past winners, creating a real feeling of lineage in LVMH’s vote for the future of fashion.
The website really does give the sense that this year’s winner, Hodakova by Ellen Hodakova Larsson, becomes part of a heritage by winning, joining more recent finalists like Peter Do and Chopova Lowena. When your mouse hovers over the faces of these designers, their creations spring to life behind them, centring one thing we don’t always see from a fashion brand — the designer’s face. This creates that intimate and personal touch that Feels Like aims for.
But there seems to be a fork in the road. While some fashion houses, like Prada and Balenciaga, have invested in fully digital clothing in the last few years, others are instead starting to reject the online move. The Row famously banned cameras and phones during their presentation for the last two seasons, a decision that was quite well-received by the fashion community at large. However, one does have to wonder if this attitude springs forward from the impulse from some to shut fashion behind closed doors. Whether or not consumers will eventually turn away from digital fashion spaces may be one thing LVMH can’t predict.
Whether you agree or disagree with the increased digital turn, one thing is certain — Feels Like’s approach works. Their efforts have led to a 400% surge in votes for the LVMH prize itself, and the studio has earned numerous accolades from the partnership, receiving both the Red Dot Design Award and multiple Webby Awards. 🌀