Chanel is on the hunt for the next big fashion talent. The storied French design house has joined the Association Nationale de Développement des Arts de la Mode to throw support behind the ANDAM grant, which awards a young designer a chunk of cash and a mentorship with François-Henri Pinault. This year, not only is Chanel signing on as a sponsor, but Chanel’s President of Fashion Bruno Pavlovsky will take over for Mr. Pinault as this year’s mentor.
The New York Times speculates that Chanel’s interest in new designers could stem from the fact that its creative director (Karl Lagerfeld) is getting on in years. Cultivating emerging talent that could eventually step in as a replacement is a smart business move. Early bird gets the worm and all.
Applications for the grant are being accepted from now until April 20. You can read the contest’s full rules here.
[via NYT]
