Mercedes-Benz Celebrates Sustainability in Fashion at 2022 Hyères International Festival
For the second time, Mercedes-Benz partnered with Fashion Open Studio to present the Sustainability Prize at this year's Hyères International Festival.
Every year, the Hyères International Festival highlights young talent in fashion, photography, and accessories. While young designers continue to push the boundaries with innovative design techniques and styles, when many think of what’s next in the industry, there is an inevitable conversation about sustainability. As the fashion and textile industry is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, with global emission rates that are only projected to increase, the industry’s next generation of designers are seeking to change that.
For the second year, the festival’s long-time partner Mercedes-Benz, alongside Fashion Open Studio, sponsored the Sustainability Prize, an award that serves the fashion community by supporting designers committed to a more sustainable vision of luxury fashion.
Designers were able to showcase their designs to the festival’s attendees over two nights of fashion shows and at the Mercedes-Benz Shortlisted Showroom, where Bottega Veneta Creative Director Matthieu Blazy and Alaïa’s Pieter Mulier were spotted taking in the finalist's work.
Of the festival’s 10 finalists, the Fashion Jury, which included Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient of Ottolinger, former Grand Prix of Jury Première Vision winner Ifeanyi Okwuadi, and Jury President Glenn Martens, Creative Director of Diesel and Y/Project, selected the winner based on which designer best wove sustainable techniques into the fabric of their designs. Each designer’s work was also featured in an editorial shoot by photographer Jenny Brough with model and activist Kai Isaiah Jamal as well as sustainability writer and model Nassia Matsa alongside the new Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX. This new electric car model sets the bar for sustainability in the automotive industry with vegan leather interiors and fabrics made from bamboo, cactus, and mushroom.
This year’s Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize winner, who will receive a €20,000 grant from Mercedes-Benz, is Valentin Lessner. Lessner was also awarded the le19M Métiers d’art Prize.
“Our brand is globally engaged in fashion for nearly 30 years and we are very happy to continue the support of international talent also this year as a long-standing partner of the Festival d’Hyères. We cordially congratulate Valentin for winning our Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize 2022 and recognize her passion for a responsible fashion design”, said Julia Hofmann, Head of Branded Entertainment & Brand Partnerships Mercedes-Benz AG. “By featuring the Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX as our most up-to-date ambassador for sustainable innovation in our Festival d’Hyères campaign, we would like to raise more awareness for a responsible lifestyle.”
"The vote was unanimous for the Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize as Valentin Lessner was able to translate sustainability with a contemporary, ready to wear approach,” said the 2022 Hyères International Festival Fashion Jury.
Following in his family’s footsteps of men’s tailoring, Lessner’s work is dedicated to slowing down the fashion cycle and refocusing on techniques that produce exquisite creations.
