Thomas StewartThe first LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize was awarded to Canadian designer Thomas Tait last week. The award grants Tait €300,000 as well as a year of mentoring from the luxury brand conglomerate. The aim will be to develop what the judges called the “talent, potential and creativity” they saw in Tait.
At just 26, Tait has already enjoyed a successful career to date. He graduated from Montreal’s LaSalle College in 2008 with a technical diploma and quickly after established himself as a designer, working on a freelance basis. In 2010, he graduated from the Central Saint Martins prestigious MA programme, in fact the youngest person to ever complete the course. He was awarded the inaugural Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize and remunerated with a handsome £25,000.
While his collections are always challenging and suitably high-fashion, Tait has been known to attract the masses effectively too. In 2011, a series of leather goods were purchased by ASOS, for example, which demonstrated the designer’s largely commercial viability. Recent conversations have also hinted at Tait opening his own stores in London.
Thomas Tait is a great example of dedication and passion as key to accomplishment. With this industry and peer recognition, all eyes will be on Tait at the moment. We can’t wait to see what he does next.