ELLE Decoration
International Design Awards 2021
Image: Gallery Wentrup am Feenteich, Hamburg, interior concept designed by Sebastian Herkner, 2021.
© Patricia Parinejad
DESIGN
Sebastian Herkner
Designer of the Year
Sebastian Herkner’s approach to design is to merge various cultural contexts, combining new technologies with traditional craftsmanship in order to highlight the multifaceted beauty of the materials and draw renewed attention to small details. He studied product design at Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Offenbach am Main, a German art and design university located in Offenbach am Main, where he founded his own studio for objects, interior design and exhibition design in 2006.
Image: Villa Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany Italy, designed by Vincenzo De Cotiis, 2017. © Ambroise Tézenas
INTERIOR DESIGN
Vincenzo De Cotiis
Interior Designer of the Year
Vincenzo De Cotiis was born in 1958 in Gonzaga, Italy. He studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano and founded his studio in Milan where he lives and works. His work represents a winding path that often doubles back upon itself, one fuelled by parallelisms of space and time, cultural layerings and quantum leaps. A process imperceptible to reason and intellect, yet manifested through the materiality of his countless works.
Image: Video still, Cambio visual essay by Formafantasma, 2020.
DESIGN
Cambio by Formafantasma
Sustainable Achivement
Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, the Italian duo behind Amsterdam-based design studio Formafantasma have shone their aesthetically pleasing spotlight on the global dynamics of the timber industry. Their Cambio project, presented as an exhibition at London’s Serpentine Galleries in 2020, became one of the year’s most impactful cultural events. It explores the global impact of the timber industry through research, installation and film. Its exhibits ranging from a video essay that considers humans from the point of view of trees, with voiceover written by philosopher and botanist Emanuele Coccia, to a totem pole of Ikea stools, recreated in different kinds of wood and arranged in order of environmental footprint, all emphasising design’s political and ecological responsibilities.
About the ELLE Decoration International Design Awards
LVMH Prize 2021
Image: Nensi Dojaka and a model wearing her designs. © Saskia Lawaks
FASHION
Nensi Dojaka
LVMH Prize
Nensi Dojaka is an Albanian women’s wear designer based in London who graduated from Central Saint Martins. She is known for her lingerie-inspired slipdresses with graphic cutouts and sensual strap details, whose fans include Bella Hadid. Marc Jacobs said the jury unanimously voted for Nensi Dojaka. Other jury member Kim Jones, Artistic Director of Dior men's collection and Creative Director of Fendi, said he was won over by the sophistication of the line: "You can see the owning of a category, and the development that you could potentially do with that. I don’t know any woman that wouldn’t want to wear her dress and feel good".
BFC Changemakers Prize
in Partnership with Swarovski 2021
Image: Documentary Photography - Glass Onion Vintage, March 2019. © Timm Cleasby
FASHION
John Hickling
Environment
The BFC Changemakers Prize in Partnership with Swarovski recognizes outstanding work within one of the three pillars of the British Fashion Council’s Institute of Positive Fashion: Environment, People or Craftsmanship and Community.
John Hickling, founder of Glass Onion, won the prize under the Environmental Pillar. Glass Onion in South Yorkshire is a vintage and remade clothing provider who have recently launched a Direct to Consumer website. Sorting and grading tonnes of used clothing each week, they are growing a factory that only "remakes" vintage clothing – cuting, sewing and remaking 12,000 remade pieces per month.
Image: W Magazine, The Bold and The Beautiful, hairstylling by Cyndia Harvey, photographed by
Harley Weir, styled by Raphael Hirsch and makeup by Ammy Drammeh.
FASHION
Cyndia Harvey
People
International hairstylist Cyndia Harvey won the prize under the People Pillar. As one of the most exciting hairstylists of her generation, Cyndia Harvey has a unique vision for inclusive beauty, aiming to represent the entire spectrum of beauty and utilise her skills to fight for the visibility of underrepresented groups of society. A champion of Black women and Black hair, in 2017 she made the powerful, thought-provoking short film "This Hair of Mine" celebrating the history and beauty of afro hair. As both a Dazed 100 member and a Dazed Magazine Contributing Beauty Editor, she is highly sought-after within the industry.
Image: Dior x Peter Doig, embroidered lion for the AW21 Collection created by
The London Embroidery Studio.
FASHION
Andrew Kenny
Community & Craftsmanship
Andrew Kenny, owner of The London Embroidery Studio in East London, won the prize under the Community & Craftsmanship Pillar. Since 2007 The London Embroidery Studio has been created bespoke embroidery for large and small fashion, interior, film, TV, theatre and artist clients worldwide. The highly experienced team of designers and technicians mix traditional methods of hand and machine embroidery with state-of-the-art computer technology to create beautiful and innovative designs.
About the BFC Changemakers Prize in Partnership with Swarovski