Fashion designer Jan Jan van Essche wins the Belgian Fashion Awards 2023 Jury Prize | local

Van Essche founded his namesake brand in 2010, and despite remaining under the radar for a long time, it is highly regarded globally by experts. The judges praised its originality, consistency and very clear identity. “Jan Jan van Essche brought slow fashion before the phenomenon had a name. He deserves the jury prize because he showed that it’s not about the volume of your work, it’s about your talent,” he said.

Anthony Vaccarello, creative director at Saint Laurent since 2016, can call himself “Designer of the Year 2023.” Young fashion designer Igor Deryk received the “Emerging Talent of the Year” award, and digital artist Fredrik Heymann received the “Professional of the Year” award.

The Changemaker of the Year award went to Laetitia Pica, a contemporary artist who puts research at the heart of her work. Leslie Novignon, who graduated with a Master’s degree in Fashion and Pattern Design from Haute École Francisco Ferrer in Brussels, received the ‘Most Promising Graduate of the Year’ award.

The Audience Award for “Brand of the Year” goes to Belgian fashion brand Orta, which is an abbreviation of the French words “objectif”, “responsable”, “tendance” and “abordable”. Finally, for the first time in the history of the Belgian Fashion Awards, the “Accessory Designer of the Year” award will also be presented this year. That honor goes to Sarah Levy.

The Belgian Fashion Awards want to celebrate Belgian fashion every year and honor innovators in the fashion sector. The event has been organized since 2017 by several organizations that support and promote the Belgian fashion sector, such as Flanders DC, MAD Brussels, Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode, and the editors of Weekend Knack and Le Vif Weekend magazines.