Koché wins prestigious ANDAM Grand Prize for fashion

The ANDAM Grand Prize, one of the most prestigious international fashion awards, has been given to Koché, a luxury streetwear business founded by Christelle Kocher.

The prize will see Paris-based Kocher receive a grant of 250,000 euros and mentorship from OTB founder Renzo Rosso for one year.

Koché is no naive startup, since its inception in 2014 the company has achieved a modest turnover of 3.7 million euros and is distributed to over 60 international retailers, including Selfridges, Matches and Net-a-Porter in the UK. Kocher is a graduate of London's Central Saint Martins and previously held design stints at Chloé, Dries van Noten and Martine Sitbon.

The intersection of streetwear and couture

Aesthetically Koché "stands at the crossroad of couture know-how, streetwear attitude and youth culture energy," as described on the brand's website. The brand recently collaborated with Converse on a colourful capsule collection of urban sportswear, where a track jacket retails for 150 euros. Koché's own label jackets average between 500 and 600 euros.

The ANDAM prize was Founded in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour, with the French Ministry of Culture as historical institutional sponsors. Its initials stand for National Association for the Development of the Fashion Arts, was conceived as a structure for recognizing and assisting young designers on the French and international fashion scene. The first winner of the prize was Martin Margiela in its founding year.

"In 1989, I founded ANDAM to identify and support the emerging talents of the global contemporary fashion scene. The strong coordination of our private and institutional sponsors allows ANDAM to develop a global action and widen its support to all the sectors of the French fashion industry, as shown by the launch of the ANDAM Fashion Innovation Prize, this year. These prizes offer to young brands growing financial support and mentorship program essential for the structuring and development of their company," said Managing Director and founder Nathalie Dufour.

Other winners include Nicolas Lecourt Mansion, who received the Creative Label prize, which comes with a grant of 100,000 euros. His mentorship will come from Xavier Clergerie, the founder of Who’s Next, Premiere Classe & Jean-Louis. He will also receive retail support from Galeries Lafayette who will stock the collection for two seasons.

The Fashion Innovation Award was given to startup Worn Again Technologies, who will receive a grant of 30,000 euros and mentoring from the Executive President of the French Fédération de la haute couture et de la Mode, Pascal Morand.

Image: Koché Facebook page