September 7, 2026
Kenyan Designer Anil Padia Wins LVMH Savoir-Faire Prize
Padia, 35, was also the first Kenyan designer to become a finalist in the competition’s 13-year history.
Kenyan designer Anil Padia became the first Kenyan to win an award in the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers after his label, Yoshita 1967, received the 2026 Savoir-Faire Prize, Connect Everything Online.
Padia, 35, was also the first Kenyan designer to become a finalist in the competition’s 13-year history. Yoshita 1967 received the award Sept. 4 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris for its artisan- and community-led approach to fashion and emphasis on handiwork.
The Savoir-Faire Prize includes €200,000 and one year of mentorship from LVMH experts. Padia will also receive support from LVMH Métiers d’Excellence through a collaboration with embroidery specialist Maison Vermont, which will provide €50,000 in embellishments for Yoshita 1967’s upcoming collection.
“I feel a lot of gratitude and a real sense of hope,” Padia told Vogue after the win, describing the recognition as “extremely validating.”
Operating between Nairobi, Kenya, and Paris, Yoshita 1967 draws on Padia’s Kenyan-Indian heritage. The label’s name honors his family, which migrated from Gujarat, India, to Nyeri, Kenya, more than a century ago. Padia studied at La Cambre in Brussels and has spent the past four years training and working with women artisans in Kenya.
Crochet is central to the label’s designs. Its latest collection was made entirely by hand using cotton thread, glass mirrors, and silver-plated bells.
Introduced in 2024, the Savoir-Faire Prize recognizes craftsmanship, innovation, sustainability, and the preservation of artisanal knowledge.
Padia’s achievement adds to the growing representation of African designers in the competition. South African designer Thebe Magugu became the first African designer to win the principal LVMH Prize in 2019. South Africa’s Sindiso Khumalo was a finalist in 2020, and Lukhanyo Mdingi shared the Karl Lagerfeld Prize in 2021.
Belgian designer Julie Kegels won the principal 2026 LVMH Prize, while Chinese designer Zane Li, founder of Lii, received the Karl Lagerfeld Prize.
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