Mercedes-Benz YFI Award

Mercedes-Benz, in association with Fashion Week by Berns, presents the Young Fashion Industry Award to an emerging young Swedish designer who has not only demonstrated past achievement, but also the potential for future success in fashion. 

The YFI Award hopes not only to identify new design talent, but also to honour these young rising stars. This season, a jury of fashion industry experts at the top of their professions were asked to judge from over 200 entries submitted by a vast number of skilled designers, based on leadership, passion, and vision. From an array of sartorial artists with incredibly varied aesthetic motivations and methods, only the most creative, unique, and memorable designers were chosen as finalists. Of these five finalists, one has been chosen to receive the YFI Award.

The YFI Award covers all the expenses of a runway show on schedule at Fashion Week by Berns, the preeminent showcase event for fashion in Scandinavia. 

Besides being a grand expression of the designer's vision, the fashion show is also the vehicle through which a designer markets each collection to press, buyers, and customers essential for company growth and prosperity. Such an event represents a great opportunity, but also a great expense. A scholarship of sorts, the YFI Award makes it possible for promising design talents to gain the publicity and praise which they so deserve by sponsoring the production of a show on one of the most respected catwalks in Northern Europe.

The award allows the designer to focus on what he does best, perfecting his creative vision in a collection, without it being clouded by practical drudgeries and financial matters.

Today more than ever, fashion demands innovation and is fueled by uncompromising change. Every season, we look for something different, something fresh, something new. We congratulate all the finalists for their successes, and salute them for inspiring us to challenge norms, to seek novel methods of expression, and to distinguish ourselves from the crowd, as they themselves have done.

Helena Quist - the second winner of the YFI Award

Helena Quist

Helena Quist has just finished her second year at the fashion design program at the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås. In her latest project she wanted to build a collage based on different cultural references. 

"I have tried to make a whole out of a lot of small pieces from around the world, with me as the glue that holds it together" says Helena Quist.

This way of trying to find a balance between disorder and harmony is something that always has been important in her work. Before starting her education at the Swedish School of Textiles, she studied Fashion and Arts and Crafts at Steneby, Gamleby and Bäckedahl, which have given her a great foundation to build upon.

Previous Winner Nhu Duong
The First winner of Mercedes-Benz Young Fashion Industry Award was Nhu Duong, graduate of Beckman's College of Design in 2008. She was showcased at Berns for her graduation show in May of 2008 and soon after entered the YFI contest.

This award is sponsord by Mercedes-Benz

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Downloads

   YFI Entry Form (1.03 Mb)