Yu Chen has become the first Chinese designer to win the top prize at the Villa Noailles fashion festival in Hyères, southern France. A jury led by Chemena Kamali, creative director of Chloé, gave her the Grand Prix at the festival's 41st edition, which ran from 15 to 18 October 2026. Her collection "Food Cover" starts from a food cover, the dome used to keep dishes warm.

Chen was born in 2000 and studied at Parsons Paris. She studied sculpture before turning to fashion, said Hugo Lucchino, director of Villa Noailles. He said the jury's choice was almost unanimous and the prize went to a vision "that brings joy with it".

Chen takes the structure of the food cover and turns it into three-dimensional clothes. Her nightgowns and shirts have exaggerated volumes, sheer layers and foldable shapes. There is also a coat trimmed with ribbons of recycled leather, as well as protective headpieces. The collection is unisex and in pastel colours. Kamali praised its "conceptual clarity, technical novelty and emotional expression".

Before they appeared in front of the jury, each of the ten finalists made a collection with a workshop at Le 19M, which houses Chanel's craft houses. The finalists come from different countries. Chen is one of two of Chinese origin, along with Xiao Xu.

The prize is a package of money and services. The clearest part is a €20,000 grant from Chanel for a joint project with the Le 19M houses, which Chen must carry out. The Watou group gives €50,000 in support. Some sources call it a creative grant, while others describe it as funding for photo and video production, so the exact form of the aid is unclear.

She also gets €20,000 for fabric finishing from Serge and Les Teintures de France, and €6,000 of fabrics from Sfate & Combier and Guigo. The European Flax and Hemp Alliance also helps. The Arrow and Sterling International provide a year of mentoring. Madame Figaro will run a feature.

The euro amounts listed add up to more than €90,000, but some of that is services and materials, and the value of the help from the Flax Alliance is not given.

Five of the ten finalists won awards. The Le 19M and Chanel prize for craft collaboration, worth €20,000, went to Dieter Vlasich Oberman (Mexico and Germany) for the collection "Tiliches". Rachel Luursen won the L'Atelier de Matière prize for recycled materials, worth €10,000, and Xiao Xu received the Supima prize, which includes a trip to New York. Brice Albor Rodriguez received a special mention and the audience prize.

Women lead all three of the jury's categories this year: Kamali for fashion, Camille Vivier for photography and Cécile Baansen for accessories. The exhibitions of the finalists and winners at Villa Noailles stay open until 28 February 2027.