Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris

A leading figure in design in France and internationally, Mathieu Lehanneur has received numerous awards for his furniture, art installations, and innovative solutions created to improve our daily lives.
His creations, exhibited in major museums around the world, bring together art, design, science, and technology. He recently made a lasting impression with the Olympic cauldron for the Paris 2024 Games, which will return to the Tuileries every summer until 2028.

What do the City of Paris's Grands Prix de la Création (
wards) mean to you?

It reminds me of a city's sincere and lasting support for its creators. I see an award as a benevolent umbrella and a promising springboard.

What does the presidency of the Grands Prix de la Création mean to you?

In 2005, my mind full of doubts and ambition, I entered the Grand Prix de la Création competition. Miraculously, I won.
Twenty years later, here I am as president. My doubts and ambitions remain the same, but I think I will always prefer being a candidate. Between those who create and those who judge, I will always choose the former.

What do you expect from candidates for the Engagement Award and the Revelation Award?

Above all, I expect their work to speak to the present day. Their knowledge of the past or their vision of the future must never overshadow the goal of proposing solutions for our present.
I also expect them to impress and move me with their intelligence, humility, and perseverance. Finally, I expect them to make me jealous. Jealous of the things they have created that I would never have thought of. I want to say to myself: Wow, they're so talented.

Born in France to a Danish mother and Italian father, Vanessa Bruno grew up in the world of fashion. At the age of 25, she founded her eponymous brand and created the sequined Cabas bag, which cemented her status as an icon of Parisian bohemian fashion. Available in a multitude of styles and colors, it is the essential accessory for the free and modern woman who is liberated from convention. Since then, she has continued to pursue her philosophy of "sophisticated simplicity" in order to make "easy clothes for difficult women." Her influence extends beyond Paris, with more than 380 points of sale in France and around the world.

What do the City of Paris's Grands Prix de la Création (
wards) mean to you?

It is an honor and a great responsibility. Being president means taking a benevolent but demanding look at new talent. It is also a way for me to give back what Paris and fashion have given me: an environment conducive to creativity, made up of encounters and encouragement that help us grow as designers and can reveal our true potential.

What does the presidency of the Grands Prix de la Création mean to you?

In 2005, my mind full of doubts and ambition, I entered the Grand Prix de la Création competition. Miraculously, I won.
Twenty years later, here I am as president. My doubts and ambitions remain the same, but I think I will always prefer being a candidate. Between those who create and those who judge, I will always choose the former.

What do you expect from candidates for the Engagement Award and the Revelation Award?

I expect candidates to make me feel something, to stir my emotions. I expect candidates to show what drives them deep down, and to demonstrate expertise while combining a unique and sincere creative vision.

Grégoire Scalabre is a French ceramicist and sculptor. Trained from adolescence, he first explored pottery wheel throwing and utilitarian forms, before moving away from this to develop a sculptural approach. His residency at the Manufacture de Sèvres (2010-2013) marked a turning point: there he designed "Astrée," his first monumental work based on accumulation. Since then, he has exhibited in major venues such as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Musée National de Sèvres. In 2022, he received the "Intelligence de la Main" award for "Thétis."

What do the City of Paris's Grands Prix de la Création (
wards) mean to you?

The City of Paris Creation Awards represent true recognition for the winning artists. This event showcases new talent and serves as a springboard, offering visibility and highlighting exceptional skills, innovative approaches, responsible initiatives, and sometimes surprising ideas.
It is a supportive environment where a spirit of community encourages dialogue. In addition to highlighting creative skills and approaches, it promotes enriching encounters and exchanges between actors from diverse backgrounds, thus creating a dynamic of sharing and mutual support that is invaluable for the development of their profession.

What does the presidency of the Grands Prix de la Création mean to you?

As a ceramic artist, I am very proud to have been appointed president of the jury and to represent the arts and crafts section of the Grands Prix de la Création. I am also delighted to be able to contribute my very contemporary vision of the skills and techniques that, in my opinion, should be fully at the service of art and creativity. It is with this in mind that I have assembled my jury.
Being president of the jury also means taking on a real responsibility. This award is not only a reward, but a commitment to support and promote the work of artists, creators, and artisans. It is a form of support that brings both recognition and opportunities.

What do you expect from candidates for the Engagement Award and the Revelation Award?

The jury will focus on technical mastery, creativity, and craftsmanship, and we will pay particular attention to each designer's unique identity. Each designer has a unique universe, a singular journey that is reflected in their creations.
Above all, I hope to discover true vocations, journeys shaped by passion: a singular artistic approach, striking originality, intense creative energy, an extraordinary approach, sensitivity to the current world...
The Revelation Prize is a wonderful opportunity to reveal promising talents who are capable of surprising us and offering a new vision.
What makes the arts and crafts so beautiful is the freedom they offer: the freedom to express oneself fully, without being constrained by techniques, but rather by mastering them to create an artistic language, an extension of oneself.
For the Engagement Award, I am looking for an original and creative approach that combines innovation and research and can respond to the current challenges facing the world.
Above all, these awards are an encouragement, a boost for those who dare to express their vision, enrich the world, and share their expertise.

Constance Guisset founded her studio specializing in design, interior architecture and scenography in 2009. Her work is marked by a search for balance between ergonomics, delicacy and imagination. Her objects are all attempts to explore the embodiment of movement through lightness or surprise, while defending a demand for comfort and welcome for bodies and their gestures.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris mean to you?

A great opportunity. It was an honor to receive one. I was awarded the "Débutant" prize, as it was called at the time. I was a complete beginner, with the desire to take on the world. It came at just the right time.

What does it mean to you to be president of the Grands Prix de la Création?

It's very moving for me to become president of the jury 15 years after winning the prize. It gives you an idea of how far we've come. I also remember very well the moment I received the prize, and how important it was for me. I'd played a bit with the rules, showing more than was allowed. It encouraged me to keep on stepping sideways.

What do you expect from the candidates for the Prix Engagement and Prix Révélation?

To be surprised!

One of the spearheads of the Parisian fashion scene, Stéphane Ashpool has been behind a host of initiatives. For his most famous coup, Stéphane is the founder of the "Pigalle" fashion label, celebrated locally and respected worldwide. He has also created some of the most important cultural gatherings of our time. More recently, "Jazzpool" has brought a much-needed burst of energy and youthfulness to the European jazz scene.
Stéphane Ashpool has also long been a pillar of the capital's sports scene, constantly pushing the boundaries of creativity in this field and fostering its intersection with fashion, culture and art to bring crowds together. Also a social activist, Stéphane uses his affinity for sport and proximity to athletes to offer young people in his neighborhood a different and varied experience, participating in fashion shows, venues and events.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris mean to you?

The Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris mean to me an essential opportunity for people starting out. It's a springboard. I'm delighted that such awards exist.

What does chairing the Grands Prix de la Création mean to you?

I'm committed to taking this role seriously, and I look forward to seeing what the candidates come up with.

What do you expect of the candidates for the Prix Engagement and Prix Révélation?

Iexpect candidates to be disciplined, to give their best, to stand out for their originality, and to present projects without limits.

Chloé Nègre is an interior designer who graduated from the Ecole Camondo in 2007, a benchmark school in the interior design sector. Nourished by these experiences and the desire to develop her own language, Chloé Nègre opened her own design studio, where she creates spaces attentive to the world that inhabits them, inspired by her singular experiences and a know-how nourished by naturalness and joy. Her passion for handicrafts, her travels and her singular outlook nourish her first projects, for which she designs spaces with particular identities. Her work reflects the fruit of encounters, the history of a place, realized with precise and daring technical rigor.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris mean to you?

The Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris evoke for me a tribute to innovation, creativity and excellence in the fields of design, fashion and craftsmanship.
They represent a unique opportunity to spotlight emerging talent as well as established professionals who contribute to the preservation of know-how and the cultural influence of Paris and France.
These awards also embody the City of Paris' commitment to supporting and promoting the creative industries. They are also an opportunity to highlight the long-term work done to support young professionals in the Ateliers de la Ville de Paris.

What does the presidency of the Grands Prix de la Création mean to you?

For me, the presidency of the Grands Prix de la Création is both an honor and a significant responsibility. It's an opportunity to actively contribute to the recognition and celebration of innovation and talent in our fields.
For me, the composition of the jury is an opportunity to forge links between emerging talents and established professionals.
Itis also an opportunity to highlight the values I uphold on a daily basis, by surrounding myself with committed and caring professionals.
I also hope that this jury will inspire the next generation to get involved in these exciting creative professions.

What do you expect from the candidates for the Prix Engagement and the Prix Révélation?

Prix Engagement: A practice in awareness of the world around us.
Prix Révélation: the reward for passionate work that highlights innovative or revisited know-how.

Inga Sempé is a French designer. She graduated in 1993 fromEnsci-Les Ateliers (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle in Paris). Former resident of the Villa Medici (French Academy) in Rome, from 2000 to 2001, she then founded her agency in Paris and received in 2002 the Grand Prix du design de la Ville de Paris. She began collaborating with the Italian companies Cappellini and Edra. These were followed by other French, Japanese, Italian and Scandinavian companies such as HAY, Ligne Roset, Wästberg, Magis, Alessi, Iittala, Mutina, Røros, Moustache... She lives and works in Paris.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris, which are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, mean to you?

A huge chance, a support and a recognition that really help because you can be a little recognized in this profession and have a lot of material difficulties at the same time. I still remember the 8,000 euros I won when I won this great design prize, they made my work easier for many months.

What do you expect from the candidates for the Grand Prize and the Emerging Talent Award?

That they like quality objects, that they combine techniques and particular aesthetics and have a vision of series designer.

A visionary designer, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac anticipated what is now the basis of new design: art and fashion, upcycling and the use of pop culture icons in fashion (cartoons and logos). He was also at the origin of the concept of collaborations with brands. Passionate about heraldry, the science of coats of arms, vexillology, the science of flags, semiotics, the study of signs, pop art and the world of childhood, his art and fashion bring together these dualities: the epic, the historical, the traditional and the alternative, the underground and the experimental. He has collaborated with many artists including Keith Haring, Lady Gaga, Robert Mapplethorpe and Pedro Winter. His artistic universe is declined around a short chromatic range, blue, yellow, red of which one of the most beautiful representations was to dress the Pope John Paul II, the bishops and the priests for the World Youth Days of 1997. His art is also expressed through installations, street art with chalk, drawings and paintings.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris, which are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, mean to you?

They are essential. Revealing the creators of tomorrow is a strong contribution to the development of art as a social cement. What would Paris be without its artists who inscribe their works in each step of the capital?

What does the presidency of the Grands Prix de la Création mean to you?

Presiding means guiding, harmonizing, federating and instilling the luminous shadow of the final choice that will reveal the chosen talent.

Isabelle Stanislas studied at the public architecture unit in Paris. In 2003, Isabelle Stanislas set up her agency in which she developed artistic concepts, ephemeral scenographies for Hermès or Cartier, apartments and houses in Paris and abroad. In 2015, she started to exhibit regularly at AD Intérieurs and AD Collections. These exhibitions are grounds for research and novelties. She exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Musée de la Monnaie de Paris, the Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, the Palais D'Iéna, the Hôtel de la Marine, and the Musée d'Art Moderne, as well as in Rome at the French Embassy in Italy. She creates furniture with the Pouenat house, the Nilufar gallery and the BSL gallery. She pushes her field of presentation to events such as the cabinet of curiosities of Thomas Erber and the Salone del Mobile in Milan. While continuing Parisian apartments, houses, showrooms, hotels and her furniture design, Isabelle Stanislas works to combine photography, contemporary art, fashion, design and architecture breaking the boundaries between these disciplines. In 2018, she redesigned and decorated the party room of the Elysee Palace following a selection and competition orchestrated by the Mobilier National.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris, which are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, mean to you?

Since 1993, this award has encouraged the development of artistic and cultural activities in Paris. This may seem obvious today, yet there were few awards on the subject at the time. In 30 years, Paris has become a city that cannot be ignored: design, fashion and arts and crafts are and do make Paris. This prize is a real springboard for young creation! The fact that it is celebrating its 30th anniversary is a testament to its impact and contribution to the creative industry.

What do you expect from the candidates for the Grand Prize and the Emerging Talent Award?

The issues are different from those I experienced during my architectural studies. Ecology, well-being - or how to improve your habitat. Do less but better. I am curious to see how these new laureates translate these subjects into their creations.

What do you expect from candidates for the Grand Prix and the Emerging Talent Prize?
A total investment in environmental and/or societal issues, plastic and technical qualities.

A graduate of ENSAAMA in Paris, winner of the Villa Médicis hors les murs in 2003, of the Grand Prix du Design de Paris in 2004, of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs competition, and Creator of the Year at the Salon du Meuble-Paris in 2009, François Azambourg devotes his work to the alliance of techniques and art specific to the applied arts. His work, which is essentially focused on the search for lightness and economy of materials, has led to numerous patents and awards. His creations have been included in the collections of the FNAC, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Centre Pompidou.

Christine Phung is a French fashion designer and artistic director, who works with some of the biggest names in fashion. She won the Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris in 2011 and the "Premières Collections" prize from ANDAM in 2013. These stepping stones allowed her to develop her own creative universe with geometric, organic or architectural forms and crossed by the art of the motif. Through her drawings and her singular look at her surroundings, Christine Phung shapes her vision of fashion: "a perfect meeting of multiple skills" and of clothes: "a second skin chosen to present oneself to the world". A vibrantly sensitive requirement.

What do the Grands Prix de la Création mean to you?
The Grands Prix de la Création articulate all these dimensions at once: the enthusiasm and energy linked to the discovery of new talents who will enrich our common artistic heritage, the influence of French crafts... They are the symbol of a solidarity and a dynamic around creativity, craftsmanship and know-how. They highlight and animate a community of creators that we all need!

Ludovic Avenel was born in 1984. Trained at the Ecole Boulle, he became known after graduating in 2007 when he was awarded the Bettencourt Schueller prize for the intelligence of the hand.
Since 2008, Ludovic Avenel has been based in the center of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine in Paris. He combines creativity and know-how to create unique pieces or limited series of furniture for international clients. Between an artistic approach and a practice of design methodologies, he is in constant search of beauty in all its forms.