Despite the growing popularity of handcrafted items, Italian craftsmanship is progressively fading away due to a shortage of new talent. The ‘Maestri d’Eccellenza’ award is being introduced by the Crafts of Excellence division of LVMH in collaboration with the Italian luxury fashion business Fendi in an effort to combat this rising trend.
The main goal of this reward structure is to encourage craftsmanship by giving away the award each year to one craftsman or businessman who has been in fashion trading for the last five years and is distinguished for his or her creativity.
Master Craftsman of Excellence Award, the Master of Innovation of Excellence Award, and the Emerging Master Craftsman of Excellence Award are the three main categories that have been made. The entrants can apply until midnight on May 14.
There will be nine finalists chosen by the end of July. In September, Milan will host a winners’ announcement. Each winner will receive 10,000 euros to go towards building their business. They will gain from mentoring sessions led by Fendi professionals in addition to media exposure.
In addition to employing 13,300 people—including 7,000 craftsmen—across 31 facilities and 258 shops, LVMH invests around 100 million euros annually in this nation and indirectly employs another 200,000 people through its network of 5,000 suppliers and subcontractors.
