Designing The Future: Meet the Winners of Louis Vuitton′s Accessories Design Graduates Initiative 2024
The Louis Vuitton Accessories Design Graduates Initiative (ADGI) is a competition celebrating the innovation and creativity of the next generation of design students. Open to final-year BA and MA students from a selection of top-tier universities across the world, winners are offered the opportunity to join the House’s design métiers. Currently working within the House, the three finalists of ADGI 2024, John, Kao, and Nassim, reflect on how the competition has accelerated their professional development.
From left to right: Kao, John and Nassim:
Three multidisciplinary talents, one shared passion for creative expression
Encouraging applications across diverse creative disciplines, the ADGI seeks pioneers with innovative ideas about design, craftsmanship, and sustainability. For John, an industrial designer from Cincinnati, joining Louis Vuitton is a once-in-a-lifetime chance: "I wanted to pursue a role where objects are treated as applied art, with more freedom for creative expression”. This resonates with American-Japanese competition winner Kao, a trained architect with international experience, who finds that accessories design offers the opportunity to translate ideas about space and structure to a more tangible scale. Third laureate Nassim, a recent graduate in Product Design and Management in France, reflects that focusing on accessories represents the perfect blend of technicality and creativity.
Development accelerated: learning from the House’s experts
Since winning the competition, the three next-generation designers have joined different product teams where they are developing their skills. Kao is working with the Women’s Leather Goods team, contributing to collection designs that ultimately appear in Louis Vuitton Shows. "The pace is incredibly fast, with collections coming together in just a few months," she marvels, "but it’s exciting to see how all the details, right down to the hardware, come together.”
For John, his experience working with soft travel product experts has shown him the importance of teamwork to collectively deliver the House’s ambitious objectives. "I’ve learned how crucial collaboration is," he reflects. "From sourcing to ateliers to marketing, every element has to align to create something extraordinary."
The graduates have gained invaluable experience from their immersion in the design teams, being involved in each step of product development. "The diversity of projects has given me a holistic view of the design process," states Nassim, who is working with trunks, travel accessories, and gifting teams. His role has helped him strengthen expertise ranging from technical drawing to advising on special orders.
As the second edition launches, the inaugural winners offer advice for aspiring participants. "Show what makes you unique," advises Kao, "think about how your personal story can add something new." John emphasizes the importance of storytelling, encouraging candidates to create a cohesive narrative, combining their creative values with Louis Vuitton’s heritage. Finally, Nassim invites applicants to embrace boldness, disrupting expectations: “The House has strong traditions, but creativity comes from challenging those boundaries. Break the codes!”
Applications for the ADGI 2025 competition are now open. Shape the future of accessories design and apply now.