Stefan Cooke wins 2018 H&M Design Award

Upcoming fashion designer Stefan Cooke has been crowned with the prestigious 2018 H&M Design Award at a ceremony in London. He follows in the footsteps of 2017 H&M Design Award winner, Richard Quinn.

Since 2012, the H&M Design Award has been helping young fashion designers starting out in the business to kick-starting their careers. The 2018 award has been won by rising talent Stefan Cooke, a graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, who specializes in men's ready-to-wear.

Thanks to the award, Stefan Cooke will receive up to €50,000 in prize money, which could allow him to launch his own label in the coming months. He will also have the chance to develop a ready-to-wear collection in partnership with the Swedish clothing giant.

"It was really tough to come to a decision, but everybody on the jury panel agreed that Stefan's collection felt really fresh, innovative and well-executed. You were immediately drawn to each of the pieces, becoming more and more curious about the processes involved. He's such a clever person and very driven, but at the same time, a really humble person. We're all so happy for him," said Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M's creative advisor and chair of the award jury.

Richard Quinn, who won last year's H&M Design Award, launched his own collection in collaboration with H&M in October.