New Crafts Awards: Accor & FHCM Unveil a New Initiative for Emerging Talent

Accor and the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) have launched the first edition of the New Crafts Awards, an initiative celebrating emerging design talent and highlighting the role hospitality can play as a platform for culture, creativity, and savoir-faire. For this inaugural edition, Dutch designer Peet Dullaert has been named laureate and will collaborate with Swissôtel, one of the Group's premium brands.

Launched in 2024, the cultural partnership between Accor and the FHCM, an organization bringing together a hundred French and international design Houses selected for their creativity and unique savoir-faire, reflects shared values of excellence, innovation, and support for creation. Through this collaboration, Accor reinforces its ambition to make hospitality a vibrant space where cultural experiences can connect communities, inspire curiosity, and elevate talent.

By embedding artistic discovery into the hospitality experience, Accor reinforces its role as a patron of culture and a catalyst for the next generation of talent.

Reflecting the Group’s commitment to culture, heritage, and talent – and its ambition to create experiences that broaden perspectives and bring people together – the New Crafts Awards are conceived to support emerging creators each year and celebrate creative craftsmanship through the FHCM SPHERE program.

For this inaugural edition, Swissôtel, was associated with the awards, with an international selection process involving invited emerging brands, a shortlist of finalists, and a jury composed of experts from Accor and the FHCM.

Swissôtel invited designers, whose brands showcase their collections during the Official Paris Fashion Week® and Haute Couture Week Calendars, to respond to a creative brief, proposing an iconic object or artwork embodying the brand’s founding values.

For this first edition of the New Crafts Awards, the jury of experts from Accor and the FHCM recognized four emerging talents – one laureate, Peet Dullaert, and three finalists: EGONLAB, Julie de Libran, and Kartik Research.

As laureate, Peet Dullaert will receive a financial endowment to help accelerate the development of his brand, as well as access to Accor’s expansive ecosystem in Europe, a powerful social elevator designed to help creators flourish on an international scale, along with the opportunity to stay across the Group’s hotel network.

Over an 18-month period, the laureate and finalists will also be associated with selected initiatives linked to Accor and Swissôtel, such as inspirational talks, conferences or seminars both for Accor team members and members of ALL Accor, the Group’s booking platform and loyalty program.

As part of the partnership, ALL Accor, the Group’s booking platform and loyalty program, will offer members privileged access to selected fashion and cultural moments.

During Paris Haute Couture Week, a curated selection of seats for Peet Dullaert’s runway presentation were reserved exclusively for ALL Accor members, creating rare access to the world of haute couture through cultural discovery and experience.

Through the New Crafts Awards, Accor continues to build bridges between hospitality, design, and culture – supporting a new generation of creators while enriching guest and member experience.