Meet the ‘Asphalt Cowboy’ Who Won The Festival d’Hyeres’ Sustainability Prize

At the vibrant 39th Festival d’Hyères, Mercedes-Benz showcased its unwavering commitment to innovative luxury and responsible design, celebrating the powerful intersection of fashion and automotive creativity. This year’s festival highlighted the fourth edition of the Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Mentorship, an initiative dedicated to nurturing the next wave of fashion talent.

Emerging from a talented group of ten finalists, Logan Monroe Goff clinched the coveted Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize. The decision was made by a distinguished Fashion Jury led by Nicolas Di Felice, Artistic Director at Courrèges, who praised Goff’s impressive ability to weave sustainable practices into his final collection. As part of this accolade, Goff will receive a monetary grant from Mercedes-Benz, setting the stage for his burgeoning career in the fashion world.

The Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Mentorship, skilfully led by sustainable fashion visionaries Orsola de Castro and Tamsin Blanchard of Estethica, aims to equip aspiring designers with the knowledge and resources necessary to build fashion brands grounded in sustainability. 'This year’s group of designers was particularly exhilarating, making our work even more rewarding,' de Castro and Blanchard shared. 'The talent level keeps rising, and we couldn’t be prouder of our cohort and the alumni we’ve guided over the years.'

Now based in Paris, Goff's collection, dubbed 'Asphalt Cowboy', both embraces and redefines the sartorial codes of his home state of Texas. Drawing from his roots, Goff weaves rugged, frontier-inspired elements (big buckles included) with the modern, urban sensibilities of sleek, metropolitan aesthetics. Defined by his use of texture, the collection’s raw materials and supple leathers embody a spirit that’s both rooted in heritage and innovation. We caught up with the designer to break down his award-winning collection.

Joshua Graham: 'What was the initial spark behind your winning collection?'

Logan Monroe Goff: 'When starting this collection ‘Asphalt Cowboy’ I was really into this idea of youth transitioning into the first stage of adulthood. I think it’s a crucial moment where you get to decide your path for your future but also where you have to maintain those youthful qualities that make you who you are.'

‘I grew up around motorcycle culture and now ride one myself today, and tailoring was how I learned the craft of making clothes. For me, I never want to be put in a box, and these two areas of fashion come with very different perceptions, so textile manipulations was where I went about fusing these two worlds together’.

JG: 'Were there any specific cultural, personal or artistic influences that shaped your design process?'

LG: ‘The Marlboro Man meets Iggy Pop (Raw Power era) is the simplest way I can put it. All of the space left between those two things is filled by the garments I created. I’m the original Monroe Madman.’

JG: 'How has your experience at Festival d’Hyeres influenced or changed your approach to fashion?'

LG: 'The entire making of this collection I followed the voice in the back of my head. I consulted with the small set of individuals that make up my team, but learning how the importance of following my gut was the biggest takeaway. Not having external opinions proved to be the key to success for this collection. Doing what is true to me got me here, and the result of the festival reinforces that.'

JG: 'How do you see yourself shaping the future of fashion?'

LG: 'I’m planting seeds in the minds of people, and not only that - I’m giving Texas a break from the stereotypes by giving it a fresh pair of eyes. I’m from a small suburban town, now living in Paris, so I have a viewpoint that can’t be fabricated on what’s cool.'