A new edition of ITS Contest awards emerging fashion talents

Against the backdrop of a spring-bathed Trieste, a breath of fresh air has swept through the city and at the ITS Arcademy, an institution founded by Barbara Franchin in 2002 to support the promises of the fashion industry. For the first time in the history of the Contest, this year's finalists were invited to participate in a one-week residency filled with educational experiences, workshops, and talks in collaboration with the event's jury members. The Contest has been a prestigious opportunity for emerging creatives for over twenty years, having discovered established names in the industry over the years such as Mathieu Blazy, Demna Gvasalia, Nicolas Di Felice, and Richard Quinn. The finalists of the new edition will see their creations presented alongside past works in the exhibition "Born To Create" at ITS Arcademy - Museum of Art in Fashion, Italy's first museum of contemporary fashion. This weekend, in front of a jury composed of renowned creatives and entrepreneurs such as Carlo Capasa, Matteo Ward, Odunayo Ojo, Orsola De Castro, Sara Maino, Valerie Steele, and Stefano Gallici, the winner was announced as Japanese designer Momoka Sato, whose collection "Utopia on the mountaintop" managed to touch the hearts of all present.

Richard Farbey

Clementine Baldo

Chelsea Jean Lamm

Amina Galal

Marcel Sommer

Ivan Delogu

Tomohiro Shibuki

Tomohiro Shibuki

Ju Bao

Yuxi Sun

Wanqi Guang

Xiaoyue Liu

Yu Chen Fanrui Sun

Ivan Delogu

Alongside the ITS Arcademy Award, the prize worth €15,000 awarded to Momoka Sato, the institution has prepared other awards based on the competing collections, as well as the projects realized by the finalists during their residency in Trieste. Testing their creativity in various fields, from sportswear to textile art, the creatives were able to expand their knowledge through experimental workshops dedicated to sustainability and innovation. For Barbara Franchin, the founder of the contest, the new generation of creatives can «use art as a weapon. Aware of the dangers of contemporary society, these young people feel the need for protection; they explore rituals and folklore traditions that reveal a spiritual journey into the depths of the self, consider craftsmanship as a tool, talk about cultural inclusivity through the prism of immigration, integration, gender, political, and class issues. It's a new beginning, rooted in unprecedented awareness.» Born with the aim of supporting deserving fashion talents throughout their careers, ITS Arcademy represents a launchpad and a cornerstone to rely on, both for professional and personal growth. «ITS Contest is above all a great family,» adds Franchin.

Within the halls of ITS Arcademy is now not only "Born To Create," the exhibition accessible until January 6th where visitors can express their preference to vote for the winner of a €5,000 prize, the ITS Public’s Choice Award, but also a new exhibition project directed by curator Olivier Saillard and philosopher Emanuele Coccia. Titled "The Many Lives of a Dress". The exhibition tells the sensational and profound impact that clothes have on our lives, how they evolve with us, and how sometimes they are left behind in favor of the new. An emotional journey that explores personal themes such as abandonment and change, presenting garments selected from the ITS Collection as well as some dresses donated by artists Charlotte Rampling and Tilda Swinton.

The works of the finalists and winners of the ITS Contest will be exhibited as part of the "Born to Create" exhibition, scheduled from March 28, 2024, to January 6, 2025, at ITS Arcademy - Museum of Art in Fashion, which will run concurrently with "The Many Lives of a Dress," curated by Olivier Saillard and Emanuele Coccia.