ITS announces an intense 15th edition

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Apr 1, 2016

The International Talent Support event (ITS) has announced a vibrant programme for its 15th edition, with utopia at its heart. 'Utopia' is in fact the theme chosen for the international competition for young designers, dedicated to fashion, jewellery and accessories. Managed by Barbara Franchin, the event will be held in Trieste, Italy, on 15th and 16th July 2016.

"15 years of research, passion and determination. Above all, 15 years of Utopia. It is truly utopia that led the ITS team from its inception to create a seismograph, the only one of its kind, which has been recording for 15 years, on a planetary scale, the creative waves coming from thousands of young designers from more than one thousand academies and over 80 countries," the organisers explained in a press release.

Since 2000, ITS has shone a spotlight on innumerable young talents, who have then emerged in the fashion world, from Demna Gvasalia, Creative Director at Balenciaga, to Katy Reiss, Art Director and Senior Stylist at Lanvin, Courtney McWilliams, Design Director at Givenchy, and Heikki Salonen, designer for the Maison Margiela, to name but a few.

For the 2016 edition, the deadline for applications was 21st March. The next step is scheduled for the end of April, with the announcement of the ten finalists selected in each of four categories: apparel, accessories, jewellery and artwork, dedicated to "the development of purely artistic concepts." The four categories are sponsored respectively by OTB, Ykk, Swarovski and Swatch, the event's main partners.

Among the personalities featured in the four juries and worthy of a mention, there will be for the first time Marie-Claire Daveu, Kering's Director of Sustainable Development, and fashion designer Iris Van Herpen.

Also among the jury members this year, Carlo Capasa, the President of the Camera della Moda (CNMI), the Italian fashion chamber, Diesel's Creative Director Nicola Formichetti and Demna Gvasalia.