ITS Contest 2023/2024: the winners

ITS Contest 2023/2024 announced its winners. Last March 22nd, in Trieste, the prestigious jury of the competition which for over twenty years has intercepted the most interesting emerging designers of fashion, accessories and jewellery, awarded the young creatives selected after a careful evaluation of the projects.

At the jury's table, designers, curators, talent scouts, journalists and professionals, established talents and experts in the sector, with many of whom, all the finalists, chosen from 782 candidates from 65 countries, were able to compare thanks to theITS Residency Award, a real experimental laboratory in the spaces of ITS Arcademy – Museum of Art in Fashion. Among the famous names we find: Demna, Creative Director of Balenciaga, Justin Smith and Thomasine Barnekow, rising stars of accessory design in high fashion and costumes for music, film, and TV, the Moncler designer Sergio Zambon, the former winner of the ITS Contest, the Japanese Teppei Sugaya, the celebrity stylist Tom Eerebout, and Sara Sozzani Maino, Orsola de Castro and Matteo Ward, who, together, addressed the topic of sustainability in its complexities.

The works of the finalists and winners will be exhibited as part of the exhibition Born to Createscheduled from 28 March 2024 to 6 January 2025 at ITS Arcademy – Museum of Art in Fashion, il first museum of contemporary fashion in Italy, which will keep them in its permanent collection. At the end of the exhibition a further prize will be awarded based on the preferences of the visiting public: this is theITS Public's Choice Award, worth €5,000.

The exhibition Born to Create will take place simultaneously with The many lives of a dress, the second collaboration between ITS and the curator Olivier Saillard who, in dialogue with the philosopher Emanuele Coccia, explores our relationship with clothes, from the wardrobe to the museum exhibition, through garments selected from the ITS Collection and presenting, among others, some kindly loaned by Charlotte Rampling and Tilda Swinton. The exhibition enjoys the patronage of the Ministry of Culture.

The winners

• ITS Arcademy Award – €15,000 to the most creative, innovative and socially responsible finalist project.

Momoka Sato – Japan

«Momoka Sato's collection demonstrates a clear sense of identity, craftsmanship and appreciation for tradition. In addition, sustainability aspects were highlighted that can be incorporated into consciously made clothing that educates consumers. The presentation of the portfolio was also impeccable.»

• ITS Jury Special Award – €5,000 awarded at the discretion of the ITS Contest jury to a fashion, accessories, jewelery or artwork finalist.

Ex aequo:

Ju Bao – China

«Ju Bao's knitting technique, which uses programming to create the optical illusion of denim, is both innovative and representative of possible alternatives to traditional denim.»

Richard Farbey – United Kingdom

«Richard Farbey has demonstrated a strong narrative ability through his jewels, which is quite unusual. It represents an excellent case study for accessories that go beyond the simple product.»

• ITS Fashion Film Award – €3,000 awarded by ITS to the best fashion film, chosen from all those registered in the ITS Contest.

Amina Galal – Egypt

«We selected Amina Galal as the winner of the fashion film selection because we found that all the elements necessary to obtain a beautiful work were put together in perfect balance. The direction, photography, editing, music, story, styling and casting worked together very well, resulting in a modern, engaging and cool video, leaving the audience eager to discover more about the brand . The film managed to create a bridge between worlds and cultures, showing the collection as part of the story in a very organic way.”

Special mentions:
Takayuki Miyazaki – Japan Daniel Bosco – Canada

• ITS Digital Fashion Award – €3,000 awarded by ITS to the best digital fashion project, chosen among all those registered in the ITS Contest.

Yu Chen and Fanrui Sun – China

«This work challenges the boundaries between humans and machines and explores the concept of “post-gender identity” in a world where technology and humanity merge. The fusion of fashion, motion capture and CGI makes this project a dynamic and inspiring experience. The idea of ​​a “post-gender utopia” and “seven-day rituals” for pure cognition is a bold and liberating concept. What struck us most is the great visual language of this piece. It's not just about digital fashion; it is an engaging journey into a future where identity knows no limits.»

Special mention: Mieko Tsuboi – Japan

• GO! 2025 Borderless Award powered by Regione FVG – €10,000 and exposure in a dedicated exhibition, in the spaces of ITS Arcademy – Museum of Art in Fashion.

Tomohiro Shibuki – Japan

«For the ability to create forms of fashion that simultaneously embody more than one identity without separating one from the other. His silhouettes no longer serve to reduce a body to a specific category, but to transform it into a public square where all lives can meet. Tomohiro's fashion becomes a tool thanks to which a body condenses in itself more than one gender, more than one age, more than one culture. It is in this intuition, of great formal as well as speculative rigor, that the dress seemed to respond perfectly to the idea of ​​Borderless.»

• ITS Artwork Award powered by Swatch Art Peace Hotel – €10,000 awarded by Swatch Art Peace Hotel, choosing from all the participants in the ITS Contest.

Ex aequo:

Chelsea Jean Lamm – Germany

«Chelsea's artwork combines elements of nature with the ambitious goal of creating a surreal, fascinating, intriguing and imaginative landscape – in the form of a human being. What an exciting adventure to immerse yourself in her visual environment trying to identify each element while being overwhelmed by it all – and what a thrilling surprise to discover the origin of it all, beautifully executed in gothic calligraphy, taking us into yet another dimension. A perfect balance with powerful energy.»

Ivan Delogu – Italy

«We were fascinated by Ivan's ability to tell an emotional, deeply rooted story with intensity, passion and relevance to the present. His love for tradition and craftsmanship, as well as his personal relationship with the environment he represents through his work, are inspiring, contemporary and utterly pure. In the work he created he merges the hard, material and historical side of the tools with the soft, handmade, light side of crocheted wool: a duality that speaks with consideration of the local culture. »

• ITS Special Mention powered by Vogue Eyewear part of EssilorLuxottica – €5,000 awarded by Vogue Eyewear part of EssilorLuxottica to the most deserving project, chosen by all those registered in the ITS Contest.

Xiaoyue Liu – China

«We chose Xiaoyue for her innovative and creative approach to a specific need, which she translated into a project that emphasizes the role of eyeglasses as a design element. The approach centered on personal expression aligns with the tone of voice of Vogue Eyewear, highlighting the role of glasses as a tool for personal expression, allowing everyone to tell their own story.»

• ITS Sportswear Award powered by Lotto Sport – €3,000, €2,000 and €1,000 awarded by Lotto Sport to three winners who developed a sneaker project.

1. Clémentine Baldo – France

«Clémentine Baldo has expertly translated her footwear project without losing the strength of its social message and the aesthetic impact of the original collection. Respect for the values ​​of our brand merges with the designer's stylistic exploration and her ability to deconstruct and reconstruct one of our models, providing new functional uses for the various elements that make up the upper. In this project, Clementine channels all of her creativity and technical expertise into sustainability, breathing new life into recovered materials or existing parts of the upper.»

2. Ivan Delogu – Italy
3. Tomohiro Shibuki – Japan

• ITS Challenge The Status Quo Award powered by WRÅD – An award for ethical and innovative design projects because they are the result of critical research on the role that clothing can have today. Redesigning the function of a dress has a key role in ensuring the sustainability of life on Earth; an exciting opportunity to visit some of the world's most innovative companies.

Tomohiro Shibuki – Japan

«Through his works, Tomohiro has brought a new aesthetic vision and intent to the techniques of creative reuse and recycling. A perspective that can help share new patterns and indicate new operating methods for a new generation of designers.»

• ITS Responsible Creativity Award powered by CNMI – €5,000 awarded by CNMI – National Chamber of Italian Fashion, choosing from all the participants in the ITS Contest.

Ivan Delogu – Italy

«The strength and uniqueness that Ivan explores in regeneration, cultural heritage and social responsibility through fashion represent fundamental pillars. Today more than ever, highlighting craftsmanship and cultural heritage is a social responsibility. Ivan brings the culture of the past into the present and evolves it for the future.”

• ITS Accessories Award powered by Fondazione Ferragamo – €5,000 and a collaboration with one of Ferragamo's creative offices, assigned to one of the accessories projects entered in the ITS Contest.

Yuxi Sun – China

«For its ability to connect footwear not only with the postural positions of those who wear them, but also with their emotional states. Yuxi Sun's footwear has been entirely developed to be functional for movement and explores the anthropological aspect of the position itself. The designer has also demonstrated a strong inclination for the aesthetic and imaginative aspect of footwear, considering them an artistic and creative object.»

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• ITS Special Mention powered by PITTI Immagine Tutoring & Consulting – A 6-month mentorship by the Tutoring & Consulting Department of PITTI Immagine.

Marcel Sommer – Germany

«Inspired by the interplay between light and shadow, Marcel embarked on a transformative exploration, translating the essence of brutalism into a striking series of garments that challenge convention and redefine elegance.»

• ITS Special Mention powered by Fondazione Sozzani – The winner will be a guest of the Sozzani Foundation with a photographic exhibition.

Wanqi Huang – China

«The project was chosen for its very natural representation of sexuality and femininity. The images reflect women's bodies in an intimate way, respecting their shapes and movements. This is a photographic narrative about a cultural perspective of the body, sexuality, beauty seen through the eyes of the Chinese people. Leafing through the pages of Wanqi Huang's series, you connect with the feelings, desires, fears and loneliness of the young generations in China. With her nude photos, Wanqi invites her society to address this topic, showing them the beauty, elegance, fragility and poetry of the female body. »

«It is a generation of creatives who observe themselves and reality with a critical eye and clarity, leaving their individual dimension and treating it as an object, not a subject, using art as a weapon», he notes Barbara Franchin, founder of the contest. «Aware of the dangers of contemporary society, these kids feel the need for protection; they explore rituals and folklore traditions that reveal a spiritual journey into the depths of the self, they consider craftsmanship as a tool, they talk about cultural inclusiveness through the prism of immigration, integration, gender, political and class issues. It is a new beginning, rooted in unprecedented awareness.» he adds.