ITS 2014 in the starting blocks

This year’s ITS (International Talent Support), the competition that rewards young talents in the categories of fashion, accessories and jewelry, is looking very promising. Forty aspiring designers have been selected from among 1,200 entries from 80 countries - anywhere from Argentina to Zimbabwe. They will now meet on July 11 and 12 in Trieste for the main event.

10 candidates are in the running for each category. Besides awards for fashion, accessories and jewelry - respectively Sponsored by Diesel, YKK and Swarovski, the main partners of the event - this year will also include a category for artwork, sponsored by Swatch.

With this new competition area, organizers aim to highlight the artistic vision of young designers, who have been tasked with presenting their individual take on the Swiss watch brand.

The finalists - selected following a marathon-long process carried out at innumerable fashion schools - will arrive from the four corners of the world, but especially from Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan) and Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Great Britain, Estonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Norway).

Noteworthy is the presence of the French designer Stéphanie Van Zwam, who was selected in the jewelry category, and the Italian Burlina Virginia for the artwork category. The finalists also include a Colombian, an Icelander and three Israelis.

As in previous years, the jury will be composed of well-known personalities from the world of fashion and design. Those participating include, among others, Consuelo Castiglioni (Marni), Nicola Formichetti (Diesel), Jane Reeve (the Italian Camera della Moda), the designers Nicholas Kirkwood and Manish Arora, and the singer Mika.

A must-see international event focused on design as well an exciting platform for new talent, ITS was founded fourteen years ago by Barbara Franchin, who manages the contest through her company Eve. The event, which is totally independent, is funded solely through the support of sponsors.

A long-time partner of the contest, Diesel has supported ITS from its inception with the Diesel prize for fashion, worth 25,000 euros. In total, the prizes awarded this year will amount to nearly 100,000 euros.

ITS’ theme this year is "Lucid dreams". "Through the dream, a realm that still today engages scientific research with constantly new challenges, we express our daily lives, our unconscious fears, inner changes and desires," say ITS 2014’s organizers, inviting participants to immerse themselves in “lucid dreams”, while warning: “Just be careful not to wake up." In other words, keep on daydreaming at ITS!

ITS 2014 in the starting blocks

See also