ITS IS BACK. What themes are inspiring the contenders? Barbara Franchin, founder of the international contest, tells it all
Like a phoenix, ITS is rising from the ashes. After declaring the end of the contest, the founder Barbara Franchin now reveals its new course: the 2018 edition of one of the most important fashion platforms dedicated to emerging designers will take place on 27 June in Trieste. The call for applications will be announced this month on itsweb.org and will expire at the end of March. “Our mission is the same as always: to act as a ‘seismograph’ observing how young creativity is changing worldwide,” explains Franchin. “There’ll be a single award instead of different prizes for the Accessories, Fashion and Jewellery categories. It’s the result of what’s happening in fashion collections, which re ect the crumbling of boundaries between disciplines via a fertile mix of design, accessories, technology and clothes.” This is one of the most interesting trends indenti ed by Franchin, who gives schools and researchers access to a vast archive accumulated over the contest’s 15 years. What other creative tremors has she detected? “In today’s fashion world we’re faced with two extremes: on one hand there’s the ‘see now buy now’ model, and on the other we have an upvaluation of craftsmanship that’s capable of engaging with technology. At a time when marketing directors and creatives often coincide, with the increasing impact of nance on fashion, and while the evolution of communication is affecting an ever-wider market, the portfolios we receive from students are evidence of this change.” And it seems a good sign that new creators are searching for a new vocabulary, by rethinking their story-telling tools. “Young designers are starting to make garments and accessories with hi-tech elements, sensors and devices. We’re moving towards clothing that dialogues with the surrounding environment. But it takes time and money to make a whole collection. For now we just have prototypes. Over the next ve years, experts in fashion design, computational design, computational simulation, concept design, design fabrication, biotechnology, materials science and interaction design will be working together.” As of the next edition, ITS will be launching a prize dedicated to designers of wearable technology. In the present, meanwhile, the other strong trend is eco-sustainable fashion. “We’ve involved 950 young people from 53 countries, presenting them with a questionnaire to understand what it means, how they study it, and how they make it. While 90% of them are interested in sustainability, most think it’s enough to save on fabric cuts and do fewer seams. Few believe it’s necessary to tackle the entire production chain with a holistic approach and be transparent with consumers. The keystone is education.” More transversal courses are needed in schools: this is the request from a new generation that truly wants to change the fashion system.