ITS Contest 2016 welcomes in the jury Demna Gvasalia, founder of the groundbreaking brand “Vetements”, together with his stylist and muse Lotta Volkova. The jury also sees Valerie Steele, director of the FIT Museum, and Silvia Fendi. The concept of the edition, “Utopia”, drives a parallel between the boundless creativity of the young designers and utopian worlds of possibilities. Helen Kirkum, who will later revolutionise the field of sustainable sneaker design, is among the finalists.
ITS is Utopia. It always has, for fifteen years, and hasn’t stopped being so. An authentic Utopia just as Thomas More imagined it, outlining a society where culture rules and dominates the lives of men. Culture not just as knowledge, but as understanding. As comprehending, which means to include the other. A comprehension which is therefore empathy, which in its own way is love, communion, community. It is culture as opposed to ignorance, to being in the dark. So it is light, the age of enlightenment, progress, evolution. Because what is evil if not the ignorance of good? And ITS is mainly community, family, whose Utopic ideals are those of of democracy, sharing, of pure creativity. ITS is Utopia because like a mirage it can only materialize for a short time, in a defined place. A marvelous equilibrium, unstable like a chemical phenomenon. So for the fifteenth time this vision will take shape, creating the fifteenth Utopia, a Shangri-La that will come to life once a year, ready to welcome those who are willing to cut all ties with the ordinary world for a limited time. Willing to drop their masks and meet, in a new place. By emphasizing that this is the fifteenth time we add value to the continuous efforts of ITS and introduce the theme of its fifteen year.
The finalists and winners of ITS Contest 2016
United Kingdom
1961
South Korea
1990
Germany
1989
Taiwan
1994
Slovenia
1984
Italy
1993
The jury of ITS Contest 2016
President of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana
Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of International Institutional Affairs, Kering
Floriane de Saint Pierre & Associés, Eyes On Talents
Maglificio Miss Deanna
Independent Fashion Critic and Curator
Founder & Director ITS
Director to D/ARK, Designer Brand Development Consultant to the British Fashion Council, LONDON show ROOMS Curator
Founder and Artistic Director at VETEMENTS and Artistic Director at Balenciaga
Designer & YKK Consultant
Editor in Chief of Numerò China
Senior Editor Vogue Italia and Head of Vogue Talents
Fashion editor D.Repubblica.it, La Repubblica, Repubblica.it
International Fashion Commentator
Chief Critic, Vogue runway.com and BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent
British Fashion Council Strategic Consultant
CEO Maison Margiela
Creative Director Diesel Licenses
Director and Chief Curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
Tutorship Director Pitti Immagine
President AltaRoma
Fashion Stylist and Consultant
Creative Director Safilo, Italy
Deputy Editor of Style Magazine Corriere della Sera, fashion content and fashion critic of style.corriere.it - Italy
Creative Director Swatch International
Architect and Freelance Writer
Creative Leader, Ikea of Sweden
Jewelry Historian
Head of Jewelry Design at Swarovski Professional
Director Creative Direction and Design Network Swarovski Professional
Fashion Designer
Head of Fabrics at CHANEL
The media gallery of ITS Contest 2016