International Talent Support contest to return for 2018

The International Talent Support competition held in Trieste in Italy for emerging fashion, accessories and jewellery talents is returning for its 16th edition in June, following the cancellation of last years edition due to insufficient funds.

The competition, which has helped launched the careers of designers including Demna Gvasalia, Peter Pilotto, Michael van der Ham, Aitor Throup, Mark Fast, and Haizhen Wang, has confirmed that it is returning for 2018 thanks to a partnership with Pitti Immagine, the Italian fashion chamber - the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and Altaroma, which will help in the scouting and the promotion of young designers.

The Trieste-based design competition, which was founded in 2002 by Barbara Franchin to give emerging designers a platform to showcase their creativity, is also being backed by companies including OTB, the parent company of fashion brands Diesel, Maison Margiela, Marni, and Viktor&Rolf, as well as Swatch and Illycaffè, who are all resuming their partnership with the contest.

“ITS has always been an incredible source of energy and inspiration,” Rosso said in a statement. “Many of its finalists work in the style offices of the most well-known fashion houses of the world, without mentioning our own. I am happy to continue on our path together and I hope that more and more new talents will one day pride themselves to have started at ITS.”

International Talent Support calls for entries for 2018 edition

The 2018 contest will be held in Trieste on June 27 and the theme is about courage, ‘so bold, almost incredible’, which calls on young designers to “be bold” adding that the competition is looking for “an exciting new generation of talents who are strong in their desire to face the future and work towards that grand, global shift we've all began dreaming of”.

OTB will be the competition’s main fashion partner, awarding the OTB Award, alongside a 10,000 euro cash grant and the possibility of an internship in the style office of one of the group’s companies, while Swatch will award the Swatch Award with a cash prize of 10,000 euros as well as a six-month paid internship at its Swatch Lab in Zurich.

The other main prize is the ITS Award, which is given to the best fashion, accessories or jewellery finalists, and awards the winner a cash prize of 15,000 euros to help launch their collection. The winner also normally gets a feature in Vogue Italia’s supplement Vogue Talents.

The International Talent Support competition is open to all fashion, accessories and jewellery BA or MA students graduating in 2018, as well as young fashion talents not in possession of a diploma. With all entries being judged in April ahead of the finalists being revealed in early May.

The main event in June will feature a fashion show and exhibition, where all the winners will be unveiled.

The last edition in 2016 saw British footwear designer Helen Kirkum win the ITS Accessories Award as well as the Vogue Talents Award, while Royal College of Art graduates Niels Gundtoft Hansen won the OTB Award for his menswear collection, and jewellery designer Sari Rathel took home the ITS Jewellery Award. The main ITS Fashion Award was won by New Zealander Mayako Kano for her ‘Reverse Fade’ collection.

Images: International Talent Support website