ITS 2020 names finalists and postpones event to October

The International Talent Support competition, which celebrates and promotes emerging designers, has named 36 finalists for its 2020 competition, and confirming that its event has been postponed from July to October 23, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 600 portfolios were received, said competition organisers, from 60 countries, and with physical distancing in place, pre-selections were done via digital meetings by a judging panel that included Luca Rizzi, tutoring and consulting director at Pitti Immagine, Giancarlo Simiri, business partner Tomorrow London Holdings, and Sara Sozzani Maino, deputy editor-in-chief Vogue Italia and head of Vogue Talents.

“All this, that for us represents continuity and security, today acquires a new value and meaning,” said Barbara Franchin, founder and director of ITS. “The collaboration and support from the territory and the partners, as well as the extraordinary resilience shown by the ITS team and by all the talents who decided to take part in the 2020 edition, acquire today a greater meaning and impact on our project and on each one of us. Every portfolio received is a like a germ of resilience, the will to regenerate, the hope for a different future to be conceived and created together.”

36 finalists from 16 countries were selected, across the five main awards, including four British and two Irish designers, while other finalists hailed from Israeli, China, South Korea, Canada, Portugal, Japan, France, Greece, Ecuador, Austria, Thailand, Estonia, Kenya and Germany.

The UK will be represented by Central Saint Martins graduates Tara Al-Wali and Cameron Williams alongside Graduate Fashion Week George Catwalk to Store Award 2019 winner Rosie Baird from Edinburgh College of Art, who were all selected as finalists for the ITS Fashion Award as well as the ITS Fashion@Work by illy Award, while Scarlett Gapp from the University of Portsmouth was named as a finalist for the Lotto Sport Award.

In addition, emerging talent from Ireland has been recognised with Andrew Bell selected as a finalist for the ITS Fashion Award, while Rebecca Mardsen will compete in the ITS Accessories and Jewellery Award, both designers studied at the Royal College of Art in London.

International Talent Support names British and Irish designers as finalists for 2020 event

The other 2020 finalists are:

ITS Fashion Award: Sara Michal Workeneh - Israeli; Noa Baruch - Israeli; Syna Chen - China; Jimin Lee - South Korea; Kin Yan Lam - China; Aharon Genish - Israeli; and Olivia Rubens - Canada.

ITS Accessories and Jewellery Award: Yunfei Ma - China; Clara Chu - Portugal; Rei Sato and Jumi Tanabe - Japan; Johanna Parv - Estonia; Eva Verwicht - France; Maria Bika - Greece; Felipe Fiallo - Ecuador; Ninja D. Evangelista - Austria; Jittrakarn Bunterngpiboon - Thailand; Jing Han - China; and Bo Zhang - China.

ITS Fashion@Work by illy Award: Johanna Parv - Estonia; Kin Yan Lam - China; Yuhan Xu - China; Shiori Mizuochi and Hiroki Okamoto - Japan; Anyango Mpinga - Kenya; Keewon Shin - South Korea; and Rebar Aziz - Germany.

Lotto Sport Award: Johanna Parv - Estonia and Minjae Chang - South Korea.

ITS Artwork by Swatch Art Peace Hotel: Natsumi Osawa - Japan; Byung Yoon Lee - South Korea; Clara Chu - Portugal; Rei Sato - Japan; Jumi Tanabe - Japan; Gui Rosa - Portugal; Aharon Genish - Israeli; and Liuxu Luo - China.

The winners of the coveted ITS Fashion Award and ITS Accessories and Jewellery Award, will each receive 10,000 euros and mentorship organised by Fashion Revolution, while the ITS Fashion@Work by illy Award that challenges designers to revolutionise the bartender’s apron with a focus on sustainability will win 10,000 euros, and the Lotto Sport Award will offer the winner a 3-month internship.

Other awards include the OTB Award, where the winner will receive a cash prize of 10,000 euros and the chance to carry out an internship in one of the group’s brands, while the winner of the Diesel Award will receive a cash prize of 10,000 euros and a 6-month internship at Diesel’s HQs, and the Tomorrow Entrepreneurial Creativity Award will provide a space to showcase the winner’s collection at the Tomorrow Le Palais Showroom, Paris.

This year's winners will be announced at an event in Trieste, Italy on October 23.

Image: courtesy of International Talent Support (ITS)