WUNDERKAMMER

THE GUIDE STANDS WITH SHANON POUPARD'S DRESS BEHIND THE BACK, THE ITS CONTEST MOVIE TO THE LEFT AND THE VISITORS IN FRONT:

Welcome to the WUNDERKAMMER, a German term indicating the "cabinet of wonders", diverse and heterogeneous collections of objects positioned in a room aimed at creating astonishment in visitors. It was a typical phenomenon of the 16th century, finding its roots in the Middle Ages. It developed throughout the 17th century feeding on Baroque grandeur, reaching the 18th century favoured by the typical "Age of Enlightenment" love for scientific curiosities. In a certain way, the WUNDERKAMMER can be considered as the first stage in the development of the concept of museum.

 

The WUNDERKAMMER currently hosts the exhibition "Born to Create", dedicated to the projects of finalists and winners of ITS Contest 2023. ITS Contest, as you learned at the beginning of your visit, is the international fashion competition created in 2002 that allows us to discover the best emerging designers. It feeds the ITS Collection with the first works of each of the finalists we have selected in over 20 years.

 

The finalists and winners of the last edition are presented with garments, accessories, and jewellery from the collections entered in the competition. On display are also some of the special projects they have developed in response to specific briefings, such as the GO!25 Go Borderless project, related to the cities of Nova Gorica and Gorizia being European Capitals of Culture in 2025.

 

You can delve into each project by reading the panels and scanning the QR codes scattered throughout the exhibition, but I would like to give you as comprehensive an overview as possible in regards to what you are looking at, also allowing you to vote for your favourite project with the card you were given at the beginning of your visit. Indeed, the public is called upon to vote for the ITS Community Award, which will assign €5,000 to the winner and will be announced when the exhibition closes.

Let's start with the video on my left [THE GUIDE INDICATES THE SCREEN WITH THE ITS CONTEST MOVIE PLAYING], which introduces you to the projects exhibited in this show and is applied to the competition.

THE GUIDE STARTS GIVING BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS REGARDING EACH PROJECT, ROTATING CLOCKWISE THROUGH THE ROOM:

Next to it, we have the project by Canadian designer Daniel Bosco, a reflection on the concept of personal value we give to objects, translated not just into a simple fashion collection but into a veritable performance that we can appreciate in the video attached.

2023 Daniel Bosco

Canada

I ASKED GOD FOR A BABY, HE SENT ME A DIAMOND

2023 Daniel Bosco

Canada

I ASKED GOD FOR A BABY, HE SENT ME A DIAMOND

The humorous gift of a condom by his boyfriend prompted Daniel Bosco to ponder the concept of personal value, emphasising its significance over material wealth. This principle guided Bosco in exploring fashion through an artistic performance laden with autobiographical memories. These depictions ironically portray significant individuals and moments in his life: an aunt with her eccentric wig, friends struggling with uncomfortable heels, and his mother's unmistakable faux jewellery. These performative portraits blend a perceived frugality with a desire for something more. The mundane is magnified with irony, juxtaposed against glamorous gowns, exploring the fascination with glitz over our everyday reality.

Approfondimento

THE GUIDE KEEPS GOING:

 

Continuing, we find the Japanese designer Tomohiro Shibuki, who covers his garments with a metaphorical thin layer of snow, rendered using needle-felted wool, in order to nullify the shapes of traditional garments and prompt us to reconsider what we are seeing.

2023 Tomohiro Shibuki

Japan

SMOOTH HARMONY OF A SERIES

2023 Tomohiro Shibuki

Japan

SMOOTH HARMONY OF A SERIES

Starting from the consideration that fashion tends to value individuality, designer Tomohiro Shibuki's project explores ambiguity. He seeks a shift in the viewer's perspective, the questioning of reality by obscuring objects with felt. Omitting visual information about everyday objects arouses curiosity and stimulates creativity. The felt creates another kind of harmony by blurring out the whiteness of the clothes, making an individual statement. Even in today's society where emerging as an individual is paramount and everything is sharply in focus and digitised, we may be able to see things more clearly simply by blurring the edges and letting our creative instincts guide us.

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THE GUIDE KEEPS GOING:

 

Momoka Sato, another Japanese designer that studied in England, reflects on the Buddhist concept of limbo after death, 49 days during which the living accompany their deceased towards the afterlife. This spiritual and ancestral storytelling hides a celebration of her deceased grandmother.

2023 Momoka Sato

Japan

UTOPIA ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP

2023 Momoka Sato

Japan

UTOPIA ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP

The Covid pandemic took Momoka Sato’s grandmother away, forcing the designer to consider the theme of death for the first time. Her response was a collection that honours her grandmother in every detail. It celebrates her craftsmanship, knowledge of traditional arts like Cha no yu (the tea ceremony), Ikebana (the art of flower arrangement) and Sumi-e (the art of ink painting), as well as her wisdom. In Japanese tradition, a deceased person's spirit enters an ascetic practice for 49 days and this determines their fate in the afterlife. Momoka turns this concept into a narrative, with each beautifully crafted ensemble representing a specific step of the character's journey to Utopia.

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THE GUIDE KEEPS GOING:

 

The project by Chinese designer Ju Bao is a constant trompe-l'oeil that mimics denim using knitting. Almost an exercise in style, in order to showcase out-of-the-ordinary technical abilities in creating shapes, colours, effects and architectures at will by working with knitwear.

2023 Ju Bao

China

ANNIHILATION

2023 Ju Bao

China

ANNIHILATION

The novel 'Annihilation' by writer Jeff VanderMeer and its 2015 movie adaptation explore profound philosophical questions about our perception of reality and connection with nature. Designer Ju Bao draws inspiration from this narrative to investigate the ramifications of human civilisation and how they entwine with nature at a molecular level. This exploration leads to the creation of unsettling chimaeras that mimic transforming organisms. The theme is conveyed through denim, replicated and mutated using knitwear, crafting intricate, hybrid garments and details that poetically defy conventional appearance.

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THE GUIDE KEEPS GOING:

 

Chelsea Jean Lamm, a German designer, looks to a future in which humans and machines will find an harmonious coexistence with nature. Drawing inspiration from medieval bestiaries, her garments are essentially kaleidoscopic armors.

2023 Chelsea Jean Lamm

Germany

ECHOES OF EDEN

2023 Chelsea Jean Lamm

Germany

ECHOES OF EDEN

Designer Chelsea Jean Lamm embraces the vision of a future where humanity and technology coexist in harmony with nature. With pieces that feature striking cyborg elements and nods to artificial intelligence, this collection challenges us to consider what it means to be human and to embrace the limitless potential of our interconnected world. Drawing inspiration from bestiaries of the Middle Ages, the garments transport us to an otherworldly realm where utopian creatures reign supreme and the boundaries between human, animal, and machine are blurred. Each outfit tells a powerful story, making the wearer feel invincible and warrior-like.

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THE GUIDE KEEPS GOING:

 

We are now in front of the work of Sardinian designer Ivan Delogu, who utilizes the sustainable practice of upcycling - what you see are indeed the tiles of old anti-mosquito curtains that we see at the entrance, for example, of butcher shops and fishmongers. This is combined with the celebration and preservation of Sardinian cultural and artisanal traditions.

2023 Ivan Delogu

Italy

T'ESSERE

2023 Ivan Delogu

Italy

T'ESSERE

Ivan Delogu's project delves into themes of regeneration, cultural heritage, and sustainability through art. Rooted in research on Sardinian society, particularly its matriarchal structure, and drawing inspiration from 1970s avant-garde movements, folklore, as well as the island's ancient agro-pastoral tradition, his work centres on the contemporary and historical existence of women. It portrays different facets of womanhood inspired by personal connections and stories from the designer’s grandmother. Ivan crafts sculptural garments solely from upcycled materials, incorporating Neptune Grass (an indigenous Sardinian algae), along with repurposed 1970s mosquito curtains, unused shirt yarns, and even old cereal bowls. Employing traditional techniques like weaving and basket making, the project is an ode to the preservation of invaluable craftsmanship skills.

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THE GUIDE MOVES NEXT TO THE GO BORDERLESS AWARD WINNER, IN THE OPPOSITE CORNER FROM ITS ARTWORK:

 

In 2025, the cities of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and Gorizia (Italy) will be European Capitals of Culture. They demonstrate how existing borders can effectively be erased by cooperation and close friendship. The fashion finalists of ITS Contest 2023 were invited to develop an outfit inspired by overcoming and erasing barriers.

 

You are looking at Tomohiro Shibuki's project, whose fashion project we have already appreciated and who was chosen as the winner of the GO!25 Borderless Award powered by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, receiving €10,000.

 

This project responded to a specific brief focused on overcoming borders. Tomohiro, already in line with these themes in his personal project, blurs every boundary of the garment with a thin layer of metaphorical snow by using needle-felted wool, nullifying every division and creating a sense of boundless unity.

2023 Tomohiro Shibuki (GO25)

Japan

BLUR THE BOUNDARIES

2023 Tomohiro Shibuki

Japan

BLUR THE BOUNDARIES

Designer Tomohiro Shibuki wants to rethink his own perspective of unity and continuity. His technique is based on the use of felt, which covers and harmonises things that usually exist individually. It is a reference to the environment he was born and raised in, often covered in snow, which is capable of uniting natural and human elements in a single, borderless landscape, thus radically changing our perspective on familiar views. The blurred state he creates by using felt is an opportunity to re-examine the way boundaries should be. The act of covering might look like an addition, but it is actually a subtraction of borders. Such ideas are characteristic of Japanese culture and Tomohiro’s project treads on the same path from a different perspective. It is his own personal search for unity, which erases barriers.

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THE GUIDE MOVES NEXT TO THE PROTOTYPE FOR LOTTO BY CLEMENTINE BALDO, RIGHT OF THE GO BORDERLESS PROJECT:

 

The prototype in front of you is by Clémentine Baldo, the French finalist winner of the ITS Sportswear Award 2023 powered by Lotto Sport. For 50 years, Lotto has been a leading company in footwear and sportswear, synonymous with Italian style, innovation and design.

2023 Clementine Baldo (LOTTO)

France

I'D RATHER BE A MONSTER THAN A WOMAN

2023 Clementine Baldo

France

I'D RATHER BE A MONSTER THAN A WOMAN

Challenged to re-imagine in a sustainable way the Lotto Sport Hoop Stars sneakers, a model inspired by the basketball era of the ‘90s, designer Clémentine Baldo dismantled the shoe entirely to put it flat and be able to re-collage all the pieces three-dimensionally, changing their positions. She also included upcycled vinyl gloves fabric, translating it from her ITS Contest fashion collection, to create a waterproof fabric developed by heating and topstitching. The resulting prototype highlights sportsmanship and inclusion bridging performance and lifestyle.

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THE GUIDE KEEPS GOING, MOVING NEXT TO THE FERRAGAMO AWARD:

 

The Ferragamo Foundation has chosen among this year's finalists with accessory projects Yuxi Sun, awarding her the ITS Accessories Award powered by the Foundation itself, which could lead Yuxi to collaborate with one of the company's creative departments.

2023 Yuxi Sun (FERRAGAMO)

China

SPIRITUAL RE-WILDING

2023 Yuxi Sun

China

SPIRITUAL RE-WILDING

Humanity's shift towards capitalism, science, and technology has resulted in the decline and extinction of many cultures closely connected to nature. This detachment has led to a social construct that ignores the laws of nature, causing us to lose touch with our innate animal instincts. In 2018, designer Yuxi Sun took part in an outdoor fitness class in China, imitating various animal postures under the direction of an instructor. Not only was her body stretched during this process: her body and mind were released as if she had touched her instincts as a primate. This process became the inspiration for her footwear project, focused on the concept of biomimicry. By wearing her shoes, people are led to imitate several typical animal movements and postures in nature, achieving a primitive, emotional instinctive state (re-wilding), thus breaking away from the confines of industrial society.

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THE GUIDE GOES PAST THE ENTRANCE AND STANDS BY THE LUXOTTICA AWARD:

 

You are now looking at the glasses by Xiaoyue Liu, who won the ITS Special Mention powered by Vogue Eyewear, a brand that is part of EssilorLuxottica.

2023 Xiaoyue Liu (LUXOTTICA)

China

MY GLASSES ARE GENTLE

2023 Xiaoyue Liu

China

MY GLASSES ARE GENTLE

Many people wearing glasses have a problem with the nose pad indentations, finding them uncomfortable. Designer Xiaoyue Liu came up with the idea of interchangeable nose pads which aren’t meant to be invisible anymore: they are actually turned into a design feature focused on comfort. Her eyewear frames can be customised by the wearer, since all parts are detachable, turning them into a DIY based on colour and fun. She also looked at the fragility of frames, which often makes glasses very delicate objects. The concept of softness - both of the nose pads, for comfort, and of the frame parts, for practical purposes - becomes the leitmotif of her entire design philosophy. Pull candy, marshmallows and skittles are her aesthetic source for an eyewear collection that responds to key practical features every person thinks about when wearing a pair of glasses.

Approfondimento

THE GUIDE CONTINUES TO TAL MASLAVI:

 

Let's continue with Tal Maslavi, an Israeli designer who approached this collection as if it were an artistic performance, which makes the accompanying video crucial in order to understand the project in its entirety. The designer examined our human need for physical contact and interaction, desperately seeking a reality that seems to gradually fade into the screens of our devices. He questions how easily we have expropriated our senses in the transition to digital life, incorporating sensory explorations into each piece.

2023 Tal Maslavi

Israel

AUTONOMOUS SENSORY MERIDIAN RESPONSE (ASMR)

2023 Tal Maslavi

Israel

AUTONOMOUS SENSORY MERIDIAN RESPONSE (ASMR)

ASMR is a physical reaction that is characterised by a tingling sensation and a sense of low-grade euphoria. Commonly triggered by specific auditory or visual stimuli, it has risen to extreme popularity thanks to social media and its ability to provide new generations with a tool to fight off digital stress and relax. Designer Tal Maslavi looks at how modern life exists on the border between the physical and the virtual, compromising our ability to touch and feel. This is also due to the devices through which we experience life, which are becoming sleeker, smoother and less tactile. In this collection that rubs shoulders with performance art, he examines the human need for physical touch and interaction, as if grasping onto a reality that appears to be gradually fading away, and questions the ease with which we have expropriated our senses in the transition to digital life.

Approfondimento

THE GUIDE MOVES OVER TO TERESA KEXUAN LIU:

 

For Teresa Kexuan Liu, a designer more of objects rather than jewelry, the starting point is to manipulate and disrupt our normal perception of reality by approaching it from totally surreal points of view, justified as if we were in a parallel universe in the style of Matrix, where, as the child monk said, "there is no spoon". Teresa urges us to reconsider the boundaries of reality.

2023 Kexuan Teresa Liu

China

SUBREALISM

2023 Kexuan Teresa Liu

China

SUBREALISM

Through techniques such as breaking, juxtaposing, blending and imitating, designer Kexuan Teresa Liu questions our perception of objects. Her project delves into the nuanced coexistence of the simulated and material worlds, starting from the movie "The Matrix" and its iconic "There is no spoon" sentence as a philosophical springboard. Her objects challenge our reliance on senses to interpret reality, prompting a reassessment of our understanding of the material world - a resin and metal ring reveals a hidden identity as a toothbrush, another doubles as a bottle opener and seems to turn a human hand into a bionic one. The aim is to invigorate our senses with a fresh perspective on our existence, rekindling our enthusiasm for the external world.

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THE GUIDE CONTINUES WITH RICHARD FARBEY:

 

Jewelry designer Richard Farbey questions his role in a discipline increasingly influenced by computer development, emphasising the importance of the jewelry artisan, who becomes a sculpted muse represented within his pieces. Take, for example, this pendant [THE GUIDE POINTS TO THE PENDANT WITH THE RHINO CRUSHING THE ARTISAN]: the animal refers to one of the most well-known 3D development softwares, called "Rhino", which is crushing artisanal work itself.

2023 Richard Farbey

United Kingdom

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF COMPUTER-AIDED-DESIGNERS

2023 Richard Farbey

United Kingdom

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF COMPUTER-AIDED-DESIGNERS

Designer Richard Farbey's project is a response to the growing influence of computer-aided-design within contemporary jewellery manufacture. It is also a self-analysis of his place within the industry. Questioning the fact he has graduated as a contemporary designer and maker rather than a specialist craftsman, with his jewellery collection he attempts to unpack the role of designer and craftsman and the level at which their individual skills are revered. During research for the collection, interviews were conducted with several different craftsmen around Hatton Garden - renowned as London’s jewellery area and centre of the diamond trade in the UK - to collect insight into their practice and to find out their attitudes towards computer-aided-design. Their statements were the foundation for the design process, and ultimately led to identifying one craftsman as the muse of the project. He was replicated in 3D and then crafted in metal to appear in the collection as a symbol of the relation between human made and machine made.

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THE GUIDE CONTINUES WITH EUN JI OH:

 

We are now faced with a reflection on the concept of physical perfection, which ultimately is always a reflection on beauty. A collection of bags by designer Eun Ji Oh, this is autobiographical, looking at her own body starting from supposed imperfections, drawing inspiration for exquisitely executed leather bags.

2023 Eun Ji Oh

Belgium

OVERWEIGHT

2023 Eun Ji Oh

Belgium

OVERWEIGHT

What is perfection? Eun Ji's accessory collection links the body to leather goods, exploring the relationship between the human form and aesthetics. The designer was born with dermatological conditions that led to medical treatments, with side effects such as water retention and the consequent weight gain. Being born into a Korean family in Belgium, she grew up subject to often contradicting criticism - "too light skinned", "not light enough", "too curvy", "not curvy enough". Over the years she developed her personal observation into a collection of wearable objects that express her close connection with her body. A personal connection we can all relate to.

Approfondimento

THE GUIDE STANDS NEXT TO THE ARTWORK PROJECTS FROM CHELSEA JEAN LAMM AND IVAN DELOGU:

 

You are now looking at the two winners ex-aequo of the ITS Artwork Award 2023, powered by Swatch Art Peace Hotel, an artistic residency opened by Swatch in Shanghai in 2011, which has hosted more than 500 artists from 55 countries. 8 of them have been recipients of the ITS Swatch Art Peace Hotel Award in previous editions of the competition.

 

This year, Swatch Art Peace Hotel has selected 6 finalists among those enrolled in ITS Contest 2023, inviting them to unleash their artistic soul by developing a special project based on a specific directive.

 

The €10,000 prize of the ITS Artwork Award powered by Swatch Art Peace Hotel was awarded to Ivan Delogu for the deeply rooted emotional story set in the culture of his Sardinia, and to Chelsea Jean Lamm for the surreal, hypnotic, intriguing and imaginative union of natural elements.

 

The work of designer Ivan Delogu represents a powerful condemnation of the patriarchal society that allows femicide to persist. A conceptual revolt, combining various symbols recalling his Sardinia - agriculture and ancient art - to convey a strong message against gender-based violence. The shovel represents the male, the bell represents the female, and the hoe represents the third gender.

 

Designer Chelsea Jean Lamm, on the other hand, wants to highlight endangered animal species, while emphasising the need for their protection and celebrating the stunning beauty of nature. An analog collage on paper, seemingly floating and made from recycled books and magazines, presents the flora and fauna at risk according to the World Wildlife Fund data.

2023 Ivan Delogu (ARTWORK)

Italy

SHEPHERDS AND SOLDIERS

2023 Ivan Delogu

Italy

SHEPHERDS AND SOLDIERS

Designer Ivan Delogu’s artwork serves as a powerful denouncement of the patriarchal society that perpetuates rape culture and allows feminicide to persist. In Italy, feminicide is to be considered a murder authorised by the State, as the State itself fails to protect and safeguard women. It is crucial to recognise that feminicide is not a crime of passion, but a crime of power. The artwork aims to create a conceptual riot, combining various symbols to convey a strong message against gender-based violence. The shovel represents the male, the bell represents the woman, and the hoe represents the third gender. Together, they symbolise unity and resistance against the oppressive forces of the State. The red thread covering these objects is a direct reference to Leslie Sloan's "The Red Thread Project'' and serves as a tribute to the lives lost to feminicide. By merging the human figure with these agricultural tools, Delogu not only highlights their connection to agriculture but also draws inspiration from ancient Sardinian art depicting paramount deities. This infusion of spirituality adds depth and personal significance to the artwork, reflecting his own identity and experiences.

Approfondimento

2023 Chelsea Jean Lamm (ARTWORK)

Germany

VANISHING VOICES

2023 Chelsea Jean Lamm

Germany

VANISHING VOICES

Designer Chelsea Jean Lamm aims to spotlight endangered species whilst emphasising their protection and celebrating the mesmerising beauty of nature. A seemingly floating analogue paper collage crafted from recycled books and magazines, it showcases flora and fauna at risk according to the World Wildlife Fund. Rather than focusing on negativity, Chelsea urges action amid climate change’s looming threats to the future of our planet. This celebratory piece raises awareness and encourages us to appreciate nature and its profound influence on humanity. Central in this artwork is the black rhino, shaped into a mythical creature formed from endangered species. Despite a drastic decline, conservation efforts have boosted black rhino numbers, yet they remain critically endangered due to poaching.

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THE GUIDE CONTINUES WITH SILVIA ACIEN PARRILLA:

 

We are now looking at a true triumph of sustainability. Spanish designer Silvia Acien Parrilla tackled the theme with a "zero-compromise" approach. The garments are made from pineapple, nettle and banana fibers, hand-dyed with a blend of natural plant-based dyes and bacteria, which help limit water waste. All techniques draw from the traditional craftsmanship of her land, celebrating her ancestors.

2023 Silvia Acien Parrilla

Spain

REGENERATIVE FOLKLORE

2023 Silvia Acien Parrilla

Spain

REGENERATIVE FOLKLORE

A collection that unites past and present, weaving memories and the designer's ancestral identity. Guided by her grandmother’s wisdom, Silvia Acien Parrilla honours traditional techniques with local resources and a commitment to a regenerative approach, preserving the earth's resources and promoting biodiversity. These garments - crafted from pineapple, nettle, and banana fibres - are fully plant-based and hand-dyed using natural tints made from invasive plants and bacteria, aiding water conservation, a key aspect for Silvia. The project is developed in collaboration with biodesigner Xue Chen, who expertly handled the dyeing process and implanted bio-furs in the ruffles. Each stitch isn't just part of a garment but also a symbol of the designer's ties to her ancestors, community and the earth.

Approfondimento

THE GUIDE CONTINUES WITH CLEMENTINE BALDO:

 

We met Clementine Baldo as the winner of the Lotto Sport Award; here she is with the project that partly inspired her reinterpretation of the sneaker. A collection which is entirely feminine as a protest against the patriarchal society, creating wonderful "monsters" composed in truth of symbols of violence against women. I want to focus on the particular transparent fabric I mentioned in her shoe project: they are transparent vinyl gloves that have been heated and then joined together.

2023 Clementine Baldo

France

I'D RATHER BE A MONSTER THAN A WOMAN

2023 Clementine Baldo

France

I'D RATHER BE A MONSTER THAN A WOMAN

Designer Clémentine Baldo is an advocate against violence towards women, part of the collective named KER, a community of artists striving to represent and expose a wider spectrum of domestic and sexual violence. Her collection centres on the concept of the “monster”, breaking binary and social norms while embracing difference. Inspired by graphic novelist Emil Ferris' 2017 statement, "I’d rather be a monster than a woman, it seems easier", the collection explores feminist ideologies. Experimenting with materials - such as transparent vinyl gloves mimicking the texture of skin - Clémentine crafts a surreal muse embodying symbolic references to society's perception of the female body, a hybrid figure merging a nuclear warfare mutant with a seductive, post-oil spill siren. This figure possesses reptilian skin, hairy and feathery fur, deconstructed bone muscles and a melted plastic shield pressing against her breasts.

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THE GUIDE CONTINUES WITH MERT SERBEST:

 

Turkish designer Mert Serbest highlights the clash between the Bulgarian communist regime and the Turkish minority during the 1980s. The collection is an act of rebellion against assimilation policies, a cry for freedom that emphasises how the world is big enough to welcome people from different cultures.

2023 Mert Serbest

Turkey

MOTHERLANDS

2023 Mert Serbest

Turkey

MOTHERLANDS

Designer Mert Serbest's collection is inspired by the clash between the Bulgarian communist regime and the Turkish minority during the 1980s, which was marked by a forced assimilation policy. When legendary Turkish weightlifter Naim Suleymanoğlu fled from Bulgaria in protest, he played a significant role in the Turkish minority's escape to Turkey when the borders opened in 1989.
Mert Serbest’s family was one of the survivors from this regime, leaving what had become their motherland to become “others” in their own country of origin in order to gain their freedom. The collection is an act of rebellion against this assimilation policy, a cry for freedom highlighting that the world is large enough to welcome people from different backgrounds.

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THE GUIDE CONTINUES WITH MARCEL SOMMER:

 

German designer Marcel Sommer was strongly influenced by the power of brutalist architecture, aiming to play with soft fabrics that gave a strong sense of heaviness and power. Folding and layering the fabrics allowed him to achieve three-dimensionality and the industrial-brutalist effect he was seeking.

2023 Marcel Sommer

Germany

AFTERMATH

2023 Marcel Sommer

Germany

AFTERMATH

Brutalist architecture’s impactful, intimidating power inspired designer Marcel Sommer. He’s captivated by the “violence of silence” it expresses, represented by extreme, solid concrete structures, shape fluidity and the use of light. His project translates these concepts by developing a technique based on cutting fabric stripes, folding and stitching them together to create a soft but solid shape that can then be cut and “carved” into details. This allows Marcel to work on contrast - hard and soft, heavy and light - also through a careful choice of materials, developing pleated and deconstructed jackets, wide cut chiffon pants with hard shaped leather ‘box’ waistcoats, or metal string tops on a fine rib knit, worn with organza pants.

Approfondimento

THE GUIDE CONTINUES WITH SHANON POUPARD:

 

We conclude our overview of the projects of the finalists and winners of ITS Contest 2023 with French designer Shanon Poupard, a collection of knitwear that plays on the contrast between childish, almost neonatal aesthetics, and graphics that evoke the violence of the contemporary world, marked by wars and bombs.

2023 Shanon Poupard

France

INTO THE REALMS OF THE REAL

2023 Shanon Poupard

France

INTO THE REALMS OF THE REAL

When we infantilise someone we treat them as if they were a child, in a condescending and patronising manner that demeans and devalues them. But what about the infantilisation of reality which seems to plague the 21st century generation, as an escapist response to traumas such as wars and the climate crisis? Designer Shanon Poupard dived into this concept with her collection, developing an aesthetic that looks at traditional children's clothes as the starting point for blown-up subverted silhouettes that use naive pastoral embroideries as tools to project an alternative, dark reality. Crochet turns into an incendiary tool and delicate knitted lace dresses become portents of doom, in a constant, balanced dance between addressing and ignoring reality.

Approfondimento

Well, I hope I have provided you with useful information to choose your favourite project for the vote! Now we can move from the Wunderkammer towards the Archive.

 

You can still come back here at the end of the visit to delve even deeper into the finalists before voting for your favourite.

[EXTRA PROJECTS]

2023 Yu Chen & Fanrui Sun (DIGITAL FASHION)

China

THE ALTER EGO

2023 Yu Chen & Fanrui Sun

China

THE ALTER EGO

As we keep modifying our bodies through biotechnology to meet social norms of gender behaviour, the line between human and machine becomes increasingly blurred. This raises important questions about how our 'post-gender identity' will be expressed in a world where humans exist as cyborg objects. Through the combination of fashion communication, voguing ballroom culture, motion capture and CGI moving images, digital designers Yu Chen and Fanrui Sun explore the potential for new paradigms of post-identity. If cyborgs stand at the intersection of humanity and technology, how can we challenge traditional notions of identity and gender through fashion? One solution could be a 'post-gender' identity that breaks down the old gender binary system. By creating a post-gender utopia where individuals' alter egos can exist as pure cognition, Yu and Fanrui explore new boundaries dissolving the limits of the gender binary.

Approfondimento

2023 Amina Galal (FASHION FILM)

Egypt

IN OUR ALLEYS

2023 Amina Galal

Egypt

IN OUR ALLEYS

The collection portrayed in this fashion film unfolds a poignant narrative of the evolving Egyptian culture, marked by the influence of Western elements, colliding with local traditions and resulting in a unique hybridization, a sort of de-cultured culture. Over the course of a year, designer Amina Galal immersed herself in the creation of this collection, finding an inherent connection to its theme. Hailing from a family that migrated from the village of Beni Mazar to Cairo, her roots epitomise the de-culturisation process. Despite embracing modernity, her family house in Al-Menya, untouched since the 1900s, serves as the film's backdrop, a testament to the clash of cultures. The short movie is the representation of Galal’s personal journey, as well as of many Egyptians, products of globalisation and modernity, yet deeply rooted in their Egyptian heritage. It becomes a compelling story of the present, offering a glimpse into the future while honouring their past. A visual ode to the complexities of identity and the enduring connection to cultural roots.

Approfondimento

2023 Wanqi Huang (FONDAZIONE SOZZANI)

China

CURTAIN

2023 Wanqi Huang

China

CURTAIN

Through this narrative fashion photography series based on selfie nudes, designer Wanqi Huang faces and challenges topics of sexuality. At the beginning of the series, the body hiding in the curtains depicts a comfortable environment where the shame of nudity disappears. As the series unravels, the details of the body are gradually exposed. It is an elegant introduction to the phenomenon of sex in China, where this topic has always been treated as a matter of shame. Through her work, the author wants to call on society to face shame, and to discover that behind the shame lies the beauty and elegance of the human body.

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