Fashion should make life more beautiful, it's (or more specifically ITS is) all about nurturing dreams and creating beautiful fantasies. The United Nations has Geneva, while fashion, and its international creatives, last weekend all converged on Trieste, the Italian seaside port on the border of Slovenia, for the finale of ITS# TEN, the International Student Fashion Competition.
While Graduate Fashion Weeks showcase the achievements of their own, this incredible fashion competition had reached a milestone decade of dream searching and making. Over the past ten years, founder Barbara Franchin and the EVE Agency have dedicated themselves to visiting over 880 schools in over 70 countries, sifting through 7,500 applicants from 80 nations and has with her team and an industry invited jury selected 344 finalists.
This year a jury including designers Antonio Berardi, Viktor and Rolf, and Fashion Editor Hilary Alexander were joined by journalists from around the world, who came to interview students, see portfolios, and watch the runway showcase on Saturday night as tomorrow's stars got their first taste of the limelight.
With the current shift in fashion its easy to look straight to the top rather than explore from the bottom - but it is the foundations, and indeed the army of students, interns, and new talent that are feeding the industry and these are the ones to look to for the future. The great Isabella Blow used to say looking for talent was like a pig searches for truffles. She went to Trieste. Here all the searching is done for you - and you are served up a feast of new photography, accessories, menswear and womenswear designers all eager to prove themselves. Past finalists now pepper designer teams at Burberry, Chloe, Diesel, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton to name a few.
As the coach twisted down the coast road, past the Castle Miramare where Empress Sissi hid from the world, down to the town where James Joyce wrote, it was easy to see why the Arts World had long held the town in such affection. Across the bay from Venice, its multicultural history host to its own Biennale, was now littered with students and their whacky wardrobes, piercings, tattoos, and - very popular look this year - the one legged trouser -was this the taste of things to come?!
The isolated, sunburnt, holiday maker looked out of place at the extraordinary parade of fashions that came down for the breakfast buffets as students-on-a-budget took advantage of the 'all you can eat' sign and compared courses, hopes and dreams with students from Israel, England, America, Italy and Japan while secreting rolls, yoghurts and fruit into their many pocketed creations.
But this is what makes ITS so special? It's that raw energy, that invincible enthusiasm of youth is palpable and truly anything goes that transcends translation, culture and cash flow. As Stephen Jones once said 'It's a Credit not a Creative Crunch'. And here is a competition that proves this, but also carefully exposes the chosen hopefuls to buyers, head-hunters, writers, and wand wavers in all manner of labels.
I first was invited to ITS for its 4th competition. I was enchanted by the town as much as by Franchin, the woman that founded it, but when I returned last year it seemed that the competition might not make its 10th anniversary. But thanks to Renzo Russo - sat front row each and every year - and his continued support from Diesel and the other prize sponsors the event can continue.
Franchin is a remarkable person, she created ITS "because creativity is one of the few truly interesting human qualities. Creativity is always surprising, and this must be preserved and it purity protected, and explored it in different ways." She has created a family who work with her to gather the talent for the selfless, rather noble, reason of supporting and encouraging student talent. Over the decade they have built an archive that she hopes one day she will exhibit or tour. "We truly respect and cherish the work," she says and for her the prize is finding the talent, for them it is a vital first step on the ladder.
Interesting as well as fashion there are jewellery, photography and accessories prizes. Sponsors include YKK, Swarovski and over the last few years the standard in Accessories has soared.
Last year's ITS#9 Accessories Winner Sarah Williams, from LCF, designed handbags that were slick enough to sit alongside Hermès with the inventiveness of Dali. Williams was back as a judge, and showing her new collection this year as part of her prize.
She said without ITS she wouldn't have been able to produce her collection and perhaps this talent would have been lost. A fellow student who didn't get chosen for ITS now works in Boots - the Pharmacy - her fashion dream over once student days ended and reality kicked in.
This is why competitions like this are important. There is the talent, just not always the financial or practical support it needs. We can't all start at the top, and nor should we aspire to. Talent needs to grow and we need mentors, advise, internships along the way. The industry also benefits with handpicked names of who to watch, and where to find tomorrow's next big thing. Easy. They are right here - at ITS.
There were prizes, and there were winners - but honestly I think it is the competition that is the winner. But there were stand outs, so for the curious the ITS#FASHION winners are:
'Fashion Collection of the Year', went to the Royal College's Sahun Samson who produced a mens collection of felting that blended arun knits to tartans. Main sponsors Diesel Award (€25.000 + an internship within the Diesel Creative Team at its HQ in Italy) gave the prize to Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Israel's Niran Avisar.
My personal favourite was the understated menswear collection by Sol Ahn from the Royal College of Art. It was a nautical themed collection - think Marlon Brando 'On the Broadwalk' meets Dries Van Noten, handpainted trompe l'oeil deck shoes, silks with denim effect painted on pockets, soft structured duffle coats, and indigo blues and beaten cords that could have walked off the runway onto many a well dressed man. But ITS up to you - have a look at the website and post me your comments. Who do you think?
That's the beauty. The future starts here.