The winners of the ITS Contest 2026 have been announced in Trieste. The ten emerging designers, aged between 22 and 33 and representing three continents, were chosen by an international jury drawn from the worlds of fashion, design, culture, and communication. The finalists are Darius Betschart (France), Steven Chevallier (France), Yi Ding (China), Jamie O’Grady (United Kingdom), William Palmer (United Kingdom), Stan Peeters (Belgium), Chloë Reners (Belgium), Tidjane Tall (France), Anna Maria Vescovi (United States), and Wenji Wu (China).
All ten selected designers receive I:C 10 × 10 × 10 Award, which includes participation in a ten-day creative residency in Trieste, as well as a mentoring and coaching session on best practices in sustainability with the OTB Group experts; the opportunity to exhibit their work for ten months in the “Rise and Shine” exhibition hosted by ITS Academy – Museum of Art in Fashion (the first museum of contemporary fashion in Italy, founded in the spring of 2023); €10,000.
The jury’s decision highlights the richness, originality, quality, conceptual rigor, and craftsmanship demonstrated by the ten finalists. This 2026 edition of the ITS Awards also marks a turning point in the competition format, introducing a new supportive dimension for creativity that emphasizes individual commitment as a driver of collective success. Being part of this collective will undoubtedly enrich the mindset of each of the ten selected finalists as they move forward in their professional journeys.
Founded in 2002 by Barbara Franchin, ITS Contest is one of the leading international platforms dedicated to emerging talent in fashion design. Each year, it selects young creatives from around the world and guides them through a programme combining residency, mentoring, and critical interaction with an international jury. Their work is also acquired by the ITS Arcademy museum collection.
THE SPECIAL MENTIONS
Chloë Reners
The I:C Jury Special Mention went to Chloë Reners, who studied at the Hogeschool in Antwerp and is currently a Junior Designer at Schiaparelli. In her collection of 10 women's pieces, "Dot Dot Dot", she has focused on the representation of women in Surrealism, their bodies fragmented or transformed into something that goes further. The magical realism of painter George Underwood - who reimagined female figures in a way that feels important mythically or symbolically, often depicting them wrapped in curved surfaces - has inspired her in exploring the concept of how representations can shape our perception of reality.
Jamie O'Grady
Two special prizes for 24-year-old Jamie O'Grady, from the UK, who studies at De Montfort University in Leicester and is currently at New Balance. Jamie O’Grady’s footwear concept was inspired by iconic Braun products designed by Dieter Rams in the 60s. Following Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for good design and his philosophy of “less is more if it is better”, the shoes are adhesive-free and completely modular. The shoes can actually be built in seconds, parts can be swapped depending on the weather and terrain, and they can be replaced when they wear out. He received the I:C Fondazione Ferragamo Award, which offers a stay in Florence and an immersive experience in the world of Ferragamo; and the I:C Wråd Award, which offers a three-day deep dive into the Italian fashion supply chain, starting from its HQ in Rome.
Wenji Wu
Stood out among all the other finalist-winners, the 30-year-old Chinese Wenji Wu, who comes from the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) and was an intern at Givenchy, with a collection that is the perfect mix of tradition and innovation. In his collection, he brought the nightmares he has had since childhood, inhabited by terrifying monsters. Wu received the I:C Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana Award, which offers a scholarship worth €5,000, awarded according to the designer’s creativity with special focus on the theme of sustainability. He also won the Modateca Deanna Award, which offers all-around knitwear mentorship, placing the creative in direct contact with companies, knitwear manufacturers, spinning mills, and all workshops that may be useful for the development of their projects.
Steven Chevallier
Steven Chevallier, a 30-year-old Frenchman who studied at the Institut Français de la Mode and who worked at Dior as Jersey Menswear Assistant in 2025, was awarded the I:C Ray-Ban part of the EssilorLuxottica Award, which consists of a day at the prestigious EssilorLuxottica Experience Centre (at Via Tortona 35 in Milan). Society and the streets have a profound influence on both Steven Chevallier’s work and personal life, and the current intense social climate marked by war, protests, and conservative politics is at the top of his list. He translates his exquisite artistic sketches, which would deserve a commentary of their own, into a form of wearable visual protest built on expert styling and technique.
Tidjane Tall
The 25-year-old Frenchman Tidjane Tall, also a former IFM student and since the end of March Womenswear Assistant Designer at Balenciaga, was instead awarded the I:C Fondazione Sozzani Award, which offers the designer a dedicated presentation of his collection in its Milan spaces during 2026. Tidjane Tall’s collection reflects on identity, Blackness, elegance, and individuality as a tribute to his grandfather Baïdy Tall, who founded La Boule Noire in the 1970s in the Ivory Coast, unquestionably the most upscale club of its time. A space of freedom and energy, it inspired Tidjane to reimagine elegance beyond conventions.
William Palmer
Finally, the I:C Pitti Immagine Award goes to the Englishman William Palmer, 33 years old, who studied at Central St. Martins, with an invitation to attend Pitti Uomo. Palmer worked as a designer and developer at Comme des Garçons and as an intern at Walter Van Beirendonck and Craig Green. He is currently busy developing his own brand, sold at 10 Corso Como and in some stores in Korea and Japan. William Palmer playfully critiques British masculinity using humour and satire to subvert rigid, hyper-masculine ideals.
Exhibitions:
Exposure - The Power of Being Seen
Rise and Shine - The ten designers of ITS Contest 2026
March 26, 2026 - January 3, 2027
Via della Cassa di Risparmio 10 - 34121 Trieste
Image: the finalists of ITS Contest 2026
