The 2025 ITS Contest, the latest edition of the design talent scouting initiative set up by Barbara Franchin, which has been discovering and showcasing the most promising up-and-coming fashion and accessories designers from all over the world since 2002, has just ended in Trieste.

This year the competition has introduced a new format: all ITS Contest 2025 designers have been awarded, obtaining a 10 days creative Residency, a bursary of 10,000 euros, and participation in the "Borderless" exhibition coming up at ITS Arcademy - Museum of Art in Fashion on March 27.

The ten new design promises, selected from nearly 900 applications from 75 countries, are: Cindy Zhaohan Li (China), Gabrielle Szwarcenberg (Belgium), Macy Grimshaw (France), Maximilian Raynor (UK), Mijoda Dajomi (Germany), Naya El Ahdab (France), Patrick Taylor (UK), Qianhan Liu (China), Yifan Yu (China) and Zhuen Cai (China).

“Today, more than ever, fashion needs creative talent, but for many young people, the path to take is strewn with almost insurmountable obstacles, especially when they cannot count on adequate resources and networks. Offering all designers the opportunity to grow together is a new answer to the global and ethical challenges of our time. Focusing on collaboration instead of competition was the most responsible choice in order to enhance the potential of this new generation of designers”, said Barbara Franchin, president of Fondazione ITS and founder of ITS Contest.

A panel of personalities from the worlds of fashion, art, and culture guided the designer selection process. The ten designers awarded the ITS Creative Excellence Award 10x10x10, had the opportunity to present their collections to the press and an international jury made up of respected figures from the worlds of fashion, art, and culture, including British punk icon Dame Zandra Rhodes, celebrity stylist Tom Eerebout and Andrea Rosso, sustainability ambassador for the OTB Group. The special ITS Jury's Rewarding Honours was therefore awarded to Maximilian Raynor.

The Borderless exhibition, hosted by the ITS Arcademy - Museum of Art in Fashion brings together the works of the ten designers representing a unique opportunity to showcase themselves before an international audience, ready to appreciate the artistic value of their work, which transcends geographical, cultural and genre boundaries.

Borderless
March 27, 2025 - January 4, 2026
ITS Arcademy - Museum of Art in Fashion
Via Cassa di Risparmio 10
34121 Trieste