Demna-led jury awards ITS 2022 awards as competition marks 20th anniversary

TRIESTE, Italy — "Barbara, you made history."

These are the words of appreciation from the participants of the 2022 edition of International Talent Support, known as ITS, here offered to Barbara Franchin during the weekend.

The founder and mastermind of the fashion contest, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, was visibly moved. The milestone was celebrated with the unveiling of the ITS Arcademy, the organization's sprawling headquarters, archives and multifunctional space spanning 7,000 square feet and Franchin's dream for many years, revealed in 2020.

The opening was marked by an exhibition organized by Olivier Saillard tracing the history of the last 20 years of fashion through the work provided by young talents applying for the competition and aptly titled "The First Exhibition: 20 Years of Contemporary Fashion Evolution".

The ITS Arcademy space, located inside a building occupied by the Fondazione CRTrieste, who supported the project, stood out for its simplicity and chic layout with the floor-to-ceiling Library space housing the 14,359 portfolios accumulated over the years and the Gallery space showcasing the works of former ITS competitors such as Matthieu Blazy by Bottega Veneta and Demna by Balenciaga, organized into thematic corners ranging from neo-futurists to art brut and singular. It turned out to be a compelling atlas of the evolution of fashion.

"I knew the price but I didn't know much about portfolios, collecting.… It's unique in Italy, probably in Europe, if not the world,” said Saillard, a fashion historian and curator, and former director of the Palais Galliera fashion museum in Paris.

"I'm not very interested in fashion, but in clothes and costumes and I m 'interested in books," he said when explaining the rationale for the library space. "It was very inspiring to see something so pure looking at wallets because they come from of very innocent [impartial] people… They show how fashion could be a poem, could be more than clothes for sale,” he said.

"I'm really happy. It was not easy to think of a concept that could translate archives into something understandable for everyone, not just fashion and art people,” Franchin said.

In March, ITS Arcademy will officially open its doors to the public and Franchin said his team is preparing a program of activities, including residencies, workshops, educational activities and more.

For those familiar with ITS, the space replaces the old archives housed in a small attic of a 18th- century palace in the city center. This location will be converted into accommodation space. Franchin plans to launch an artist residency there, featuring conversations between local and international creatives.

ITS Arcademy is a testament to the contest team's efforts to discover and promote the next generation designers, offering them financial support and publicity for two decades.

Saturday evening, the jury for the 2022 edition, led by Demna, awarded 11 prizes. Other jurors included Franchin; Andrea Rosso, Diesel Sustainability Ambassador and Founder of Myar; singer Róisín Murphy; Carlo Capasa, president of the Camera Nazionale dell...