ITS (International Talent Support), a fashion contest held every July in Trieste, Italy, selected four young Japanese designers as finalists from among nearly 1,000 submissions from 21 countries. This high-level contest, attracting the attention of top connoisseurs, including fashion journalists and designers from Italian Vogue and other publications, is known for having produced many successful Japanese winners since its inception. Mari Terasawa, a buyer at the Isetan Shinjuku Tokyo Kaihoku (Liberation Zone), was captivated by ITS and visited the venue to get a feel for the atmosphere. Here's a report from Mari Terasawa. ■Why ITS, a gateway for young designers to succeed globally, caught my eye
My motivation for attending ITS was the existence of "coconogacco"*1, run by designer Yamagata of writtenafterwards. I've been giving critiques of students' work for some time, and I've been paying attention to the high level of "coconogacco" since Ryota Murakami of RYOTAMURAKAMI and Mari Kodaka of malamute were both students there. Coconogacco is focusing on applications to ITS, and I wondered what kind of contest ITS was, with alumni Tomohiro Sato※2 and Shuko Nakazato※3 winning awards. As I researched ITS, I was captivated by its worldview and wanted to visit the site for myself.

■The "family atmosphere" I felt at ITS

Even before I went to ITS, I had the impression that this contest really respected the creativity, individuality, and "creativity" of designers. So, when I actually went to the site, I was impressed by the "family atmosphere" of the entire contest.



The organizers are truly professional, providing attentive support to ensure that the contestants can present freely in the contest. For example, ITS allows applicants to choose their own category from four categories: fashion, accessories, jewelry, and artwork, but there are cases where the organizers will suggest, "Why don't you try applying in a different category?" We got a glimpse of their "instinct" as they try to identify and unearth budding talent that even the applicants themselves may not be aware of, as well as their "warmth" as they carefully interact with each applicant. Other thoughtful touches included having everyone eat lunch buffets together during the event to encourage interaction between performers, and there was no sense of tension within the venue; everyone was in a very relaxed atmosphere.



The organizers also took great care to accommodate guests (fashion journalists, brand designers, sponsors, etc.), providing a complete ITS viewing tour for guests, all of which could be booked online, which I thought was impressive. Downloading the dedicated app allowed users to see accommodation, dining options, and even the exhibition schedule at a glance; these were all very smart and easy-to-understand touches. Additionally, the ITS secretariat stores past award-winning works, so I took part in an archive tour, which gave me a deeper understanding of the concept and history of ITS.



■Three days at ITS: Meeting talent from around the world

The works of the approximately 40 finalists from around the world were all truly amazing. They were all of high caliber, each with a high level of individuality, and had a good balance of various elements such as construction, material feel, and sense, without the rough edges that you might expect from a newcomer. I believe this is possible only thanks to the keen aesthetic sense and clever management of the organizers, including Barbara Franchin.

At ITS, applicants also present their work in English, and individual booths are set up so they can answer guests' questions directly and have the opportunity to sell their work to sponsoring companies. For Japanese people, there may be a language barrier, but I thought it was a very valuable experience to learn how to promote yourself as an artist working on the world stage. It seems that many people actually make connections with famous fashion houses here and sign contracts.



■The appeal of the ITS finalists that we want to convey at the Isetan Shinjuku TOKYO Liberation Zone

The "richness" and "fun" of fashion. For example, it would be great to convey the sense that "fashion" is a sense of excitement and the open expression of fresh imagination! I think the appeal of ITS is that it has this kind of richness.

In fashion, pursuing functionality and practicality is essential and sometimes very important, but I don't think there's just that. ITS' designers and their works exude a pure love and enjoyment of fashion, and I feel that this energy shares a strong affinity with the concept of TOKYO Kaihoku, so I hope you will embrace it as it is. It would be my pleasure if TOKYO Kaihoku could fulfill its role as a "place" where people can experience the freedom to create what they love without being bound by commercial considerations, and as a venue and opportunity to experience and learn about the happy, fun, and peaceful mind and sensibility that fashion offers.

[Message from ITS Founder Barbara Frankin]

Welcome to the ITS Japanese Finalists Exhibition

In the 15 years since its founding, ITS has had the opportunity to meet many talented young people from around the world.

And from the very beginning, we have truly cherished the significance of this exhibition.

Because these designers represent the "seeds" of pure creativity, and we nurture those "seeds" through our contests.

Whether they are active in the world of film, music or theater, working for famous fashion brands or starting their own brands,
we watch with heartfelt respect, gratitude and joy as the seeds of their talent blossom and grow strong.

Their past, present and future all make up ITS.
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ITS Founder and Director: Barbara Frankin
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※1: Coconogacco: http://www.coconogacco.com/
※2: Tomohiro Sato: Winner of the ITS Special Jury Award and MODATECA Award in 2013
※3: Noriko Nakazato: Winner of the ITS Jewelry and Artwork categories in 2014