What are the ITS Finalists Doing?
October 30, 2009
Only a couple of months have passed since ITS#EIGHT, and we can already start talking about important results that finalists from this past edition are achieving. The fashion world goes at a tremendous speed, leaving space for opportunities and change, but in critical economic times as these are, we're glad to see that things are happening: internships, jobs, exhibitions....there's quite a number of things going on in the finalists' lives and we've been in touch with all of them to find out what they are up to. We also had a look at London, Milan and Paris Spring/Summer 2010 Fashion Week calendars, presenting the spring/summer 2010 collections, and were happy to see familiar names showing on catwalk, in exhibitions and in showrooms.
During London Fashion Week there were 5 ITS finalists showing their work. AminakaWilmont (design duo composed of Marcus Wilmont, Collection of the Year at ITS#FOUR and Maki Aminaka) presented a womenswear collection based on the concept of movement, on Bach's Goldberg Variations and on Grace Jones. As time goes by AminakaWilmont's woman becomes more and more sensual, still hiding to the untrained eye a complexity in draping and prints that underlines her love for creativity and high quality fabrics.
ITS#SEVEN winner of the i-D Styling Award Mark Fast also presented his spring/summer collection. His incredible weaving technique is still there (and why should he take it away, it's his trademark and it's simply amazing...), in garments that have more colour and romance than what we saw at ITS. Inspiration came from the movie Erin Brokovich played by Julia Roberts (especially for the styling), from silent movies of the 20s and from love. His woman is slightly less aggressive now, but still with a very strong personality, who underlines her body with spider-like weaved architectures and has a clear idea of what she wants.
It is difficult to capture all that inspires Peter Pilotto (ITS#THREE Maria Luisa Award winner) and Christopher De Vos (ITS#FOUR) who work together on their brand Peter Pilotto. It can be a Byzantine Church, a science fiction reference, warriors of ancient Rome...It all translates in a look that is their personal signature, recognizable and balanced from season to season, without a determinable age or style. This season, their concept was the Big Bang theory in terms of a new beginning.
The new collection by James Long (accessories finalist at ITS#FIVE) is among the most original things we've seen. He still designs fashion accessories (and there's still references to what he presented here at ITS 3 years ago), but has now focused on a total look that includes clothes. Lots of black, leather, camouflage patterns, gold and copper, bags of all sorts...a very, very strong look that won't pass unnoticed. And where is crazily creative Justin Smith (i-D Styling Award and Maria Luisa Award at ITS#SIX) displaying his millinery at LFW? His hats are a breath of fresh air, if you're bored by conventional fashion (and there's still way too much of that). The exhibition by the British Fashion Council during LFW is the place to go if you want to see his latest work. Ropes, shells...wearing his Spring/Summer 2010 hats is like turning into a modern, very well dressed version of a Titanic survivor! Justin once told us: "My problem is having enough time and hands...ideas keep popping out all the time"!
While we write, Demna Gvasalia (Collection of the Year at ITS#THREE) is working with the Maison Martin Margiela team refining the details for the spring/summer 2010 collection that will be presented in Paris on Friday 2 October at the POPB (Palais Ominsport de Paris Bercy). We can only imagine his excitement, but we very well know his talent and there is no doubt, at least in our opinion, that it will be a success. Because Demna is the kind of guy who gives 100% in what he does. He loves what he does but the most important thing is that he is a great human being. And great human beings always have success regardless what people say.
Talking about the ITS#EIGHT finalists, there is a lot happening also.
Michael Van Der Ham, winner of the Vertice Award, was also included in the BFC Exhibition with the collection he presented in Trieste last July. A juxtaposition of elements from different decades of fashion, inspired by a similar work by Andy Warhol. Accessories finalist Yuima Nakazato, winner of the YKK Award, is going to participate in the annual Paris showroom organised by FFI (Royal Academy of Antwerp) from 1st to 8th October during Paris Fashion Week. Also Mikio Sakabe (Fashion Special Prize at ITS#FIVE) will be there with his new collection - which he also presented at "White" Fair in Milan recently - as well as Ek Thongprasert (Fashion Collection of the Year at ITS#SIX).
Accessories Finalist Helen Robotham has been selected by Vogue Italia among the best young talents around, and had the chance to display her work in a dedicated "Vogue Talent" installation during Milan Fashion Week. Ali Forbes made a real impression on CRYSTALLIZED™ —Swarovski Elements with her Meccano inspired accessories collection. She is going to begin a 6 month internship with them soon. And to finish with the ITS#EIGHT accessories designers, Weronika Lesniak (her's was the "War of the Banks" collection, do you remember it? Shoes and briefcases like medieval armours...) is at present working on shoes for Burberry.
By the time you read this they will have finished, but as we write Saana Wang winner of the MINI Clubman Photo Award, is shooting together with photographer Ari Marcopoulos in the area of L'Aquila in Italy, where the earthquake struck earlier this year, in March. The resulting pictures will become an exhibition, but we'll report quite extensively on that with a dedicated article....
Photographer Sarah Small is back in New York and continuing her "Delirium Constructions" series, part of which we appreciated at ITS#EIGHT. She also been asked by "L'Uomo Vogue" to shoot a portrait of young director Ramin Bahrani which appeared in the September issue dedicated to the 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival.
For those of you who have attended PITTI's September womenswear fairs in Milan (Touch, Nezone and Cloudnine), photography finalist Silvia Noferi is the author of the image for the fairs and catalogue. Noemie Goudal, also winner of the PITTI Immagine Award at ITS#EIGHT (two finalists are chosen for this award) will soon shoot the advertising campaign for the February 2010 edition...
What can we say....ITS finalists have been rather busy!!