The ITS#SEVEN t-shirt and bag

Over the last couple of years we have always been involving finalists in the development of the ITS T-shirt and bag. It has become a traditional appointment, for more than one reason. First of all there are finalists with amazing drawing abilities, the kind of guys that tell you “Ok, I already have an idea, I’ll sketch out something for you right now” and you stand there looking at their pencil running on paper feeling like a kid at the circus while amazing forms and shapes burst out. It’s the case of David Aliperti, American/Brazilian ITS#FOUR finalist who created the graphics for the ITS#FIVE T-shirt and bag, and brilliant Aitor Throup (ITS#FIVE winner of Fashion Collection of the Year and responsible for the ITS#SIX tshirt and bag), who could easily quit fashion and go into illustrating.

Second, we give some more visibility to finalists talking about them when, during our travels, people ask us “who developed these graphics?” Finally, we get finalists to send us some more creativity and it’s yet another feast for our eyes!!

This year we wrote to several ITS#SIX finalists in January, asking them to send us proposals. We did not only contact finalists with drawing abilities, but also finalists who perhaps do not draw so well but have a great sense of graphics and colour. The briefing we gave them was quite simple: Together with an explanation of this year’s “7 Heavenly Sins” concept in order to give them some kind of inspiration, they had to include the number of the edition, the wording “ITS” and the colours black, white and magenta. E-mails were sent out to Anna Sheldon, David Longshaw, Justin Smith, Jin Lee, Katy Reiss, Chantal Louise McDonald & Susan Maria Dimasi (Material by Product), and Maria Giulia Giorgiani. We then waited for a reply…

Some of them were in the midst of a crazy period at work (like Katy Reiss at Lanvin, who for example was working on the last details of the collection before presentation) and were not able to answer our call. We obviously did not insist because we would never want to become an added stress for someone already very busy (since we know very well what that means?)! Others instead had time to develop ideas and were more than happy to accept.

Maria Giulia Giorgiani was the ITS#SIX photography finalist selected for the MINI Clubman tour in Tuscany with photographer Gianni Berengo Gardin, the result of which became a photo exhibition presented in Milan at Spazio Forma and published in GQ Italy. She is now working for Diesel as a graphic designer and sent us several proposals. Her concept focused on the heart, which as you all know is a very strong symbol for us. For instance, the prizes of ITS are magenta hearts pierced by sewing needles… Maria Giulia’s, as you can see in the pictures, is a bleeding heart with seven blood drops representing the 7 Heavenly Sins. The whole style of her graphic proposal was very naïf and romantic, just like Maria Giulia.

David Longshaw was glad to send us proposals even though we caught him in quite a busy period (he’s working at Alberta Ferretti and like Katy he was busy working on the collection). He was an ITS#SIX fashion finalist and drawing is part of his creative process so he often develops fashion projects from stories and characters he has first drawn on paper, that?s why we involved him. Like Maria Giulia, the images we received from David were of a naïf style.

ITS#SIX Accessories finalist Anna Sheldon struck YKK to the point that they created a special prize just for her, since they had picked Liron Braker for the YKK Award but didn’t want to leave Anna empty handed. She also worked with YKK on the development of the YKK website media center where all accessories contestants went to view the fastenings they could use and their function, through very funny stop-motion videos which Anna is very good at. Anna’s proposals caught our attention right away. She started out from the idea of the map of the human heart, giving each of the 7 heavenly sins a space. A mechanical heart ready to spring into action and start working away! She then sent us two other options, one being an angel sitting on a big magenta “7”, and the other one a beautiful conceptual image with a “7” in the center surrounded by 7 masts with hearts at the top.

Quite soon we realised that we would have used one of Anna?s images. In the beginning we were debating between the mechanical heart image and the 7 masts image, wondering which would fit best. We even made sample t-shirts to have a clearer idea of how they would look in the end.

After some debate, we asked Anna to refine both images a little bit in order for us to reach a final decision. When we received the re-worked version of the mechanical heart, all doubts were immediately washed away and the ITS#SEVEN t-shirt and bag graphic was decided!
Below, a very special model wearing the ITS#SEVEN bag and t-shirt.
Bets are open for who guesses
who she is!