An Invitation to Be Loved – ITS Contest 2027 opens applications and marks 25 years of ITS

In its 25 years history ITS Contest has shaped the careers and lives of countless designers and is now ready to do it again. Starting today, emerging creative talents worldwide have the opportunity to send in the applications online for one of the 10 spots available for ITS Contest 2027.

ITS Contest finalists receive financial support and join a network of peers and industry experts that provide mentoring and career opportunities. At the core of the ITS experience lies a Residency in Italy – an invaluable opportunity to learn new skills and make lifelong friendships at the crossroads of Europe.

Last year, over 700 applicants from 35 countries answered the call, for a chance to join a list of designers including names responsible for shaping the recent history of contemporary fashion: from Demna, to Matthieu Blazy, Nicolas di Felice, ChopovaLowena, Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos, countless designers have kickstarted their careers at ITS, being spotted by industry insiders and beginning a professional journey that today sees them working in senior positions, or as creative directors at the most renowned brands in fashion one could think of. 

Your voice. Your process. Your drive to question the now, rethink materials and forms, imagine more conscious ways of living. The claim for ITS Contest 2027 is “Be Loved”. An invitation to step forward, to put your work into the world. Show us the talent and ideas only you can bring. ITS Contest is an international stage that can ignite your future, allowing you to access a global network of mentors, funding to support your practice, not to speak of the opportunity to showcase your work at Italy’s first contemporary fashion museum. 

Besides, who wouldn’t want to introduce their work to the likes of Raf Simons, Iris Van Herpen, Viktor & Rolf and Glenn Martens? Because these are the kind of names sitting in the ITS Contest Jury, ready to provide guidance and inspiration to the selected designers. 

And if this weren’t enough, there’s a full residency program, representing perhaps the most important evolution of the contest. 

One of the most significant changes ITS Contest has introduced in recent years is a fundamental shift in what the experience is about. To distance ourselves from the idea of competition we have evolved into a platform for exchange, connection and collective growth. The selected designers are no longer brought together for just three intense days: they now become part of a 10-day Residency, with a programme of workshops, seminars and individual meetings led directly by members of the Jury.

The change goes beyond simply extending the duration of the event. It reflects a broader ambition to create meaningful encounters across disciplines, cultures and backgrounds, while removing the physical and conceptual boundaries that can keep creative communities apart. Because fashion does not have to be a contest in which one person wins and everyone else loses. Rather, each generation picks up where the previous one left off, sharing knowledge, ideas and opportunities along the way.

By creating the conditions for designers to spend more time together, exchange ideas and build genuine relationships, ITS Contest has transformed what remains after the event. The most valuable outcome may not be a title or a trophy, but the network of people and connections that can continue to shape a designer’s career for years to come, which has come to be known as “ITS Family”.

This philosophy is also embodied in the ITS 10 x 10 x 10 Award, which is given to every selected designer. Rather than distinguishing between winners and runners-up, the award recognises all of them with the same package: €10,000, participation in a 10-day Residency and inclusion in a dedicated 10-month exhibition at ITS Arcademy – Museum of Art in Fashion.

And this is just the beginning, for a unique edition marking 25 years of talent support…

The dates you want to bear in mind?

August 31st – Online applications are now open. Create your profile on our website and start uploading.

September 21st – Application deadline

Mid-September – 1st round of selections, ship your portfolio

Early October – Jury selects the top 100.

November 12–13 – Jury selects the 10 designers, each receiving €10,000 + 10-day Residency + at ITS Arcademy for 10 months.

March 7–17, 2027 – ITS Residency

March 18–19, 2027: Final Event

For all information on how to apply click here.