Building The Ark – The webseries. The Heart, The Family, The Future of ITS.

Building The Ark is a contest and an event. And Building The Ark is a new webseries, produced by ITS.

Through 7 episodes and 7 insights, under the eye of our creative director Fabio Bressan, it will follow the creative paths of 3 fashion designers (former ITS finalists) who were challenged to create 3 pieces of fashion-art inspired by 3 different concepts: THE FAMILY (the family of ITS and the network), THE HEART (the symbol of ITS and the Creative Archive), THE FUTURE (ITS ARCADEMY, the under-construction evolution of ITS). Each designer will take us into their creative process, sharing thoughts, showing their tools, their workplaces, the complete making-of.

Along the 7 episodes we will follow the whole process of the making of a fashion art piece, from sketching to prototyping, receiving feedback, finishing and curating the final video shooting. In the meanwhile, within the episodes of Building The Ark another story will unfold, raising like a phoenix from the ashes of the 2020 contest, following another journey which will bring us directly inside the past, the present and the future of ITS on a mission to save creativity. A colourful, playful and intense quest for special items, places and realities.

Noa Baruch, 29, is a 2019 fashion design graduate from Shenkar College in Tel Aviv. Her work is based on her cultural identity. She is mainly specialised in tailor and denim and draws inspiration from physical phenomena and pattern making processes and tools. Her final year project “Retroperspectiva” is about the illusion of perspective. It earned her an excellence award by the American Israel Keren Sharet Foundation. In 2019, together with a textile design student, she won the first place at Loro Piana “Knit Game”. Their work was presented at Pitti Filati in Florence and she interned at Loro Piana in Milan. She has also worked in an Israeli fashion-tech company creating virtual fitting rooms. She was selected as a fashion finalist for ITS2020 where she won the Diesel Award. As a result, she is carrying out a 6-month experience at the Diesel headquarters in Breganze, Italy.

Justin Smith won the i-D Styling Award and the Maria Luisa Award at ITS2007. Known as the artist of the millinery world, Justin’s designs are iconic, attracting numerous accolades and displayed in galleries around the world. Since his critically acclaimed 2007 RCA Masters show, his design, teaching and consultation skills have been in constant demand. Over 15 years, under his couture brand ‘J Smith Esquire’, he has designed for screen, stage and projects requiring innovative fashion-forward creations. While J Smith Esquire’s bespoke work includes a distinguished portfolio of clients, Justin continues to push his brand globally and across many sectors, from art installations to fashion and film work. In 2017, Justin opened his shop in London’s old millinery quarter of De Beauvoir Town. His highly desirable artisanal work offers something unique to the wearer, while emphasising quality, sustainability and style. “Justin Smith is an amazing artist” Angelina Jolie.

Olivia rubens is a positive knitwear designer based between the UK and Canada. She stands for every woman who has battled their way to honouring themselves to the Nth degree, overcoming obstacles. Meant to poke at human nature, her work is playfully thought-provoking, nurturing impactful conversations about human behaviour. This is how she approaches her initiatives in social justice, working to help women, children and the community. Her work is ingrained within environmental sustainability, with a goal to design positive impacts for the planet and people. She obtained her BA in Fashion Design from Ryerson University in 2015, and pursued her MA in Fashion Design Technology Womenswear at the London College of Fashion, graduating in 2020 and showing at LFW for AW20. She won the Responsible Fashion Award and the CNMI Award at ITS2020. She also showed digitally in 2020 with Helsinki Fashion Week, including a climate positive garment, and has most recently been featured in Vogue, Teen Vogue, and WWD.

We will not only be following their stories and the development of their projects through the lens of our video crew, that will be traveling to document each step of the process as well as their interaction with the partners of Building The Ark. We have shipped HD cameras to each one of them: this will give an intimate portrait through their own day-to-day perspective, both as designers working in their studio and as human beings.

We’ve mentioned partners. The webseries sees the direct involvement of 3 international companies that continue to embrace the driving force of ITS with the common aim of supporting young talents. They have developed the specific project briefs for Noa, Justin and Olivia to carry out and will be interacting with them directly during the development process providing insight and direction.

In collaboration with Diesel, Noa will design a total-look fully made in denim fabric, under the creative direction of Glenn Martens. At least one of the pieces from the total-look could become a garment to wear as part of the ITS Arcademy uniform of the ITS FAMILY. Justin was asked to develop an object, an artwork, that represents the HEART of Swatch and its commitment to supporting young creative talents, especially with the Swatch Art Peace Hotel. It will remain in the ITS Arcademy as a “founding stone” and a memento of the Swatch & ITS relationship. Allianz asked for Olivia’s help to conceptualise, imagine, speculate and tell the world the values and ideas upon which ITS Arcademy – the FUTURE – is being built, focusing on sustainability and responsible creativity.

While following the development of Noa, Olivia and Justin’s stories, every episode of the webseries will also take us to an otherworldly place where we will be guided by a muse – perfectly played by model Martina Vodanova – to the roots of what ITS is, where it began, what it has built, how it is today and where it is heading.

We’ve just released the first episode entitled Nigredo on our youtube channel, and we’ve updated the dedicated section on our website where you will be able to follow the entire series: 7 episodes, 7 insights, 14 steps of a journey towards Building The Ark – the event. When Noa’s, Olivia’s and Justin’s projects will be revealed. When the winners of ITS2021 will be revealed.

When more will be revealed about ITS Arcademy – The Ark of Creativity.