Darius Betschart

Bakken

I:C 10x10x10 Award 2026
I:C OTB Award 2026

Copenhagen’s teenage skate scene, intertwined with the local techno and tattooing scene inherent to the newly gentrified districts of Nørrebro + Vesterbro, are foundational in Darius Betschart’s designs. However this aesthetic vision is the surface below which lies a much more political agenda, fuelled by the work of philosopher Bernard Stiegler and artist/philosopher Hito Steyerl. Stiegler was a critic of the capitalistic industry driven by short-term profit, indifferent to the future of the younger generations. Steyerl’s work explores militarization, surveillance, migration and, most importantly, the role of the media in globalization, and the spread of culture through images. By referencing garments from medieval feudalism, Betschart’s designs work on two levels: a visually striking, subcultural aesthetic, and a deeper critical commentary on capitalism, culture, and the media.

I:C 10x10x10 Award 2026

All winners will receive:

a 10 days creative Residency
10 months feature in the “RISE AND SHINE” Exhibition at ITS Arcademy – Museum of Art in Fashion
€10,000

I:C OTB Award 2026

The OTB Group will offer a day of training visits to OTB’s headquarters, where young designers will be able to see first-hand the stages involved in creating the Group’s brands’ garments and accessories, as well as a mentoring and coaching session on best practices in sustainability with OTB Group experts.

Motivation

We had the pleasure of welcoming the young ITS designers to the headquarters of OTB Group and Diesel. We shared with them our commitment to sustainability, and it was inspiring to see how much curiosity they showed towards these topics. At the same time, engaging with young designers from all over the world brought energy, freshness, and diverse perspectives, continuously enriching and nurturing our company’s DNA. Moments like these represent a true exchange: on one hand, the opportunity to share what we do every day in our work; on the other, the chance to offer insights, suggestions, and a concrete vision of what it means to build one’s own path in the fashion industry. During the visit, the designers had direct contact with the Diesel denim world, visiting the brand’s headquarters, its creative spaces, and the historical archive, which holds over 80,000 research and collection pieces from 1978 to today. Sharing our passion and the story of this brand with curious and passionate young talents is always an opportunity for mutual inspiration.

Project selection motivation

The strength and clarity of Darius’s creative message immediately stood out to us, a critique of cultural appropriation that turns aesthetic codes into symbols of status and wealth. In his work, we see the future of streetwear and casual fashion: a bold, distilled message that blends technical details drawn from the outdoors with design elements evoking new tribes of metropolitan warriors, humans who protect and support one another, living in a state of camouflage without ever losing their individuality.