The activities of Fondazione ITS
The Foundation’s mission is to safeguard and disseminate the creative legacy of humanity. A true ark of talent, it gathers gems of artistic creation and protects them from dispersion and oblivion. The activities of the ITS Foundation engage, entertain and move, generating new ideas in a virtuous cycle that contributes to the sustainable development of our communities.
We do so through ITS Arcademy - Museum of Art in Fashion and international fashion competition ITS Contest. We scout and develop talent and create events, exhibitions and projects at the intersection of fashion, art and culture.
Established in 2002, ITS Contest stands as a beacon among global contests for emerging designers.
A genuine vessel of talents, spanning over two decades, it has unearthed over 15,000 creative minds in the realms of fashion design, accessories, jewelry, and photography, hailing from more than 80 nations.
Our endeavour extends beyond the realms of fashion and design or even culture itself. Since each Finalist donates an item from their collection, we are forging a future archive for generations to come.
The over 15,000 creative projects gathered throughout the history of ITS Contest are now housed within the framework of ITS Arcademy–Museum of Art in Fashion. Open to the public in April 2023, the Museum is located in a remarkable late 19th-century building in the heart of the city center.
Thanks to the quality and interdisciplinary nature of the projects, as well as the rarity of the Collection, ITS Arcademy ranks among the most significant institutions dedicated to fashion on an international level.
It's a museum designed for everyone, with a journey that stimulates the senses, captures the imagination, and unleashes creativity, revealing fashion as a form of contemporary art.
ITS Arcademy hosts an unparalleled collection of 14840 portfolios, 1100 garments, 165 accessories, 120 jewelry pieces, and over 700 photographic works. It is an extremely rare and invaluable archive of radical and innovative creative projects conceived at the very beginning of their makers’ careers. Free from commercial constraints, they are contemporary art.
Every item collected, protected, and preserved carries a narrative - a personal and artistic account that captivates the visitor, sparking and nurturing the inherent creativity within each individual.
The Collection is preserved through pioneering, continuous work on the conservation of contemporary materials, ranging from recycled textiles to new fabrications derived from biotechnological applications to design.
Through collaboration with renowned experts, ITS Arcademy has embarked on a journey of research and experimentation with innovative conservation techniques. Our learnings will be shared with key national and international museums - a small but important contribution to the protection of a universal heritage.
Problem solving, attention, memory, logic, innovation - creative activities have the ability to help all of us develop fundamental cognitive skills, at any age and for life.
ITS Arcademy is also a place of learning and education that offers courses and workshops for everyone - not only fashion and design enthusiasts, but also students from all levels, families, and people of all ages who want to explore or rediscover their own creativity.
The educational activities of ITS Arcademy have already involved hundreds of local students and will be extended to schools of all levels from around the world starting from the next academic year.
Among our tutors, many are Finalists from previous editions of ITS Contest, who will be bringing back to Trieste their talent and skills.
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