Swatch has given its backing to an international showcase for talented young designers with the creation of a new contest.
The Swiss watchmaker, renowned for its own colourful artistic collaborations with artists and designers, has developed the partnership it formed with International Talent Support (ITS) last year by creating a new contest category, ITS Artwork.
For thirteen years ITS has held annual competitions to find the most promising young designers in different fields. In 2013 these included Fashion, Jewellery and Accessories. This year entrants in these three categories will also be judged on the contents of their portfolios and the concepts behind their work in July with the Swatch-invited panel of judges including ‘a perfume creator, a truly unique couple in the world of style and performing arts, a lady of style, a pop music star and a historian with a passion for dada’.
The ITS Artwork finalists will then be asked for their on take on the Swatch brand, the designs and concepts will then be the subject of a dedicated exhibition to be held in Trieste, Italy.
Carlo Giordanetti, Swatch Creative Director, said: “ITS offers an amazing window on the world of young designers. It shows us how they think and see the world. The most interesting thing for us is to scout these incredible talents, to see the power of young people and let them inspire us and inspire how we make our products. We are curious about how they look at the world, and especially about how they see Swatch.”
The final winner of the ITS ARTWORK contest will receive a €10,000 SWATCH Award and a paid internship at the Swatch Group Creative Lab in Zurich.
