ITS LIBRARY
You’re now looking at around 9,000 of the nearly 15,000 portfolios we’ve received over more than 20 years.
The remaining 6,000 — including oversized formats and particularly delicate projects — are stored in dedicated spaces within the building.
For us, the LIBRARY is a magical place. It’s a temple of design, a celebration of creativity shaped through infinite ideas. Every project is stored in a custom case, and you’re literally surrounded by them. If you’re wondering how we keep track of them, each project is identified by a barcode—not on the spine and therefore hidden from view —that links up to our database, which also records its precise location in the library.
WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO
But what is a portfolio? A portfolio is the bridge between the artist’s idea and its realisation. Take a look at the central display case, where a video explains how a portfolio is structured. The creation of a portfolio usually unfolds in five key phases:
The Idea: every project begins with an idea the artist wants to express. It must first be written down— translating thoughts onto paper.
The Research: this phase represents the process of fine tuning and expanding the idea. The artist collects images and visual references that illustrate the initial concept—anything that reflects the essence of the idea—to explore colours, techniques, and shapes.
The development journal: all the “creative material” collected is then developed and arranged in a way that the artist feels best suits the project: photos, poetry, books, and images are thoughtfully assembled into a coherent mood board of inspiration.
Sketching: here, the designers begin assembling the pieces. Through sketches (by hand or digitally) or techniques like collage or draping, they start giving shape to the initial concept.
These phases often overlap and influence each other. Up to this point, the process is a free-flowing journey without limits or constraints.
Materials and Final Creation: this is the most hands-on phase, involving the choosing of fabrics and other materials. The designer envisions the final object and how it will be produced. Once completed, the project is often contextualised within its imagined world through a photoshoot that enhances its features and rounds off the story.
As you can see, a portfolio is much more than just paper and fabric. It’s the story of a journey—one driven by passion and hard work to seek out new perspectives on beauty. Some of these creatives have built up careers starting from these very projects, turning their passion into a profession. Among them are Demna, Creative Director at Balenciaga, Matthieu Blazy, Creative Director of Maison Chanel, Nicolas di Felice, Artistic Director at Maison Courrèges, and designers with their own eponymous brands such as Chopova Lowena, Craig Green, Peter Pilotto, and Richard Quinn.
Take a look around—you’re actually surrounded by portfolios, not just on the shelves. You’ll find them displayed in niches, in the central showcases, and in the Library’s multimedia resource, which offers you the chance to explore them further.
THE DIGITAL BOOK
Now, let’s move towards the back right corner, where you’ll find an extraordinary digital book. Try flipping through it and let yourself be carried away by its magic. We’re particularly proud of this tool, as it combines the tactile pleasure of turning pages with the enchantment of digital content coming to life before your eyes. You can choose from three different portfolios to explore—each one digitised, re-edited, and animated in high resolution.
To switch from one project to another, simply close the book’s cover.
One of the portfolios is by Tomohiro Sato, a finalist of ITS Contest in 2013. It’s a deeply personal and visionary journey that takes us into a surreal playground. A tribute to Tomohiro’s grandfather, who passed away after a long illness that caused him much suffering: the playground symbolises Tomohiro’s wish to give his grandfather a place in the afterlife where he can finally be happy and forget the pain.
The other portfolio you can explore belongs to Tom Van der Borght & Shalva Nikvashvili, finalists as a team of designers in ITS Contest 2015. This is also a highly personal project, telling the story of two individuals from different cultural backgrounds. They yearn for a life together, fighting to remove everything that stands between them and hinders their connection.
The third portfolio to explore is by Marius Janusauskas, a finalist in 2012. It draws inspiration from the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, horror movies, the work of Madame Grès, and the sculpture of Pablo Atchugarry. The result is a collection based on the concept of “deference” and outlines the story of his muse— a passive woman who doesn’t move, a “non-dead”: her skin tone fades, her only sign of life is the blood that flows through the seams of her garments. She is trapped in time, with pleats on the front symbolising the past and a cold, minimalist, clinical feel on the back.
PORFOLIOS ON DISPLAY
Now turn around and head to the opposite side of the Library: the video mapping you see will take you inside a portfolio. You'll have the chance to delve into the details of several portfolios, guided by the words of the finalists themselves and of Barbara Franchin, President of Fondazione ITS and mastermind of everything you see here, from the creation of ITS Contest in 2002 to the ITS Arcademy museum, which opened in 2023.
At the end of each story, you'll see the portfolio close and magically return to its place on the shelf, while the next one emerges and opens to tell a new story. Fascinating, right?
Before leaving the Library, let’s take a closer look at some of the portfolios on display, a preview of the 23 ITS Contest finalists you will find in the exhibition “Fashionlands – Clothes Beyond Borders” that begins around the corner.
We’ll start with Asato Kitamura. Leaving the video mapping behind, you’ll find Asato Kitamura's portfolio on your left, in the third niche, after Mata Durikovic and Eva Heugenhauser.
Asato Kitamura’s project, a finalist at ITS Contest 2022, is deeply intimate and autobiographical, born from his childhood relationship with his father, who forced him to follow a religion Asato could not identify with. He translated this troubled relationship into a journey of self-exploration, focusing on how we approach emotions and how they shape who we are. After identifying eight fundamental emotions common to us all, he celebrates our imperfections and vulnerabilities while also exploring his own personal experience. Visually, each emotion becomes a physical gesture, such as the traditional Japanese bow or the gesture of an embrace.
Today, Asato continues his journey as a designer and in 2023, after ITS Contest, he created a custom-made dress for the artist Beyoncé, who has shown great interest in the finalists selected by ITS Contest throughout the years.
Let’s stay on the left side, heading towards the digital book, and stop in front of the third-to-last niche on the left, where we will find the portfolio of Olivia Rubens.
Olivia’s work, a finalist at ITS Contest 2020, is both performative art in the style of Marina Abramović and a fashion project, as it started with a series of self-portraits inspired by the iconic artist Cindy Sherman. Like Sherman, Olivia explores the meaning of being a woman through self-portraits, portraying different women who are bound by the roles they are forced to play or the sacrifices they must make to exist within society. These roles are highlighted by the masks in her creations, which are designed to conceal identity. Through sustainable knitwear design and social justice initiatives, Olivia also promotes the idea of embracing our differences and fighting the injustices linked to bullying and prejudice.
We also collaborated with Olivia on a special project involving biodegradable garments, presented in 2021 during the pandemic. Today, Olivia continues to push the boundaries of sustainable fashion with her work, also as creative consultant for companies.
Now, with Olivia's project behind us, let's head to the opposite wall. The first niche, closest to the digital book, contains the project of Mohammed El Marnissi, finalist at ITS Contest 2021.
It tells a traditional love story from the Middle East, reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. The characters are Cuz and Damar, and the story is set in one of the oldest cities in the world, Damascus, whose name could be derived from the story itself. Mohammed worked with inspirations from the '60s and '70s, blending them into colorful silhouettes with broad cultural influences. He combined them with contemporary aspects, innovative techniques, and artisanal materials. The traditional Moroccan rug weaving inspired the construction of some of the coats, while the beads used in the creation of the trousers, a long and complex process, were all dyed with henna. The overall aesthetic is drawn from North African styles. The collection is a tribute to anyone who seeks to be themselves and break free from conventional thinking.
Following on from ITS Contest, Mohammed was named in 2022 as the most promising Arab designer at Fashion Trust Arabia, a competition for emerging designers in the Middle East.
Now, let’s continue towards the Gallery, leaving the Library and turning right, where you will find the next audioguide QR code near the introductory video to the exhibition.