Slideshow: The 2019 I-SKOOL Denim Design Contest Winner

Slideshow: The 2019 I-SKOOL Denim Design Contest Winner

Following six months of intensive competition, denim mill ISKO has finally concluded 2019’s I-SKOOL denim design contest.

This year’s contest was based around the theme “New Denim Codes,” and the 17 finalists created projects centered around exploring new perceptions of the body and fits for any form.

The winner, Xiaohui Lyu from BIFT Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, was awarded the prestigious Best Overall Student prize and the Best Showpiece for her design ‘Better.’

Isabelle Viengxay from Los Angeles, Calif. won the Best Overall Young Professional Award.

The jury for the awards included: Franciso Costa from Costa Brazil, Orsola de Castro from Fashion Revolution, Marco Falcioni from BOSS, Miles Johnson Freelance Designer, Sabine Kuhnl from Sportswear International, Sara Maino from Vogue Italia Kai Margrander from Harpers Bazaar Germany, Alberto Rigoni from Replay, and Marina Testino from Point of View.

One of the primary goals of the I-SKOOL seminars and competition is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from denim experts to future generations. The contest’s denim seminars included a hands-on teaching component in ISKO’s creative research and design hub in Italy, where tutors coached finalists on technical and soft skills through actual garment creation. The annual contest is based around cultivating young talent, and ISKO boasts a robust slate of sponsors and partner brands.

This year, TENCEL™ Lyocell was a proud sponsor, and the entire TENCEL™ Denim team extends congratulations to those who worked so hard to be eligible for the contest and to progress to finalist status.

“After supporting the ISKO- ISKOOL™ for several years, it is wonderful to see the progression of this amazing platform for the future talent of the denim industry. Including denim design professions in the early stage of their career who graduated within the past five years is another opportunity to foster the next generation,” said Tricia Carey, Lenzing’s director of business development for denim. “The grand finale event, held this year in Berlin, is a compilation many months of work to present the designs with an artistic interpretation bringing the theme of the ‘New Denim Code’ to life. Denim expresses the mood of our times bridging cultures and the generations together.”

TENCEL™ Denim joined ISKO in Berlin during early July, and assembled photo highlights to share with Carved in Blue’s readership. Click through to see moments from the ISKO event and I-SKOOL award ceremony.