ISKO I-SKOOL’s 5th Denim Design Award Explores Industry’s “UnDocumented” Future
ISKO I-SKOOL is equipping emerging designers with the tools they’ll need to navigate the “UnDocumented” denim sector in the coming years.
ISKO I-SKOOL, an educational project that supports upcoming talent in the denim industry, unveiled details about the 5th edition of its Denim Design Award, including a theme, finalists and supporting partners.
Twenty finalists were selected out of 216 international applicants from top design universities, including Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology and Savannah College of Art and Design. Leading educational hubs, including London College of Fashion and China Academy of Art, are collaborating with ISKO I-SKOOL for the project, in addition to key industry partners, including Lenzing and Reca Group, which are supporting the project’s initiatives.
Notable denim brands, like 7 For All Mankind and G-Star, are also part of the project, with the role of helping finalists conceptualize their denim design visions.
“UnDocumented” will be the creative theme for this edition of the Denim Design Awards, as finalists reimagine what denim’s future could look like. The award challenges finalists to brainstorm new scenarios and innovations to tap into the many possibilities of what denim can offer. Finalists’ projects proposed many variations for future denim that leveraged upcycled materials, advanced functionality and solutions for garments that can be worn multiple ways.
Finalists recently participated in a Denim Seminar, which took place at Creative Room, ISKO’s Italian style and design incubator in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy, from March 19- 20. At the Denim Seminar, students worked with project partners, tutors and the ISKO I-SKOOL team for two days of workshops focused on technical skills development and practical sessions designed to help them take their design ideas to real garments.
“Textile design students were very enthusiastic about meeting each other to build relationships rather than being competitors. Students and their tutors were happy to interact with ISKO and its partners to learn and experience,” Lenzing project manager Hale Öztürk said. “I find I-SKOOL as a great international platform to accelerate the growth of textile design students in their steps being professional in various aspects from technical to soft skills.” 
ISKO I-SKOOL’s upcoming activities include the debut of the Marketing Award brief and shortlisted finalists, in addition to the official announcement of finalists chosen for the Final Awards Ceremony, which will take place in Milan this summer.
“We are proud to support the students and offer them a chance to delve deep into the denim world with the help of our Partners,” ISKO brand director Fabio Di Liberto said. “We are following them closely as they rise to the challenge of exploring the “UnDocumented” future of denim, fostering their talent and creativity.”