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ITS 2025: Maximilian Raynor wins jury prize at Trieste’s international fashion competition

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Nazia BIBI KEENOO

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March 26, 2025

The 22nd edition of ITS, founded by Barbara Franchin in 2002, embraced this year’s theme, Borderless. The competition has solidified a new format, introduced last year, where all ten finalists automatically receive the ITS Creative Excellence Award 10x10x10. Among them, the jury gave Raynor a special mention, awarding him the ITS Jury’s Rewarding Honour. Patrick Taylor also stood out, winning the Modateca Deanna Prize and the Pitti Tutoring & Consulting Award.

Finalists and jury members ofITS 2025 – itsweb.org

Derbyshire-born Maximilian Raynor, 26, has lived in London for a decade and studied at Central Saint Martins before launching his label in 2022. His designs quickly gained industry attention, dressing celebrities. He debuted his first London runway show with an ITS grant in February.

His award-winning collection, praised by the jury, featured opulent sculptural pieces drawing inspiration from multiple historical eras. Each look embodied a character from an imaginary purgatory set in a haunted mansion—a surreal backdrop for his designs.

“I design my pieces as if they were costumes for a film, theater production, or novel. Storytelling is essential to my creative process,” said Raynor, who advocates for genderfluid fashion as a challenge to patriarchal norms.

Sustainability remains a core focus. Raynor sources recycled fabrics and employs zero-waste construction techniques. With experience at JW Anderson, he blends textures and materials, working with shredded tweeds sculpted into dramatic gowns, Victorian dresses mixing gingham patterns, and voluminous knitwear adorned with bells. He also experiments with leather, crafting bold outerwear, including a red military coat with metal stud embellishments.

Maximilian Raynor’s award-winning design
Maximilian Raynor’s award-winning design – itsweb.org

 
Born in London, Patrick Taylor, 25, lived across Singapore and Dubai before settling in New York, where he graduated from Parsons School of Design. Passionate about textiles and knitwear, he merges these two worlds into a collection that fuses sportswear aesthetics with intricate knitting techniques. His vibrant, innovative silhouettes captivated the jury.

Taylor’s collection is inspired by his childhood memories, shaped by outdoor adventures with his siblings, often led by his sports-loving father. His key influences—skiing, and sailing—are reflected in his designs, which translate the movement and posture of these sports into fluid, dynamic garments.

Entirely knitted in merino wool, the collection also includes cotton-knit jeans that mimic denim’s texture. “I focused on comfort but also on the performative aspect of the garments,” said Taylor.

His designs include oversized knit T-shirts with asymmetrical sleeves, one dramatically extended to evoke the motion of a sail in the wind. His pants, shaped with forward-bending knee panels, mirror the stance of a skier in motion. The jury was particularly impressed by Taylor’s ability to blend nostalgia with technical precision, as well as the cozy, desirable appeal of his accessories.

Patrick Taylor's standout creation
Patrick Taylor’s standout creation – itsweb.org

Other finalists in this year’s competition included French designer Macy Grimshaw, who crafted paper dresses resembling true works of art, earning both the Swatch Prize and the Fondazione Sozzani Award. Chinese designer Zhuen Cai, known for integrating traditional craftsmanship with circular design methods, received a €5,000 scholarship from the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana.

Scholarships and industry recognition for all finalists

All ten finalists were awarded a €10,000 scholarship, a ten-day residency at the ITS Arcademy—a creative hub and the first museum dedicated to contemporary fashion—and the opportunity to exhibit their work there for ten months. Additionally, they participated in an exclusive industry visit and training day with the Italian fashion group OTB, founded by Renzo Rosso.

“We chose to forgo the traditional runway show and instead offer financial support to all the finalists. There are fewer of them, but each one walks away with €10,000. This shift represents a major change in how fashion competitions operate. The stress of competition is gone— instead, we create an environment that fosters collaboration and creative exchange,” said Barbara Franchin, who noted that the 2025 cohort bonded closely, even co-writing a manifesto on the future of fashion.

One of the defining themes of ITS 2025 was fashion’s ability to reflect emotional and physical suffering. Several designers explored how garments can serve as therapeutic expressions.

Among them, French designer Naya El Ahdab, awarded by Wrad, presented designs influenced by her experience with limited mobility since infancy. Meanwhile, Macy Grimshaw translated her grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s into delicate, memory-inspired paper dresses, symbolizing fragile yet enduring memories. “What was once kept inside is now being brought to the surface as a public conversation. This marks a true social evolution,” concluded Franchin.

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Puma to open first-ever European flagship on London’s Oxford Street

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Puma’s first ever European flagship store needs a big city and a big address. So the German sportswear giant has chosen London’s Oxford Street for the location of its highly anticipated autumn opening.

Bringing yet further kudos to a slowly revitalising Oxford Street, there’s no news yet of the exact location but it will be “just seconds from Selfridges and Bond Street Tube Station”, so in close proximity to other sports stores from Adidas and JD Sports.

It will measure 24,000 sq ft to offer an “immersive, interactive experience that blends sports performance and technology with cutting-edge streetwear designs”.

The move comes as part of Puma’s “brand elevation strategy” (yes, that popular phrase of recent years) aimed at  strengthening its presence globally, “delivering a shopping experience that reflects the brand’s innovation, sports performance, and deep connection to global street culture”.

So it promises an unparalleled experience, blending sport, performance, and fashion, where customers can immerse themselves in a range of unique experiences, including personalisation opportunities”.

Arne Freundt, CEO at Puma, said: “After unveiling our flagship store in Las Vegas last year, we’re incredibly excited to announce that our first flagship store in Europe.

“Our London flagship store is an important part of our brand elevation strategy. It brings the best of the Puma brand to life for our consumers and showcases our latest innovations and design newness as part of an immersive experience.”
 
Lucynda Davies, Puma managing director for the UK & Ireland, added: “London is a key city for the brand, and this prestigious location on Oxford Street reflects our commitment to delivering a unique, consumer-led experience.

She added: “While our Carnaby Street store has served us well since 2002, this flagship store will extend our product offering and bring Puma’s performance and sportstyle categories to life in a flagship store setting”.

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Christian Louboutin launches sunglasses furthering its brand offering

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Christian Louboutin’s infamous red sole is the stuff of footwear industry lore; the designer used nail polish to paint the soles of his sexy stilettos to make the shoe stand out at an early trade show.

The new campaign for Christian Louboutin eyewear – Courtesy

This tidbit helped inspire the brand to branch out into its highly successful beauty line. The brand also produces handbags, a full range of accessories, a kid’s shoe line, and bridal footwear. Now, the designer is adding another new category: eyewear.

With the plethora of rich brand codes—spike studs, pointy edges a la the stiletto, fishnet pattern designs, metallic finishes, and, of course, those famous, lawsuit-worthy red soles—Christian Louboutin has teamed up with Marcolin to debut its first-ever sunglass and optical collections.

A style from the debut Christian Louboutin eyewear collection
A style from the debut Christian Louboutin eyewear collection – Courtesy

With a total of nine sunglass styles in various colorways and four optical styles, the brand will retail from
approximately $625 to $875 with distribution online at its dedicated web-store and at Saks Fifth Avenue stores.

According to a release, the offerings include women’s and men’s styles and draw inspiration from Christian Louboutin’s work in pursuit of the ‘perfect structural lines. ‘ The eyewear range includes new ZEISS lenses, which provide crystal-clear, comfortable vision thanks to anti-reflective coatings, glare reduction, and durability treatments.
 
Described as a collection of ‘modern luxury’ according to a company spokesperson, the styles blend acetate and metal trims and mechanics. Brand codes are present as a row of teeny spikes on a pair of oversized Navigator frames; minuscule red sole hardware adorns the frames of Art-Deco cat and oval styles.

A style from the debut Christian Louboutin eyewear collection
A style from the debut Christian Louboutin eyewear collection – Courtesy

Mesh patterns on bridges and temples recall the designer’s fishnet-inspired styles on the Rocker and So Kate styles. At the same time, red details appear as linear accents on the exterior and interiors of the frames, such as the Georges or Greggo 2 frames. Some styles take ‘rose-colored’ glasses to a new level with cherry red lenses, as seen on a version of the Miss Z. Many details also mimic the brand’s beauty offerings.

To celebrate, Marcolin is hosting a New York debut party next week at the trendy The Nines restaurant and piano room, which, fittingly, is doused in red from ceiling to floor.
 

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Good American opens first Atlanta store

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Good American, the global fashion brand co-founded by Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede, has opened its first store in Atlanta. 

Good American opens first Atlanta store. – Good American

Located in Lenox Square Mall, the 2,757-square-foot space was designed with New York-based architecture firm MG2 to create a warm and inviting shopping environment.

Notable store features include custom-branded hangers that adjust to accommodate merchandise of all sizes, size-inclusive fitting rooms, and trained staff to ensure expert guidance on fit and product recommendations.

“The opening of our first-ever Good American Atlanta store is a key milestone in our strategic retail expansion. Atlanta’s dynamic market aligns perfectly with our vision to reach new customers and a tangible expression of our commitment to sustainable growth and redefining the retail experience,” said Grede. 

“Atlanta has always been an important market for Good American and i’m so excited to bring our vision to life in this city and meet our customers in person here!”

Known for its inclusive approach to denim, Good American has built a loyal following by prioritizing fit, comfort, and body diversity. The Atlanta location is designed to bring that mission to life in a physical retail space and is part of the brand’s wider global store expansion plans.

Good American opened its first retail location at Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles. It has since opened stores in Las Vegas at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and Newport Beach, California, at Fashion Island mall.

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