For someone online is already just a usual way of living, for IYDC 2020 it is a new way to create and expand its scope. This year all components of this international project are organized online.  

This week all finalists were invited to participate in Fashion Visual Art Residence organized in partnership with IED - Istituto Europeo di Design. Young designers from ten countries and young photographers from Ukraine worked together in international groups under the curatorship of Giovanni Ottonello, Professor, Art Director, IED - Istituto Europeo di Design, Italy, and Valeriy Veduta, the Ukrainian well-known fashion photographer. The participants were given the creative task to photoshoot fashion stories, while actually being a thousand kilometres from each other. 

The online format allows the IYDC organizing committee to expand the educational component of this year's contest, as we are not limited by three days of the offline event. 

Next week the finalists will have online sessions with the international fashion experts of IYDC jury: Liana Satenstein, the senior fashion writer at Vogue.com (USA); Yu Masui, LVMH prize scout, journalist, contributor of the leading international fashion media, blogger; Philippe Pourhashemi, the fashion coach from Belgium, a stylist and a scout, Anna Barr is an Editor and Creative Director at PAIRS project and FY! and Riccardo Tezzo, a contributor to Vogue Italy, stylist and scout of Vogue talents project.  The Jury Board will share their knowledge and experience in advising participants on how to become successful designers.

Also, this year the organizing committee has invited Sabrina Gildehaus, CEO of Gildehaus consulting and investment company, to share her experience with the young designers. Before founding GILDEHAUS, Sabrina was working for over 13 years in the fashion industry and held leading management functions at JOOP!, TOM TAILOR and ZALANDO, Europe's largest online fashion platform, based in Berlin. At ZALANDO she was heading the footwear and accessories buying department, being responsible for the strategic development of over 300 brands with an annual purchasing budget of € 400 Mio. On top, she represented her department in the task force "do.MORE", developing ZALANDO´s sustainability strategy for 2020 and beyond. 

The title of her lecture “Small brand - Big impact”:

“Size matters, particularly in business. Growing to be a sizable company has always been regarded as "the" achievement. But small organizations are often led by visionary product specialists and designers, particularly in the fashion industry. The small scale allows companies to be flexible and innovative, which is crucial in order to adapt to very diverse market conditions and economic turbulence seen in the last couple of months. This lecture is about how to create lasting influence, reach and recognition as a designer brand in Western European markets”.

Sabrina Gildehaus, CEO of Gildehaus

IYDC partner, COCOS fashion has invited Rinat Nahum, CEO & Owner of 360UP GROUP, who consults such big international brands as Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, John Malon, MAC and few others, to speak with the young designers about customer-oriented strategy.   

“We live at unique challenge times in the modern economy, alongside the fact that Covid-19 has created a new reality. What is important to understand? What is right for us to do at the business strategy level? How can we create for our customers an exceptional customer experience?”
During her webinar Rinat will answer this and other questions. 

Rinat Nahum, CEO & Owner of 360UP GROUP

All of the online meetings will be recorded and later will be available on IYDC YouTube channel.  

The International Young Designers Contest is organized by the Ukrainian Fashion Council with the support of Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. IED - Istituto Europeo di Design is the IYDC partner, award fund contributor and co-organizer of the online Fashion Visual Art Residence.