The ISPO Academy Masterclass took place for the third time at the ISPO Fair in Munich, a unique intermediate project for the “designers of tomorrow“ in the sports sector, “a think tank fuelled by upcoming international designers.“

Last year the group in which one of IFA Paris’ students participated – Chloe Kerr – won the prize for the most innovative product – the “over-jacket” that was presented this year on the podium, worn by designer Nora Kühner and visible on the mannequins.

The new and refreshing frame for this Masterclass was “Sportswear goes digital”. The participants, students from 9 different schools including IFA Paris were challenged to invent sports’ new functional clothes: “Fusing ideas, integrating both the digital and the physical and extending the possibilities of shaping well-considered products and services”, said Nora Kühner

Whereas last year all the invited students had to design an outdoor jacket, this year they were asked to use 3D designs and technical devices such as magnetic chips and colour-changing fabrics that might indicate the mood of the person who wears the garment.

IFA Paris’ four participating students: Jana Blank, Alma Mikelsone, Nicoletta Josan and Alfonso Ferraoli (all 2nd year Bachelor in Fashion Design & Technology students), met industry experts such as award-winning British fashion designer Christopher Raeburn, who is known for his sustainable and intelligent fashion designs. They then built teams with students from other schools to finally present their ideas for a new product on the ISPO podium. While Alma was in the team of Urban sportswear tailoring, Alfonso and Nicoletta were talking about Multigymwear, and Jana about New Kits on the Block, namely technical devices such as chips and new materials.

For Alma, “It was definitely a valuable experience. I loved how most of the speakers talked about sustainability and the importance of taking care of the environment, and how we as designers can impact that. It was inspiring and it gave me a few ideas and gave me hope that I too can create projects that are more sustainable even now when I am just a student with no budget. The presentation of Christopher Raeburn, I think, was the one that inspired me the most. It was lovely to meet many other students from different schools and parts of the world. And it was interesting to work together and come up with a solution in such a short time! I would definitely recommend this experience to other students as well.”

For more information on the program pursued by the four students invited to this Masterclass Bachelor in Fashion Design & Technology