The 17th Feel the Contest, one of the world's most prestigious knitwear design competitions, recently ended. Trashipuntso Katagiri, an international student at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT), took home the Global Grand Prize (Feel the Yarn Winner) with her collection KSANA (Moment).

 Trashipuntso Katagiri (second from left) accepting the Global Grand Prize

Revolving around the theme “Color”, the competition gathered emerging designers worldwide. Merely 34 entries were shortlisted for sample development and exhibited at Pitti Filati, Italy’s flagship international yarn trade fair. Her award-winning collection KSANA draws inspiration from the ephemeral beauty of transient moments in daily life. Through varied knit constructions, layered color gradients, and cutting-edge specialty yarn techniques, the piece achieves a seamless fusion of artisanship and artistic expression. The designer collaborated with a distinguished Italian yarn brand throughout every stage of creation and production.

The award-winning collection

Two other BIFT students, Ye Zhixi and Luo Manzi, also made the official shortlist. Previously, Trashipuntso Katagiri had represented the institute at the Loro Piana International Knitting Design Competition, competing alongside counterparts from leading fashion schools worldwide.

This remarkable accolade stands as a testament to BIFT's robust knitwear design education, its distinctive art-and-technology integrated training model, and the fruitful outcomes of its cross-cultural programs. Committed to advancing teaching and learning through competitions, the university leverages international events and industry-academic collaboration platforms to nurture young design talent with a global outlook.