Guest Editors: Troy Nachtigall and Bruna Petreca

DOWNLOAD THE CALL FOR PAPERS

 

Fashion Technology is at an inflection point. As digital tools, computational design, and new materials redefine the ways we conceive, produce, use and "re-" Fashion, the Textile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear (TCLF) Sector faces both unprecedented challenges and novel opportunities. The intersection of fashion and technology is no longer a niche domain; it is reshaping the core craftsmanship, sustainability, design, communication, image and essence of what fashion means. 

The European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is set to bring transformative changes to the fashion sector by enforcing track-and-trace transparency mechanisms. Through the implementation of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), the Textile Labeling Regulation (TLR), and the Market Surveillance Regulation (MSR), value chain stakeholders will gain unprecedented visibility into product lifecycle data, including material composition, environmental impact, and recyclability. Alongside the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), these measures will create a systemic shift by ensuring compliance, accountability, and sustainability at every stage of fashion production and use. The intersection of these regulatory frameworks with technological advancements presents a critical moment for research and innovation in fashion technology.

This Issue 6 of Fashion Highlight invites contributions that critically explore fashion technology as a driver of material, aesthetic, and systemic transformation. We seek papers that investigate how digital and data-enabled processes are shaping contemporary fashion practices, fostering sustainability, and redefining the relationship between body, garment, and wearer.

 

We encourage interdisciplinary perspectives and research-driven discussions on topics including (but not limited to):

1. Data as a Material for Fashion

• The role of data in fashion design, development, marketing, and manufacturing.
• Computational design, parametric fashion, and generative aesthetics.
• Digital twins, personal biometric data, and the future of tailored clothing.
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in fashion forecasting and design automation.

2. New Craftsmanship: Tradition and Technological Augmentation

• How emerging technologies interact with traditional craftsmanship.
• Hybrid practices that merge digital fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting, CNC machining) with artisanal techniques.
• Digital craft and its implications for fashion education, research through design and practice.

3. Smart and Responsive Fashion

• Wearable technology and e-textiles as more than embedded electronics, but computational objects.
• The aesthetics of smart materials and their interaction with the human body.
• The implications of soft robotics, shape-memory alloys, and bio-responsive textiles for future fashion.

4. The Circular Economy and Sustainable Fashion Technologies

• Textile innovation, biodegradable materials, and closed-loop production systems.
• The role of blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and tracking technologies in sustainable value chains.
• Digital product passports and their role in value chain transparency and garment lifecycle.

5. Virtual and Digital Fashion

• The role of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in digital fashion experiences.
• Fashion NFTs, digital couture, and the ownership of digital garments.
• The impact of gaming, metaverse spaces, and virtual try-on technologies on fashion.

6. Theoretical and Societal Considerations

• Ethical considerations in the automation and digital transformation of fashion.
• Fashion’s evolving role in a post-digital society.
• The cultural and socio-political implications of algorithmic fashion.

 

Contributions from fashion researchers, designers, material scientists, digital artists, and scholars in related fields such as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), engineering, sustainability studies, and critical design are welcome. We encourage work that challenges conventional perspectives and offers new insights into how technology is reshaping fashion.

 

ABOUT THE GUEST EDITORS

Troy Nachtigall (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) is a highly experienced Designer and Design Researcher who leads research at the intersection of fashion and technology. He actively seeks out strategic partnerships that will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the textile, clothing, fashion, and footwear industries. Troy is a core member of the Erasmus+ Fashion and Textile Transitions project and the New Textile Ecosystems (New Texeco) Research Community. His practical background in Design and ICT fuels his passion for exploring the data-material relationship through wearable items.

Bruna Petreca (Royal College of Art) is Reader in Human Experience and Materials at the Materials Science Research Centre. She works in the integration of human experience into new areas of materials development: circular economy, digital environments, on-site/on-demand manufacture, human health and wellbeing. Currently, she leads ground-breaking research to deliver new circular fashion-textile experiences and innovative digital tools as the Consumer Experience strand lead in the UKRI Interdisciplinary Textiles Circularity Centre and as Co-I in the EPSRC Consumer Experience Digital Tools for Dematerialisation for the Circular Economy project.

 

INSTRUCTION FOR THE AUTHORS

We welcome full papers in English with a range length of 3000-4000 words, footnotes and bibliographical references excluded. We also welcome book, film and exhibition reviews with a range length of 1500-2500 words. It is highly recommended to use the template and APA STYLE as a formatting guideline. 

The deadline for submitting the full paper (saved in .doc or .docx format) via the platform is 15 July 2025. Issue 6 will be published in 2025.