No. SI2 (2026): Special Issue RHITA Reshaping Italian Fashion
Essays

RHITA Glossary: Words to Navigate the Future of Fashion

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  • Raffaele La Marca,
  • Michela Musto,
  • Annarita Bianco
Raffaele La Marca
Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
Michela Musto
Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3912

Published 09-03-2026

Keywords

  • design vocabulary; fashion ecosystems; knowledge infrastructures; AI-enabled platforms; fashion value chains.

How to Cite

La Marca, R., Musto, M., & Bianco, A. (2026). RHITA Glossary: Words to Navigate the Future of Fashion. Fashion Highlight, (SI2). https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3912

Copyright (c) 2026 Michela Musto, Raffaele La Marca, Annarita Bianco

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Digital platforms have become key infrastructures in the contemporary fashion system. They operate as critical infrastructures capable of mediating knowledge, connecting actors and deeply influencing the ways in which innovation, sustainability and cultural heritage are perceived. However, the vocabulary used to describe these transformations is often unstable, generic or borrowed from other fields without critical adaptation. Terms such as innovation, digital, intelligence or openness circulate widely, but their meaning changes depending on the context, generating ambiguity rather than a shared understanding. The RHITA Glossary addresses this need by proposing a shared vocabulary that integrates technological transformation, cultural heritage, territorial specificity and human capital without simplifying or flattening the complexity of the phenomenon. Conceived as a future-oriented compass, the glossary helps users navigate complexity and uncertainty without resorting to oversimplification. The proposed definitions not only clarify concepts, but also open up alternative scenarios for rethinking roles, relationships and responsibilities in contemporary fashion, strengthening the integration between academic research and strategic industrial practices. In this sense, RHITA becomes a conceptual and operational laboratory where language, knowledge and technology combine to design sustainable innovation.

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