Fashion Highlight
type: channel
description: Fashion Highlight is an academic journal dedicated to research in the field of fashion design, with a perspective that investigates both the conception, design, production and communication of the fashion product, and its cultural, aesthetic and technological implications. Fashion is a constantly evolving sector, capable of reflecting and influencing the transformations of society through design, innovation and experimentation. The journal welcomes studies that explore fashion design in its many forms: from the design and production of fabrics, garments and accessories, to the analysis of applied materials and technologies, to connections with related disciplines that enrich the sector, such as communication, economics and social sciences. Although rooted in the field of fashion design, Fashion Highlight recognises the value of transdisciplinary intersections, welcoming contributions that broaden the understanding of fashion as a cultural, economic and technological phenomenon. Fashion Highlight is indexed in Scopus ISSN: 2975-0466 [Online] OPEN CALL FOR PAPERS Issue 7 (2026) THE LANGUAGES OF FASHION: CRITICAL REFLECTIONS ON FASHION DISCOURSES Guest Editors: Benjamin Wild and Natalia Berger Full papers deadline: 10 January 2026
publisher: Firenze University Press
language: en-US
publication name: Fashion Highlight
issn: 2975-0466
copyright: Copyright on any open access article in Fashion Highlight published by FUP is retained by the author(s). Authors grant FUP a license to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher. Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified. The Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 formalizes these and other terms and conditions of publishing articles. In accordance with our Open Data policy, the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication waiver applies to all published data in Fashion Highlight open access articles.
items: The Wardrobe as Collection
items: Beyond Domesticity: Revaluing Gendered Textile Arts in the Context of Relational Prosperity
items: Relational Records
items: Prospering Dress
items: ​Co-Creating Sustainable Fashion
items: A New Fashion Design Practice as Enabler for a Fashion System Change
items: Meaning Before Making
items: Hyperlocal Knitting
items: The Notion of Prosperity in the Aesthetics of Fashion
items: The Mutual Contribution of Visual Epistemology, Visual Literacy and Eco Fashion Design to the Building of Prosperity Fashion
items: Negative Aesthetics and the De-Beautification of Fashion
items: Cultivating a Relational Fashion System for Prosperity
items: RECOMPOSE
items: Sustainable Design for Healthy Communities
items: On the Edge of the Abyss
items: Wool as a Complex Economic, Environmental, Social, and Cultural System
items: Wool, “Rifiutocreatura” in Evolution
items: Start from Crafts
items: Algorithmic Culture and Sartorial Prosperity
items: Grow Me a Wardrobe
items: Sensory Repair
items: Artistic Connections
items: Unveiling Potential Landscapes in the Age of Dematerialization and Digital Progression
items: PARASULI Project. Upcycling of Beach Umbrellas for a Sustainable and Prosperous Fashion
items: Re-Fashioning Leather
items: Invisible Fashion
items: Strategic Design Approach into Fashion System
items: Prosperity Fashion in Palestine
items: Biodesign in Colombia
items: Exploring the Role of Local Fashion MSEs in Vietnam’s Creative Economy
items: Embodying Prosperity
items: Shades of Green
items: Discovering the Myth of Metaverse Fashion
items: Play to Prosper in Fashion Give Me Back My Agency!
items: A Digital Approach to Slow Fashion
items: Shaping a Purpose-Driven Fashion Industry by Design
items: Sustainable Fashion Through Traditional Turkish Women’s Clothing Techniques
items: System Design for the Sustainable Enhancement of Italian Wool Production Chain
items: Rethinking Fashion
items: SONIC PALETTE
items: Nature, Weave and Color
items: Next-Gen Fur Design
items: Analyzing Sustainability in Fashion Through Bio-Synthetic Materials
items: From Flashes to Lifecycles
items: From Waste to Wealth: Redefining Prosperity in Fashion
items: Problematizing Fashion Sustainability
items: Fashion as Flourishing
items: Caring for Fashion by Doing the Laundry
items: Prosperity in Italian Fashion
items: Contrasting Hierarchical and Decentralised System Analogies to Revalue Prosperity
items: Handle with Care
items: Rewear, Redefine, Co-design
items: Interview with Kate Fletcher
items: Interview with Ron Wakkary
items: Towards a New Sustainable and Relational Paradigm for the Fashion System
items: Prosperity Fashion

The Wardrobe as Collection
type: item
description: The Italian fashion journalist, Anna Piaggi (1931-2012) offered a potential response for prosperity fashion through her singular approach to self-fashioning. Her wardrobe collection, containing approximately 3,000 garments and accessories, contained museum-quality objects which could be likened to the holdings of major museum collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Victoria. Consequently, through my PhD thesis, I have argued that the wardrobe collection can be likened to the museum collection. The positioning of the wardrobe as collection then offers opportunity for intersections with broader ideas around slow fashion (Fletcher, 2010). For Fletcher, slow fashion need not solely be the slow manufacture of garments in an artisanal process but can incorporate broader ideas. This research proposes that Anna Piaggi offers a revised consideration of what the slow fashion wardrobe can be and that the wardrobe can become a slowly assembled collection, on par with or likened to a museum collection, that is continuously reinterpreted.
creator: Paola Di Trocchio
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Paola Di Trocchio https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 44
ending page: 50
doi: 10.36253/fh-3197

Beyond Domesticity: Revaluing Gendered Textile Arts in the Context of Relational Prosperity
type: item
description: This paper explores the historical undervaluation of textile crafts within Western societies, particularly concerning their strong associations with female labor. Despite their rich cultural and social significance, textile arts have often been relegated to the margins of artistic and economic discourse, overshadowed by forms of expression deemed more "legitimate" or valuable (Nochlin, 1971). This research aims to challenge these perceptions by highlighting the inherent value of textile crafts and their role in shaping a more relational and ethically grounded concept of prosperity in fashion. The study begins by examining how gender biases have contributed to the marginalization of textile arts. Traditionally viewed as "women's work," these crafts have been undervalued both economically and culturally, resulting in a limited appreciation of their significance By analyzing the social and political dimensions of textile art, particularly through the practice of knitting groups and other communal activities, the paper argues that these crafts are vital forms of relational art (Newmeyer, 2008). They foster community, sustain cultural traditions, and serve as powerful tools for social connection and political expression The practice of textile arts, particularly when understood as relational art, exemplifies the new conception of prosperity, offering a model for a fashion industry that prioritizes the common good over purely commercial interests. The relational aspect of textile crafts exemplifies a form of prosperity that is not purely economic, but deeply rooted in social connections and community building. This reflects the idea of prosperity as a resource generated by a community, contributing to both economic and human value within ethical and environmental constraints. A case study of Italian textile artist Maria Lai is presented to illustrate how textile arts can contribute to this reimagined prosperity in fashion and impact the relationships with the urban space)…
creator: Jacopo Battisti
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Jacopo Battisti https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 52
ending page: 60
doi: 10.36253/fh-3172

Relational Records
type: item
description: The profit-centric mentality within much of the global fashion industry causes great harm to societies, environments, and international economies. This focus has come under stark criticism from academia, industry, and consumers who call for broader, more inclusive definitions of success. These should consider people, places, interconnections, and relationships, alongside financial gain. This paper explores how our engagement with fashion’s future can be expanded by looking into its past. This backwards gaze employing a ‘sustainable prosperity’ approach can provide both context and examples for current and future industry application. Focusing on fashion businesses established prior to the rise of fast fashion, we indicate the value of non-traditional sources and viewing business success from a more holistic perspective. We ask how ‘prosperity’ might be defined for a more diverse range of fashion firms. Utilising examples from the 19th and 20th centuries, we suggest that the boundaries of business history of fashion methodologies and sources should be extended. These should account for social, environmental, and collective as well as economic and technological success. If we wish fashion to extend the concept of prosperity, this approach should also be applied within historical contexts as well.
creator: Alice Janssens
creator: Liz Tregenza
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Alice Janssens, Liz Tregenza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 62
ending page: 71
doi: 10.36253/fh-3121

Prospering Dress
type: item
description: Dress cultures are more extensive than Fashion (Niessen, 2022), and their diverse dimensions are conceptualized here as situated_fashions and textile_knowledges. Drawing on Haraway’s concept of situated knowledges (Haraway, 1988), such dress enables rich belongings with more-than-human worlds, grows interdependent prosperity and sustains intra-active relationships (Barad, 2007). The paper presents and discusses the results of the seminar NatureCultureFashionStudies – Autoethnographic Field Research, which took place in spring 2024 at the Institute of Material Culture, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. The aim was to find a certain language for the relations between nature, culture and fashion that expresses the vibrant materiality (Bennett, 2004) of these fields. During the research-based learning other functions of textiles became important, and with them the material, the cut, the processing. On this mental, sensually perceptible and fertile soil, textile literacy grows, and other fashions prosper.
creator: Dagmar Venohr
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Dagmar Venohr https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 74
ending page: 83
doi: 10.36253/fh-3220

​Co-Creating Sustainable Fashion
type: item
description: The fashion industry is dominated by the mass-market sector, characterised by extremely short production times, low manufacturing costs and high volumes of garments driven by short-lived trends. In this process, the profits are prioritised over users’ needs, while the negative effects of overproduction are overlooked. Despite raising awareness of fashion production’s detrimental consequences, the design process often remains a mystery and there has been little research on including co-design approaches into it. Can involving users in the design process contribute to a behaviour change towards more sustainable fashion consumption? This paper adopts a research-through-design approach to bridge the gap between co-design and fashion. Drawing from design for behaviour change, we strive to redefine the concept of prosperity from a profit- and trend-motivated to focusing on the needs of the users through inviting them to participate in the design process. We propose a five-step framework for a collaboration between fashion professionals and users. The framework elements - brand research, understanding the user, defining function, building identity, and user test - facilitate an exchange of perspectives and encourage participants to become researchers of their relationship with clothing. The findings of this research invite designers and researchers to further explore this emerging field.
creator: Maria Maciejko
creator: Alberto Iberbuden
creator: Alejandro Lecuna
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Maciejko, Alberto Iberbuden, Alejandro Lecuna https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 84
ending page: 93
doi: 10.36253/fh-3124

A New Fashion Design Practice as Enabler for a Fashion System Change
type: item
description: The term fashion has come to stand for particularly questionable profit-driven ecological and social imbalances. A closer look at its concept, however, shows that fashion itself is not the threat but rather contains solutions. To exemplify this, it is necessary to stress the difference between fashion and clothing. Nowadays, the fashion industry mainly promotes a supposed image of fashion. Nevertheless, a new perception of fashion in line with the 10R typology is beginning to emerge, as ultimately, society determines which clothing products become fashion. Clothing items are products realized by a design process. Today, contemporary fashion design moves away from disciplinary thinking. Designers make important material decisions, innovate processes, and have the potential to initiate thought processes in society. Fashion design practice should therefore be understood as an important knowledge culture with diverse mechanisms and principles. The cultural and social dimensions of design knowledge from design practices, as well as a designer's attitude, skills, and value systems, are of central importance to anticipate fashion for sustainable systems. The results of the artistic-scientific transdisciplinary research project Fashion & Robotics show how fashion design practices become not just fashion design solutions or technological advances, but catalysts for systemic change in fashion.
creator: Christiane Luible
creator: Johannes Braumann
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Christiane Luible, Johannes Braumann https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 96
ending page: 106
doi: 10.36253/fh-3115

Meaning Before Making
type: item
description: This paper explores the use of propositional design and digital tools for sustainable material and immaterial value creation in fashion design. Stuart Walker argues that within the current capitalist system, it is ‘virtually impossible for the discipline of design to effectively and substantially address the interrelated issues of environmental responsibility, social obligation and personal meaning’ (Walker, 2013). Propositional design objects are not design solutions but are concerned with ‘challenging conventions, positing questions, and offering directions for reform.’ Walker calls this ‘non-commercial, academic, research-based designing’ (Walker, 2013) propositional design. Alongside the increasing drive for more sustainable systems for fashion, digital tools have begun to change the way that fashion design is enacted. There has been a significant shift from the traditional physical craft skills of pattern cutting and sewing, to the use of software and digital spaces, used in tandem with the traditional fashion design studio environment. Software such as CLO3D allows for accurate patterns to be created digitally, emailed, and exported anywhere with an internet connection. Together with the changing context of the fashion industry and the growing desire to reduce waste, lower consumption, and redefine our relationship to clothes, these digital spaces provide new ways of thinking about and creating value. Propositional design approaches free the fashion designer to venture beyond aesthetics into systems-led thinking for radical sustainable change.
creator: Rosemary Wallin
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Rosemary Wallin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 108
ending page: 118
doi: 10.36253/fh-3138

Hyperlocal Knitting
type: item
description: Traditional manufacturing models are increasingly unsustainable and vulnerable to environmental and geopolitical challenges. Industry 4.0 principles integrated with cutting-edge 3D knit technology form the basis for the proposed Future Factory Network (FFN). The FFN enables localised production on a global scale, where the physical location of designers and consumers becomes irrelevant; aligning with circular economy principles and offering extensive design options. Produced with near-zero waste, minimal post-processing, and highly customisable, 3D knit products offer an ideal solution for sustainable manufacturing. This research will develop and test a novel manufacturing model that leverages existing resources to adopt slow fashion principles within a scalable, efficient, and agile framework. The FFN model aims to enhance brand sustainability and circular economies through smart manufacturing systems and advanced 3D knit technology. Whilst this model addresses manufacturing processes, the behavioural shifts needed among consumers and stakeholders are intrinsic issues beyond the scope of this research.
creator: Patricia Chircop
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Patricia Chircop https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 120
ending page: 129
doi: 10.36253/fh-3129

The Notion of Prosperity in the Aesthetics of Fashion
type: item
description: The notion of prosperity has its own religious genealogy: in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber famously linked the notion of prosperity with the Protestant Reformation. As crucial as Weber’s theory is for different approaches to luxury, this paper focuses, instead, on a different understanding of prosperity in fashion, thus paving the way for a new religious genealogy of the notion. This genealogy imagines an approach to fashion that sees prosperity as happiness. Indeed, from a religious and ethical perspective, prosperity is, first and foremost, the search for happiness in this life. Several monotheistic traditions overlap the notion of prosperity with that of divine grace or blessing, meaning that true prosperity can only be achieved through the exercise of virtues. Thus, only virtues can create a new meaning and new aesthetics of prosperity in fashion. By offering a more theoretical reflection on the notion of prosperity in fashion, this paper intends to determine whether different forms of aesthetics might offer a clue for the understanding of prosperity and wealth in order to herald true prosperity in fashion.
creator: Alberto Fabio Ambrosio
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Alberto Fabio Ambrosio https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 132
ending page: 139
doi: 10.36253/fh-3225

The Mutual Contribution of Visual Epistemology, Visual Literacy and Eco Fashion Design to the Building of Prosperity Fashion
type: item
description: Artistic practice and creative industries, including fashion and the fashion world, are of great importance for spreading and raising ecological awareness. But for this to happen, fashion and the fashion industry, which is considered one of the biggest polluters, must adopt a prosperous vision of the world and our future towards sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. In this paper, we propose that fashion design, as an exceptionally visual medium, could use the means of visual fashion literacy and visual epistemology in the name of building environmental awareness. We will demonstrate this in three steps, dictated by three provocative questions: What is it that we avoid seeing? What is the new vision of prosperity? How to see the invisible?
creator: Magdalena Germek
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Magdalena Germek https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 140
ending page: 146
doi: 10.36253/fh-3176

Negative Aesthetics and the De-Beautification of Fashion
type: item
description: This paper explores the emergence of "disgusting fashion" as a deliberate aesthetic strategy within contemporary design, positioning it within the frameworks of Negative Aesthetics, abjection, and art-horror. Drawing on philosophical theories from Georges Bataille, Julia Kristeva, Carolyn Korsmeyer, and Noel Carroll, the paper examines how fashion engages with disgust not simply as a reaction, but as a generative force that challenges normative ideals of beauty, identity, and the body. Using Carroll and Contesi’s taxonomy of disgust in art, the study proposes a tripartite framework for analyzing garments based on whether their subjects and/or materials (vehicles) evoke disgust. Through case studies of designers such as Alexander McQueen, Lady Gaga, Alessandro Michele, and Michaela Stark, the paper demonstrates how fashion utilizes grotesque materials, symbolic violence, and bodily excess to provoke visceral responses and engage in sociopolitical critique. It argues that the incorporation of disgust functions as a transformative tool—destabilizing traditional boundaries between the self and the other, the inside and the outside, and the beautiful and the abject. Ultimately, disgusting fashion reveals how negative emotions can generate powerful aesthetic experiences, offering new ways to understand fashion not as adornment, but as a philosophical and cultural force.
creator: Danae Ioannou
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Danae Ioannou https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 148
ending page: 155
doi: 10.36253/fh-3173

Cultivating a Relational Fashion System for Prosperity
type: item
description: Wearers are locked in endless cycles of acquisition, disenchantment and disposal. Time spent with our garments is fleeting. We are encouraged to have clothes, to buy clothes, but not to care for them, to be in an embodied relationship with our clothes. We need to implement practices of care and relationality in more-than-human worlds or face ecological and societal collapse. Care is an intersectional relational practice that encompasses the entire spectrum of sustainability of our world - social, cultural, spiritual, and economic.[1] In response to over a decade of ongoing research-through-design project engaging in a “conversation across worlds," as articulated by de la Cadena and Blaser (2018) fostering dialogue and interaction between diverse epistemologies, ontologies, and cultural perspectives the authors enacted a short temporal deep-wearing project that centres decolonial body-garment relations. This paper contributes to defining the concept of prosperity fashion by cultivating alternative value systems and modes of exchange for holistic, metaphysical oneness with our clothing in our everyday lives. This aligns with a process of decoloniality, embracing diversity in ways of knowing and being, through mind-body-spirit that towards the aim of multispecies flourishing, goals that are far outside of the capitalist, growth-oriented lens. Drawing from Indigenous Knowledge; Chinese, Celtic and Māori; making visible and assigning value to what was erased by Modernism, the Cartesian divide and the colonial order. It applies Taoist theory and methodology that accepts that, everything, including ourselves [3] and our clothing is energy.
creator: Jennifer Whitty
creator: Yan Yuan
creator: Oli Dong
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Jennifer Whitty, Associate Professor, Lecturer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 156
ending page: 169
doi: 10.36253/fh-3205

RECOMPOSE
type: item
description: Fashion education programmes continue to proliferate in parallel with a dramatically changing climate and heavily degraded ecologies. The dominant linear fashion imaginary is incompatible with Earth’s cyclical systems. Fashion education programmes therefore should work critically to engage with these crises, introducing a new repository of socio-ecological thinking and practices. Ecological economist E.F Schumacher reminds us that in contexts like these, if we are to have yet more education, then it is going to have to be an education of a very different kind. This paper challenges fibre-centric discourses, as well as uncritical reflections on continued economic growth in the sector, to which, mainstream circular fashion initiatives align. Authors developed the workshop series Recompose for the MA Fashion programme at the Royal College of Art, where the cohort engaged with bioregionalism, regenerative design, and reflective practices through situated environmental learning. The study presents student reflections on this process and further develops these through interviews with fashion designer Lee Roach and practitioners in regenerative fibre and food systems. The paper cautions against practices that are fibre-lucid at the expense of becoming system-blind and invites the fashion education community to adopt regenerative pedagogies tailored to their local contexts, fostering diverse practices that challenge globalised fashion systems and support bioregional fibre production.
creator: Delfina Fantini van Ditmar
creator: Louis Alderson-Bythell
creator: Zowie Broach
creator: Lee Roach
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Delfina Fantini van Ditmar, Louis Alderson-Bythell, Zowie Broach, Lee Roach https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 172
ending page: 185
doi: 10.36253/fh-3137

Sustainable Design for Healthy Communities
type: item
description: Empowering students with knowledge of sustainable development can inspire them to become fashion activists. This case study, Sustainable Design for Healthy Communities, demonstrates how service learning deepens students’ understanding of sustainability through real-world application. Design students engaged with concepts such as material selection, circular and zero-waste design, and lifecycle thinking, while also incorporating user experience strategies. Through rapid ethnography, students identified local community needs, built personas, and created journey maps to develop impactful, community-centered design solutions. This process shifted their perspective from fashion designers to fashion activists committed to community well-being. In collaboration with instructors and community partners, students produced a sustainable product collection, a web-based marketing campaign, and a series of educational craft workshops. These workshops empowered them to lead initiatives promoting sustainable lifestyle changes. The project illustrates how a systems-thinking approach can transform fashion education and activate students to use design as a tool for social change and environmental impact.
creator: Barbara Trippeer
creator: Johnnie Stark
creator: Hae Jin Gam
creator: Phillip Park
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Barbara Trippeer, Johnnie Stark, Hae Jin Gam, Phillip Park https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 186
ending page: 196
doi: 10.36253/fh-3130

On the Edge of the Abyss
type: item
description: To approach prosperity fashion holistically, conventional constructs about fashion design processes and the interpersonal relations they lead to should be questioned and reoriented. To set this viewpoint in context, this article begins by reviewing the current state of fashion and its implications for production and consumption (both of which have expanded significantly), triggering a fluidity of identity focused on image and performance. Next, the article assumes an ontological perspective of fashion as art and/or design, examining to what degree each category emphasizes the esthetic, functional and use aspects; each paragraph is followed by our perceptions and appreciation for specific designs and designers, writing in the first-person plural and intentionally indenting these inserts. The third section highlights the significance of processes that emphasize the representation of the phenomenological body; by drawing on our sensory, bodily knowledge, backgrounds, and research practices, we utilize an autoethnographic format to describe our individual explorations in pattern design, both grounded on intuition as a creative force. To conclude, the extracted meaning from the two self-narratives conveys the concept of prosperity fashion as a meaningful and multidimensional (i.e., non-consumerist) understanding of the relationship between body[maker]—process—body[user].
creator: Nuno Nogueira
creator: Ines Simoes
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Nuno Nogueira, Ines Simoes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 198
ending page: 206
doi: 10.36253/fh-3105

Wool as a Complex Economic, Environmental, Social, and Cultural System
type: item
description: Wool has played a crucial role in the history of mankind for a long time, its versatility bringing together different cultures across the continents. A network of wool production, processing and trade flourished in inland and mountainous areas, fostering strong social, economic and environmental values associated with this raw material. However, the wool industry declined in the 20th century due to globalisation and competition from cheap synthetic fibres, reducing native wool to a by-product. Environmental challenges arose as wool was discarded or abandoned, and critical activities such as fleece washing ceased, exacerbating the crisis. Today, despite structural difficulties, initiatives aim to revive regional wool by creating small, independent systems that defy traditional production models. These projects focus on sustainable, short supply chains and systemic design, renewing the value of native wool through innovative, culturally significant products. This environmental movement involves the mobilisation of local resources and the promotion of sustainable co-existence between people and their environment. Through the analysis of case studies, this research seeks to explore how such initiatives can inspire future policies that promote a sustainable, holistic vision of prosperity, encompassing social, environmental and ethical well-being.
creator: Vittorio Giannetti
creator: Marco Manfra
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Vittorio Giannetti, Marco Manfra https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 210
ending page: 219
doi: 10.36253/fh-3133

Wool, “Rifiutocreatura” in Evolution
type: item
description: This study explores how the transition to sustainable models can restore the value of wool, a traditional material rich in environmental and cultural potential, through innovative strategies of recovery and renewal of production processes. Greasy wool, often considered an unnecessary and costly by-product, is valued when integrated into a sustainable supply chain, stimulating local economic development and creating new opportunities for communities dependent on wool production, particularly those using indigenous sheep breeds. In this context, the concept of "Rifiutocreatura" (WasteCreature) is emerging as a fundamental tool for rethinking textile waste management. No longer a problem to be disposed of, but a potential resource ready to be regenerated in a resilient and conscious production system. This paradigm shift: waste becomes a "creature" waiting for a new life through recycling, eco-design and upcycling processes. The aim of this study is to provide a critical and proactive vision for the valorization of wool, illustrating how the regeneration of this fibre can be a central element in building a sustainable and ethical future textile. This study pretends to concretely demonstrate how such model can reduce environmental impact but also contribute to a fairer redistribution of resources along the production chain and its territory.
creator: Gianni Montagna
creator: Elena Pucci
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Gianni Montagna, Elena Pucci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 220
ending page: 229
doi: 10.36253/fh-3462

Start from Crafts
type: item
description: Old fashion system lays on a network made of family businesses, from prestigious tailors and bootmakers to modest clothing retouchers. In the global capital of fashion, Paris, they have been almost wiped out by the delocalisation along the 20th century. However, since its damages have been measured, there is a trend through young fashion entrepreneurs aiming the renewal of French fashion savoir-faire. Since 2019, I am studying some of these initiatives in the field of leatherwork (maroquinerie), and focusing from 2021 on one particular Paris brand : Laperruque. Working there both as an anthropologist and as a craftswoman, I have questionned the stakes of developing a small-scale company, limiting its growth, and identified the limits of such entrepreneurial initiative. Starting from scratch, with barely no investment fund, the two founders of Laperruque refer to traditional business model and not to start-ups, laying on financial speculation. However, the company is not just an unchanged reproduction of ancient familial businesses, since they also try to fix some of the contemporary working failings and the main fashion industry’s issues. The following paper highlights the ideals constructed through the young craftsman-entrepreneurs’ discourses and the negotiations necessary for their project to last.
creator: Francine Barancourt
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Francine Barancourt https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 230
ending page: 236
doi: 10.36253/fh-3206

Algorithmic Culture and Sartorial Prosperity
type: item
description: The article defines the term "prosperity fashion" by focusing on the nature of work in contemporary fashion. Our aim here is to redefine the concept of labour by balancing solitary work against collective imagination, creative invention against algorithmic creativity informed by sartorial knowledge, and solitary genius against empathy towards local communities. The paper deals with three main assumptions. First, it posits that in contemporary fashion design there is a newfound interest in tailoring and sartorial literacy. Secondly, it argues that this interest in tailoring is a consequence of contemporary algorithmic culture. Tailoring can be seen as an agency that unites craftsmanship, algorithmic culture, and a spiritual approach to clothing. Thirdly, in the final part of the argument we deal with the case study of a contemporary designer community (Terike from Budapest) connected through sartorial literacy, highlighting how this community embodies the principles of the sartorial turn. The article concludes by advocating for the decolonization of tailoring as a civilizing process (Wild 2014), using the Terike community as an example of local sartorial creativity and of "defashion" (Niessen 2022). This examination underscores the need to recognize and preserve diverse sartorial practices that challenge dominant narratives within the fashion industry.
creator: Anna Keszeg
creator: Terike from Budapest
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Keszeg, Terike from Budapest https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 238
ending page: 243
doi: 10.36253/fh-3132

Grow Me a Wardrobe
type: item
description: With the world in a state of climate emergency, fashion faces significant challenges due to its massive environmental and cultural influence. Clothing accounts for over 60% of textiles, with production doubled whilst use has declined by 40%(Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Existing linear supply chains leave significant ecological impacts, with waste being a predominant factor. Rissanen (2013) estimates that 15% of fashion waste occurs during garment assembly. Given the complexity of textile and fashion industries parallel to rising environmental degradation, multilevel solutions are crucial to ease environmental strain. This study aims to bridge the gap between fashion and textiles by employing bacterial cellulose growth patterns to create textiles imbued with fashion attributes, focusing on form as the main designable quality. Fabrication is recorded and evaluated through contextualisation during body-artefact juxtaposition in workshop contexts, aided by visual and written documentation. The output consists of two artefact series illustrating proposed biofabrication methods bridging fashion and textiles, augmented by a revised methodological flow informed by resulting design process and material outcomes. Contextualising biofabrication in practice and prolonged interaction expands possible ways of making, dressing and embodying unconventional aesthetics, resulting in more prosper forms of fashion.
creator: Carolina De Lara
creator: Daijiro Mizuno
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Carolina De Lara, Daijiro Mizuno https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 246
ending page: 256
doi: 10.36253/fh-3039

Sensory Repair
type: item
description: This paper explores clothing as a multidimensional sensory experience and examines how fashion might better support neurodivergent individuals, a group who often experience heightened sensory interactions with the environment. In current fashion practices, the visual design of clothing is typically prioritised, often overlooking the needs of those who prioritise non-visual senses. Neurodivergent wearers may find certain design elements, like garment labels or fabric textures, impactful to their comfort and subsequent wellbeing. This research investigates the intersection of fashion, neurodivergent experience, and the senses. Using participatory design methods, this paper illuminates strategies to create garments that support neurodivergent needs, advocating for an approach that prioritises the wearers wellbeing through non-visual, sensory experiences in fashion.
creator: Brittany Thorpe
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Brittany Thorpe https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 258
ending page: 264
doi: 10.36253/fh-3112

Artistic Connections
type: item
description: In an era dominated by tidal waves of visual stimuli across various digital platforms, we find ourselves scrolling and swiping incessantly. Images flicker momentarily before disappearing, stored away in unseen databases. When we consider imagery related to fashion, particularly printed textiles, we observe that these pieces also showcase a multitude of visuals but, unlike their digital counterparts, printed textiles are permanently situated within a specific time and place. This permanence highlights a stark contrast with the rising tide of fashion waste, revealing the fleeting nature of our throwaway culture. Print lies at the core of the waste crisis in today's fashion landscape. Alarming statistics surrounding fashion production and waste underscore the issue; printed garments are disposed of just as swiftly as digital images are scrolled into oblivion. Wearing printed art is both majestic and powerful, yet contemporary fashion seems to be out of sync with this value. This research delves into the illustrious chintz, a motif that has maintained its appeal over centuries and has been cherished in the realm of fashion. An exploration of this motif and its applications on fabric reveals concepts of artistry, upcycling and the appreciation of printed pieces as heirlooms. This paper draws on historical lessons that could inform our modern approach to print design in fashion today, creating a bridge between textile artistry and fashion design while fostering deeper connections with garments through interaction with established print techniques.
creator: Danielle Kremer
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Danielle Kremer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 266
ending page: 274
doi: 10.36253/fh-3314

Unveiling Potential Landscapes in the Age of Dematerialization and Digital Progression
type: item
description: Fashion, as a cultural system, has redefined the concept of individual affirmation and social status, promoting irrational and unsustainable consumption. The production of clothing and accessories, supported by a capitalistic and plutocratic system, has placed enormous pressure on the environment, contributing to issues such as pollution and resource depletion. This situation has prompted individuals, rather than corporations, to reflect on the future of their existence and reconsider their lifestyle and consumption patterns within an increasingly ecologically and ethical focus. In an attempt to safeguard their interests, fashion conglomerates are seeking to reinvent their strategies by shifting towards more sustainable business models. In addition, there is talk of a future in which the sense of belonging and the satisfaction of desires will no longer rely on the possession of material goods, but rather on experiences and digital representations. This phenomenon often described as "phygital"—a fusion of physical and digital medium and experiences—implies a radical transformation towards a post-materialist society. This paper investigates the future of fashion in the Anthropocene, exploring how the industry might transition to a sustainable model through dematerialization, the fusion of physical and digital experiences, and coexistance of both animism and transhumanist principles. We analyze the ecological impact of fashion, the rise of conscious consumerism, the integration of "phygital" experiences and the role of transhumanism. Through an exploration of these dynamics, we propose a vision of prosperity in fashion aligned with the future of sustainability in the paradigm of efficiency and digital progression.
creator: Carlos Gago
creator: Anna Zinola
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Carlos Gago, Anna Zinola https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 278
ending page: 286
doi: 10.36253/fh-3167

PARASULI Project. Upcycling of Beach Umbrellas for a Sustainable and Prosperous Fashion
type: item
description: The PARASULI project proposes an innovative redesign of beach umbrellas, transforming them into sustainable fashion products while integrating the concept of prosperity thinking. This holistic approach goes beyond traditional design thinking, embracing economic, social, and environmental dimensions to create an inclusive and sustainable future. Prosperity thinking redefines prosperity not merely as economic growth but as a balance between social well-being, environmental health, and respect for ecological limits. PARASULI applies these principles by transforming waste materials into unique garments through upcycling, promoting zero-waste practices and circular economy principles. The launch of the project was marked by a significant call to action, in which the designer invited nonprofit organizations and local communities to actively engage in the collection and transformation of used beach umbrellas. Once collected, the umbrellas were cleaned and processed by local artisans, resulting in jackets that embody responsible design and social innovation. This project demonstrates the potential of fashion to go beyond profit to promote relational prosperity, redefining the interaction between design, economics, and community. PARASULI highlights how systemic approaches can contribute to a more sustainable future, reinforcing the role of independent designers in building inclusive and interconnected development models.
creator: Maria Cristina Falsone
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Cristina Falsone https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 288
ending page: 295
doi: 10.36253/fh-3171

Re-Fashioning Leather
type: item
description: This research, interrogates and offers insight into the potentiality of leather, emphasizing that it is time to re-align thinking, provoke introspection and challenge existing norms. The aim is to demonstrate the value in forming a prosperity fashion philosophy centered on a specific by-product (leather), which offers a more ethical and sustainable viewpoint. Examining and promoting creative circular initiatives integral to a specific sub-group and creating an open collaborative and cumulative knowledge transfer, it is hoped that these shared ideas and practices gain strength, to create a blueprint for a prosperity fashion philosophy. To provide an actualized possibility for re-alignments and new approaches for leather production, consumption, and value as a starting point for cultural discussion. Challenging the fast fashion industry by presenting a slow, flexible future where leather fashion become investments because of their flexibility, and durability. Urging us to collectively forge new systems that disrupt and replace the current destructive cycle. Decreasing the negative impact of fashion on the environment, and people, through a focus on the ultimate circular material.
creator: Kayla Owen
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Kayla Owen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 296
ending page: 303
doi: 10.36253/fh-3149

Invisible Fashion
type: item
description: As fashion and design researchers, we have embraced a human-centered design approach that emphasizes the relationship between people and objects as functional tools. Yet, fashion goes beyond utility; it embodies frivolity, playfulness, and social communication, often conveyed implicitly through garments. This article envisions a future where our engagement with fashion transcends mere appearance, highlighting research involving fashion designers collaborating with blind individuals to understand their relationship with clothing. Using ethnographic studies and qualitative interviews, the research examined how non-visual senses influence garment selection and wear. Designers emphasized tactile, auditory, and olfactory experiences to create “invisible” textiles and garments, challenging the conventional emphasis on visual aesthetics in fashion. This initiative encouraged designers to move beyond functional or trendy solutions toward meaningful interactions embracing diversity. Findings revealed that fashion enjoyment, decision-making, and emotional connections can be redefined beyond aesthetics to promote sustainability, shareability, engagement, and equality. Invisible fashion is designed for those often excluded from traditional human-centered design. While not fully realized as post-humanism or more-than-humanism, this approach suggests a new fashion paradigm valuing all senses equally and fostering positive experiences for humans and nonhumans alike.
creator: Martina Motta
creator: Giovanni Maria Conti
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Martina Motta, Giovanni Maria Conti https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 314
ending page: 322
doi: 10.36253/fh-3079

Strategic Design Approach into Fashion System
type: item
description: As world grapples with the consequences of unsustainable fast fashion system, it is necessary to act to overstake its design, productive and distribution models, while keeping fashion items as affordable as possible. Within this scenario, craftsmanship seems to be the most effective pattern in meeting the current design scenario and consumer needs. In fact, local fashion practices offer countless of benefits: they incorporate cultural sustainability, preserving both material and immaterial craftsmanship heritage (Brown & Vacca, 2022); they focus on a small-scale production, counteracting a pleonastic overproduction of goods; they deliver a higher quality goods, being the craftsman able to manage the entire production process (Sennet; 2009). It is all about evolving that production model based on local economies (Livesey, 2010) to limit the impact on the environment and enhance the human resources of communities, while preserving their cultural heritage. To this purpose, since 2019 the authors have carried out a didactic experimentation within a Fashion Studies master. This paper describes and illustrates the results of this activity, which has involved about 150 international students – mainly from BRIC countries – with various bachelor’s degree, not only belonging to fashion field.
creator: Gianni Denaro
creator: Loredana Di lucchio
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Gianni Denaro, Loredana Di lucchio https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 304
ending page: 313
doi: 10.36253/fh-3143

Prosperity Fashion in Palestine
type: item
description: This paper investigates the production of Palestinian textile and clothes before and after the 1948 Israeli occupation and the shift to fast fashion as a consequence. It also foregrounds how contemporary efforts in sustainable fashion production are hindered by the ongoing occupation of Palestine. Through a chronological analysis, the article highlights revived Indigenous sartorial and social practices. It examines their role in facilitating connections between producers and consumers—extending the life cycle of clothing (whether acquired or gifted) while also enhancing the prosperity of collective creators. The case studies presented demonstrate how Palestine’s partially forced, extra-slow fashion production is positively influencing international consumers to reconsider their consumption habits, particularly in terms of production pace.
creator: Diana Mounayer
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Diana Mounayer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 326
ending page: 334
doi: 10.36253/fh-3170

Biodesign in Colombia
type: item
description: Under the British dictionary and ChatGPT, **Prosperity** is defined in the context of today and the future in multiple dimensions, reflecting economic well-being and broader aspects of human development and societal health (OpenAI, 2024). As defined in contemporary and future contexts, prosperity encompasses sustainable growth, social equity, environmental stewardship, and adaptability to evolving global dynamics. This paper investigates how Colombia can navigate a prosperous fashion future amidst economic stagnation and the historical dominance of the Global North. By leveraging Colombia’s rich biodiversity, this research illustrates how biodesign can transform challenges into opportunities, reshaping the fashion industry through innovative practices and ethical considerations.Through qualitative analyses of perspectives from Colombian biodesigners and fashion designers, the study examines the potential of local resources, ancestral knowledge, and emerging technologies to redefine sustainability. The findings highlight biodesign as a transformative tool that bridges social equity, environmental sustainability, and economic viability, showcasing a roadmap for a regenerative and inclusive fashion ecosystem. This exploration underscores Colombia’s role as a model for integrating cultural heritage, biodiversity, and cutting-edge innovation into the global fashion narrative.
creator: Carolina Obregon
creator: Giovanna Danies Turano
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Carolina Obregon, Giovanna Danies Turano https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
doi: 10.36253/fh-3221

Exploring the Role of Local Fashion MSEs in Vietnam’s Creative Economy
type: item
description: This study examines the opportunities and challenges that local fashion Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) face as they contribute to Vietnam’s creative economy. A key strength of these enterprises is their commitment to sustainability, reflected in their localised production processes and strong community engagement. This approach sets them apart from international competitors and provides a model for how fashion can foster a broader, more holistic notion of prosperity, one that goes beyond economic growth to encompass social and environmental well-being. The research is grounded in semi-structured interviews with local designers and an observational analysis of these MSEs’ digital presence. Through this exploration, the paper contributes to the discourse on “Prosperity Fashion”, demonstrating how localised, sustainable fashion practices can support a more inclusive and culturally rich economy.
creator: Lan Lam
creator: Donna Cleveland
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ms Lam Hong Lan, Associate Professor Donna Cleveland https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 348
ending page: 359
doi: 10.36253/fh-3101

Embodying Prosperity
type: item
description: This paper explores India’s agropastoral desi oon (wool) textile traditions and their significance in embodying prosperity, focusing on hand-spun and handwoven Pattu textiles. Pattu is a multifunctional textile—used as a shawl, skirt, blanket, mat, or rain cover—valued for its durability and warmth in desert climates. The word “Pattu” derives from patti, meaning narrow-width fabric, woven on pit treadle looms (Khaddi) (Rustagi, 2021). Two narrow strips (pattis) are stitched together to form a blanket or shawl (Munshi et al., 1992). Grounded in Indigenous and Local Ecological Knowledge (ILEK), Pattu’s making involves intergenerational hand-spinning, weaving, and embroidery practices. These textiles not only reflect the ecological rhythms of desert life but also sustain a meaningful relationship between communities and their environment. Crafted from locally sourced desi oon, Pattu embodies both ecological sustainability and cultural identity (Jaitly, 1990). By exploring embedded skills, seasonal rhythms, and collaborative production, this paper highlights how Pattu supports rural livelihoods, preserves intangible cultural heritage, and fosters community resilience. In an era of climate crisis and industrialized fashion, Pattu offers a culturally rooted, sustainable alternative that reconnects people, place, and practice.
creator: Pramila Choudhary
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Pramila Choudhary https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 360
ending page: 366
doi: 10.36253/fh-3152

Shades of Green
type: item
description: The fashion industry faces significant challenges, including human rights and environmental concerns, prompting a shift toward sustainability. This shift reflects heightened awareness among stakeholders. However, alongside these positive developments, a trend has emerged: greenwashing. Defined as misleading consumers about a company’s environmental practices, greenwashing complicates the industry’s efforts to adopt sustainable practices and can perpetuate harmful behaviors. Despite extensive research highlighting the negative impacts of greenwashing, it continues to rise, indicating a gap in understanding the processes behind it. Various factors contribute to greenwashing within fashion businesses, yet these dynamics remain poorly understood. While market forces promoting greenwashing are recognized, the specific activities and organizational structures driving these decisions need further exploration. This research investigates the inner workings of fashion organizations, aiming to identify the structures and processes that lead to greenwashing. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with industry experts, it was found that greenwashing often occurs unintentionally due to misaligned goals, lack of knowledge sharing, greenhushing, and a need for shared definitions of sustainability claims. The findings underscore the need to adjust business structures and processes to mitigate greenwashing practices in the fashion industry and emphasize the importance of developing universal definitions and standards to enhance sustainability efforts.
creator: Mollie Shield
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Mollie Shield https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 370
ending page: 377
doi: 10.36253/fh-3106

Discovering the Myth of Metaverse Fashion
type: item
description: This study contributes to defining ‘prosperity fashion’ by critically examining early metaverse fashion narratives, revealing a focus on economic gain for companies rather than holistic well-being, aesthetics, and consumer needs, thus highlighting the demand for new myths that could potentially seduce consumers to shift from physical to virtual apparel, whose specific emphasis remains to be determined through further research and discourse. This paper focuses on one case study – the 2021 Roblox Gucci Garden event, specifically analysing the widely referred transaction of a virtual Gucci Dionysus Bag with Bee that sold for more than its physical equivalent. A critical discourse analysis of mass media coverage demonstrates how this single transaction evolved into the most cited example of metaverse fashion’s investment potential, becoming a foundational myth in the emerging metaverse fashion discourse.
creator: Natalia Berger
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Natalia Berger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 378
ending page: 387
doi: 10.36253/fh-3230

Play to Prosper in Fashion Give Me Back My Agency!
type: item
description: The fashion industry plays a major role in driving planetary decline, primarily through encouraging overconsumption and fast fashion. While the industry’s impact is well-documented, less attention has been given to the role of consumers in sustaining these systems through their decisions and everyday practices. Engaging consumers in exploring the industry’s complex challenges is essential, and playful experiences offer a promising perspective. This contribution investigates the potential of games to foster transformative change. It begins with an overview of Italian case studies, showing that while educational games on sustainable fashion can raise awareness, they often fall short of prompting lasting behavioural change. To address this, a game-based project was developed in collaboration with an Italian B-Corp focused on eco-social sustainability. Using a participatory approach, company staff joined a one-day workshop to map the fashion supply chain and co-create game mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics. A prototype was tested with participants of diverse backgrounds, using pre- and post-gameplay questionnaires to assess changes in interest, knowledge, and practices. Preliminary results suggest that gameplay can influence perceptions and behaviours, though revisions are needed to include more actionable content and everyday best practices.
creator: Giulia Teverini
creator: Letizia Vaccarella
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Giulia Teverini, Letizia Vaccarella https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 388
ending page: 398
doi: 10.36253/fh-3123

A Digital Approach to Slow Fashion
type: item
description: This paper discusses the design of “I finded,” a mobile app aimed at mapping and promoting second-hand clothing stores within Porto’s historic centre. Developed as part of a master’s thesis at the University of Porto in 2023, the app addresses the rising interest in second-hand clothing and the limited awareness of such shops in Porto. Given the fashion industry’s significant environmental impact, the project encourages sustainable shopping choices to o support eco-conscious consumer behavior and environmental sustainability. The app’s main goal is to make second-hand stores more accessible, featuring a consistent store page format with a summary, image carousel, style description, target demographics, customer reviews, location with map, and contact details. Research methods included questionnaires, interviews, visual analysis, and observation, with a focus on inclusivity, diversity, and usability in design. Two shops, “Kilo” and “Com Sotaque,” served as test cases, each offering unique aesthetics within the second-hand market. By integrating sustainability into design, this project aims to promote environmental conservation and encourage a sustainable future. The app represents a concrete outcome, with the next step being potential collaborations with local institutions to bring it to life.
creator: Susana Barreto
creator: Ana Carolina Fidelis
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Susana Barreto, Ana Carolina Fidelis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 402
ending page: 411
doi: 10.36253/fh-3076

Shaping a Purpose-Driven Fashion Industry by Design
type: item
description: The European Commission has emphasized the insufficiency of current sustainability efforts and the need for drastic emission cuts by 2050. New EU regulations, such as the Green Deal and the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation, reinforce this demand for sustainable industrial transformation. Within this framework, the fashion industry faces major sustainability challenges due to its reliance on linear, profit-driven models. These dynamics foster overproduction and globalized markets, prompting a reevaluation of production systems. Purpose-driven enterprises have emerged, aligning business strategies with values and sustainability goals. This article examines how design can guide the fashion industry towards prosperity via purpose-driven models. As setting design goals shapes strategic vision, design becomes central in aligning innovation with sustainable objectives. Research shows that the design phase holds significant potential for sustainability gains. The author conducted an iterative study of European fashion firms, combining desk research with case studies to identify key purpose-driven practices. The resulting model highlights how companies voluntarily integrate profit with social and environmental impact. Three case studies illustrate the application of this model and its broader relevance. This work explores how European fashion firms use design to move from economic growth toward holistic, ecosystem-focused prosperity.
creator: Erminia D'Itria
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Erminia D'Itria https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 412
ending page: 421
doi: 10.36253/fh-3081

Sustainable Fashion Through Traditional Turkish Women’s Clothing Techniques
type: item
description: The production of garments from fabric involves multiple stages, each contributing to the final product’s design and the resulting fabric waste. The fashion industry produces 97 million tons of waste annually, of which 18 million are leftover textiles. Fast fashion increases the amount of textile waste created by industry and consumers. The zero-waste approach has begun to be implemented in clothing design to minimize the amount of fabric waste generated in the pre-consumer production stage. The collection design and patternmaking stages, well before the cutting process, present a pivotal opportunity to apply zero-waste fashion design techniques. At the design stage of zero-waste clothes, the fashion designer and pattern maker precisely plan to ensure that fabric pieces fit together like a puzzle using the entire fabric width. In response to the growing concern over fabric waste, this paper explores how traditional garment construction techniques can be applied to contemporary garment design to reduce waste. Traditional construction methods were used for three dress patterns to explore how they might affect fabric utilization and garment production.
creator: Ceren Aktas
creator: Elvan Ozkavruk Adanir
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Ceren Aktas, Elvan Ozkavruk Adanir https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 422
ending page: 429
doi: 10.36253/fh-3117

System Design for the Sustainable Enhancement of Italian Wool Production Chain
type: item
description: The Italian wool industry is facing considerable challenges, largely due to mounting environmental concerns that are undermining its economic viability and sustainable production management. This paper presents the strategy of the FiLA National Observatory project, launched in 2024. The project objective is to reconfigure the value creation processes through a circular economy approach for the indigenous wool supply chain, establishing an energy-neutral, human-centred, and inclusive model. Italian wool (20-30 μm) is facing significant challenges in the international market, particularly from finer New Zealand wool (15 μm). Additionally, approximately 10,000 tonnes of annual greasy wool production is often treated as special waste, highlighting the urgent need for a systematic intervention to understand the strategic positioning of Italian wool within the broader context of the textile supply chain. This should extend beyond fashion and knitwear design to encompass a wider macroeconomic landscape. By 2025, the FiLA Observatory will develop a digital platform to support networking and system competitiveness, promoting innovation in processes, products, and services. Through mapping actors, identifying research opportunities, and defining macro-economic trends, the project proposes a comprehensive model that integrates economic, productive, environmental, and social aspects, ultimately contributing to a new paradigm of prosperity in the fashion industry.
creator: Rossana Gaddi
creator: Luciana Mastrolonardo
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Rossana Gaddi, Luciana Mastrolonardo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 430
ending page: 438
doi: 10.36253/fh-3181

Rethinking Fashion
type: item
description: Well-being has traditionally been measured through economic growth and the accumulation of wealth, often neglecting the limitations imposed by natural resources (Latouche et al., 2011). The current economic model overlooks the principles of the circular economy, which are increasingly undermined by anthropogenic phenomena such as global warming. Additionally, growing geopolitical instability is weakening conventional governance systems (Sachs, 2015). Within this context, the European Commission’s “Safe and Sustainable by Design” (SSbD) framework (2022), aligned with the objectives of the European Green Deal, promotes a systemic approach that integrates safety, sustainability, and functionality. It aims to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals and minimize environmental impacts throughout the entire life cycle of products and processes. There is an urgent need to rethink production systems through a “reparative, regenerative, and restorative” economic model (Sbordone et al., 2022), which transcends the limits of the circular economy by prioritizing biological cycles and the bioeconomy (Fava, 2022; Giampietro, 2024). The Quintuple Helix model contributes to redefining relationships among stakeholders, placing natural capital at the center (Carayannis et al., 2012). In this scenario, design intrinsically connected to life plays a critical role in re-establishing sustainable relationships between humans and the environment (Antonelli, 2012), particularly in the fashion and textile sectors, by fostering locally grounded initiatives focused on repair, regeneration, and territorial enhancement.
creator: Maria Antonietta Sbordone
creator: Ilenia Carmela Amato
creator: Eleonora Cecere
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ilenia Carmela Amato, Eleonora Cecere, Maria Antonietta Sbordone https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 440
ending page: 451
doi: 10.36253/fh-3286

SONIC PALETTE
type: item
description: We have a palette of colors, but what if we take sounds as a starting point for designing practice? What could be a sonic palette for sonic wear? This paper introduces new ways of thinking with the body in time and space as a sonic composition. It presents experimental research on fabricating sonic material using 3D printing on textiles technique for developing different sonic expressions as musical notes. This experimental Sonic Palette is seen as a way of bringing awareness about otherness, and commonness with those with visual impairment while exploring alternative possibilities and unusual approaches to materials. Sonic Palette introduces a new experience of wearing, nonetheless, it suggests an experimental language, extended vocabulary, and expressions in the field of fashion and textile design. Aesthetics of interaction and experience rather than aesthetics of appearance propose considering garments as musical composition and musical instruments. The expansion of sensory plentitude and expressiveness of materials with non-visual, experience-based, and time-based expressions is an example of inclusive ways of thinking, designing, and presenting fashion for example for those with diverse visual abilities.
creator: Vidmina Stasiulytė
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Vidmina Stasiulytė https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 454
ending page: 463
doi: 10.36253/fh-3108

Nature, Weave and Color
type: item
description: This article presents an innovative methodological alternative devised from both a technical and artistic approach, in order to offer a systemic response to sustainability in the fashion industry through the use of ecofriendly materials and techniques, inspired by artisanal tradition and knowledge of nature, on which research is carried out by determining and formalizing the final product. An analysis of natural fibers and pigments has been carried out, as well as experimental tests with chromatic treatment and plant printing techniques, such as “Ecoprint” and “Shibori”, which have resulted in the design and development of a tote bag model as a practical example. From these initial solutions, the project remains open to the incorporation of new patterns and traditional techniques, always respecting ecological processes. This initiative aspires to consolidate itself as a comprehensive sustainable fashion proposal that, since its inception, is committed to authenticity, aesthetics and respect for the environment.
creator: Carmina Escandell Lorente
creator: Amparo Galbis Juan
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Carmina Escandell Lorente, Amparo Galbis Juan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 464
ending page: 472
doi: 10.36253/fh-3126

Next-Gen Fur Design
type: item
description: Fur, valued for its various natural qualities, has historically been a staple in fashion, often signifying status. However, traditional animal-based fur is a controversial material increasingly subject to governmental and organisational bans. Alternatives include synthetic and next-gen materials. Although synthetic fur is more sustainable than animal fur regarding carbon footprint and animal welfare, it still contributes significantly to environmental issues, including microplastic pollution. Next-gen furs are animal- and petrochemical-free alternatives. However, their success is challenging to compare with synthetics due to their natural properties and the substantial time and financial investments already made in the latter. Based on traditional secondary research employing a ‘capture-edit-search’ approach, this investigation explores the potential of defining material properties to be prioritised or avoided when designing a next-gen fur. Starting from an analysis of the traditional material’s properties, the attributes commonly associated with animal-based fur are explored to help formulate strategies to consider when designing next-gen alternatives. As demonstrated, it is unlikely that a next-gen replacement for animal fur will fully replicate the material’s characteristics. However, in a design-driven transition, knowing what to avoid is as important as knowing what to achieve. Therefore, establishing honest design priorities could contribute to a more prosperous fashion future.
creator: Isabella Enrica Alevato Aires
creator: Stefan Lie
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Isabella Enrica Alevato Aires, Stefan Lie https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 474
ending page: 486
doi: 10.36253/fh-3128

Analyzing Sustainability in Fashion Through Bio-Synthetic Materials
type: item
description: The environmental consequences of the fashion industry are undeniably severe and contribute to environmental pollution and degradation in many ways. While sustainability discussions are continuing, new material trends are emerging and the source, production process, and experience of these materials also affect the fashion industry. Synthetic biology is a promising tool combining bio-design and bioengineering. This new bio-synthetic approach offers an innovative path toward ethical and clean fashion production by transforming microbes or bacteria into “living factories” that produce sustainable materials. However, a broader evaluation is required to grasp the full potential and ethical challenges, especially regarding the commodification of living organisms for mass production. It is imperative that research be conducted to assess the environmental, social, and economic impacts of bio-synthetic materials, particularly in the context of the “living factories” concept. Considering the ethical risks of exploitative practices and the need for transparency, this study examines bio-synthetic applications in fashion, their impacts on sustainability, and their implications for planetary well-being.
creator: Filiz Ozbengi Uslu
creator: Arzu Vuruskan
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Filiz Ozbengi Uslu, Dr. Arzu Vuruskan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 488
ending page: 500
doi: 10.36253/fh-3156

From Flashes to Lifecycles
type: item
description: Production and marketing of fashion are organized into very short cycles of substitution with overconsumption of styles, attention and people. Collections are short-lived, and the window exposing models is soon closed. Revitalization and replacement go hand in hand, but the couple seems to become increasingly out of time and at odds with a new cultural awareness calling for restructuration, holistic views and regenerative practices for a common good (Buckton et al., 2023). Naturally, for the industry’s changes to appear as authentic, they need to include the practise of marketing. For this purpose, this article will contribute to defining the concept of prosperity fashion from an interdisciplinary perspective by untangling the narrow visual marketing narrative intertwining fashion and youth and exploring the possibilities for widening the scope to including mature people as an integral, aesthetic part of fashion branding. Furthermore, it will suggest central discursive building blocks in the aesthetic construction of the industry’s position as part of a natural world of longer and more natural lifecycles.
creator: Dorrit Bøilerehauge
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Dorrit Bøilerehauge https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 504
ending page: 513
doi: 10.36253/fh-3116

From Waste to Wealth: Redefining Prosperity in Fashion
type: item
description: The fashion industry is under increasing pressure to reconcile economic growth with environmental responsibility. This paper examines the 2024 Tanween Sustainable Fashion Challenge, organized by Ithra and supported by Vanina as the knowledge partner, as a case study for advancing regenerative practices in the sector. The challenge invited designers to transform undervalued local materials into luxury fashion items, using a framework rooted in the quintuple helix model to facilitate collaboration among industry, academia, government, society, and environmental stakeholders. The six-day design challenge employed agile methodologies, integrating charrette and sprint formats to enable rapid prototyping and interdisciplinary teamwork. Participants developed innovative material processes, linking ecological responsibility with cultural heritage. In the post-challenge phase, an extended network of expertise and collective intelligence was mobilized to support the winning proposal, ensuring its progression from concept to prototype through advanced material development. This paper explores the challenge’s structure, its hybrid models for fostering innovation, and its integration of cultural dimensions. By embedding global expertise into local contexts, the initiative demonstrates how collective intelligence, cross-sectoral partnerships, and a glocal approach can redefine prosperity. It positions fashion not only as a tool for ecological stewardship and sustainable development but also as a medium for cultural engagement and systemic transformation in the pursuit of regenerative practices.
creator: Joanne Hayek
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Joanne Hayek https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 514
ending page: 531
doi: 10.36253/fh-3134

Problematizing Fashion Sustainability
type: item
description: Business author John Elkington´s key assumptions, presented in his 1997 work Cannibals with Forks - the multiple perspectives view, global data and future-oriented temporality - continue to inform mainstream fashion sustainability today. If fashion is to move beyond a singular profit-driven vision toward shared well-being, the research community needs to increasingly steer studies toward using reflexive approaches, by actively mobilizing and problematizing existing frameworks, not aiming to subvert or debunk or to vindicate or defend our normative point of view, but to critically problematize it. In this article, problematization methodology is used to identify and challenge the assumptions underlying Elkington’s work and contemporary fashion sustainability research. By analyzing this seminal text the article contributes to the critical problematization of design disciplines, fashion sustainability in particular. Retaining hope and moving toward prosperity fashion in its true sense calls for dialectically questioning and unravelling one’s own position, and scrutinizing and reconsidering some commonly held assumptions. This will enable us to make space for different positions and lines of thinking, which are desperately needed in fashion research.
creator: Aino Helena Korhonen
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Aino Helena Korhonen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 532
ending page: 540
doi: 10.36253/fh-3218

Fashion as Flourishing
type: item
description: As a theoretical framework, the concept of flourishing according to John Ehrenfeld, can be used to consider the future of fashion. Redefining sustainability in terms of flourishing, can be a way for fashion companies as well as consumers, to be guided through the radical change that is needed within the fashion industry. Through applying a qualitative method of textual analysis, the paper reveals how flourishing can be integrated into a future fashion industry, with a focus on Being and caring as the main characteristics. The data is gathered from the fashion company babaà’s website and analyzed in relation to earlier research on systemic change within the fashion industry. This, in order to provide practical steps for fostering flourishing within the fashion industry. In conclusion, one of the biggest impact a company like babaà can have, is through how they tell their story to their consumers as well as through showing how they as a company let caring steer their choices, with a specific focus on locality. This article builds on Ehrenfeld’s concept of flourishing by illustrating its significance in fashion communication.
creator: Paulina Ryden
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Paulina Ryden https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 544
ending page: 551
doi: 10.36253/fh-3135

Caring for Fashion by Doing the Laundry
type: item
description: Wearing has long been the primary act of fashion, yet fashion consumers additionally engage in a complex, interactive relationship with garments when they are not worn. This paper explores the nuanced relationship between care and fashion consumption by examining the acts of care involved in doing the laundry. In identifying laundry as a series of seemingly small quasi-events that intertwine identity, social norms, and cultural consumption, caring for fashion can be reframed by abstracting typical laundry acts, such as progressing folding into a caring act of holding. Common consumption patterns and behaviours can be altered by disrupting standard laundry practices and engaging consumers in care activities based on joy, fulfilment, or even frustration. Examining how we consume fashion objects in our homes through the laundry basket can provide further insight into body-object relationships from the perspectives of care, maintenance, and dependence. This can thereby redefine expressions of bonding and our engagement with material culture by suggesting the consumption of acts as opposed to things as a means to care for fashion.
creator: Helga Halldorsdottir
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Helga Halldorsdottir https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 552
ending page: 561
doi: 10.36253/fh-3136

Prosperity in Italian Fashion
type: item
description: The fashion system is notorious for perpetuating inequalities and exploitation, driven by entrenched power dynamics that dictate which ideas and interests prevail. While sustainability often dominates discussions on alternative paradigms (Henninger et al., 2016), care has emerged as a critical perspective, emphasizing processes over outcomes (Franzo, 2023). This approach highlights practices that responsibly manage time, resources, and expertise, fostering positive relationships between people, the environment, and territories. This paper draws on data from CreAbility, an ongoing action-research project involving Italian micro and small fashion enterprises, as well as associations and designers known for their social and cultural impact. The project aims to foster networks of practices that promote collaboration and enrich the theoretical debate on fashion’s potential to generate social and economic value (Moore et al., 2023). Through periodic focus groups with diverse stakeholders, the study examines the concept of prosperity beyond mere economic gain, exploring how these actors challenge existing hierarchies and contribute to ecological, social, cultural, and economic well-being. The initial findings highlight key aspects for the fashion system to address in order to act as a positive agent of change in the Italian context.
creator: Ludovica Carini
creator: Silvia Mazzucotelli Salice
creator: Cecilia Cornaggia
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ludovica Carini, Silvia Mazzucotelli Salice, Cecilia Cornaggia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 562
ending page: 572
doi: 10.36253/fh-3166

Contrasting Hierarchical and Decentralised System Analogies to Revalue Prosperity
type: item
description: The hierarchical capitalist system exploits all living systems, including labour. Revaluing prosperity ideologies involves freeing the production of new systems from an opportunistic economy and fostering subject formation that values “complexity, diversity and multiple ways of belonging” (Braidotti & Regan, 2017, p. 182). Agents in the fashion system struggle to adopt the counterhegemonic ontologies required for true sustainability. A responsive, integrated, and decentralised system and an ethic of care are needed to empower more role players to address dynamic societal challenges. This paper contributes to redefining the concept of prosperity by contrasting analogies of the hierarchical capitalist fashion system with alternative decentralised structures, thereby identifying intervention points to enable agency for fashion system participants. Drawing from Nel’s (2025), PhD research, critical discourse analysis and a constructivist qualitative methodology grounded in theory through desktop analysis are applied. The characteristics of decentralised systems offer intervention points in the fashion system, promoting a framework that moves away from exploitation and integrates agency — enhancing economic resilience by diversifying economies and reducing vulnerability to global market fluctuations. Revaluing prosperity paradigms, from prosperity for the privileged few through capitalist profit motives to more inclusive, decentralised notions of prosperity could promote well-being for all.
creator: Lisa Nel
creator: Desiree Smal
creator: Allan Munro
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Lisa Nel, Desiree Smal, Allan Munro https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 574
ending page: 584
doi: 10.36253/fh-3140

Handle with Care
type: item
description: This paper defines and investigates models of environmental movers (EM), based on a long-term collaboration and community-based project about fashion, sustainability, identity, with a focus on environmental solutions to ecological, class, and social justice. We describe and evaluate the first two years of “Handle with Care” project, a long-term community collaboration between a high school and university classes, which includes Envirochic/Chic Shack, an environmentally friendly boutique planned, developed, and implemented with a local high school in the United States. This space provided a platform to explore and advocate for sustainability through fashion and style.
creator: Alessandra Von Burg
creator: Nathaniel French
creator: Terry Matthews
creator: Roksanna Keyvan
creator: Toni Hines
creator: Farah Alsakhita
creator: Gina Giorgio
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Alessandra Von Burg, Nathaniel French, Terry Matthews, Roksanna Keyvan, Toni Hines, Farah Alsakhita, Gina Giorgio https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 586
ending page: 597
doi: 10.36253/fh-3145

Rewear, Redefine, Co-design
type: item
description: The concept of uniqueness is becoming increasingly central in consumer purchasing decisions, the desire for exclusivity and authenticity is manifested through the growing adoption of garments that enable individuals to express their identity, enhancing the personal value of the clothes they wear. This study explores the affective dimensions of fashion, focusing on the rise of hyper-personalized and pre-loved garments as key drivers of a paradigm of slower, sustainable consumption. Far from being simple trends, these practices enact significant transformation in how individuals and objects relate. Drawing on philosophical frameworks, the paper positions garments as transitional objects that embody personal and collective narratives, fostering emotional durability and a deeper connection with materiality. While hyper-personalization, empowered by digital interactivity, invites consumers to collaborate in the creative process, transforming garments into existential companions, the re-ontholisation of pre-loved garments challenges fast fashion’s disposability, framing second-hand clothing as a means of ethical resistance and ontological continuity. These dynamics, intertwined with principles of slow fashion and circular economy, point to a broader socio-cultural shift toward inclusive prosperity, balancing individual well-being, environmental integrity, and social justice, reframing fashion as a critical practice renewing its role as a medium for reimagining a more sustainable and existentially resonant sartorial culture.
creator: Michela Musto
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Michela Musto https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 598
ending page: 608
doi: 10.36253/fh-3160

Interview with Kate Fletcher
type: item
description: The concept of prosperity is often associated with economic growth and the success of a product on the market, neglecting or downplaying the impact on the environment and people according to a model that has long been considered unsustainable. What is your definition of prosperity and what do you think are the tools and approaches to develop it? In 1992, a book was published called ‘Wealth Beyond Measure’. Its lead author was the ecological economist Paul Ekins, and in 200 highly illustrated pages, key concepts in economics and ecological economics are unpacked for non-specialist readers. In one illustration there’s a wheel, an old wagon wheel style of wheel, with each of the spokes representing a different contributing factor to prosperity. In the illustration, the wheel is distorted, egg-shaped, with the one spoke bigger than all the others. This spoke is production and income and it is drawn like this to show that these factors have been exaggerated over others, like the quality of the environment, health and care for the future have been. This picture has been handed down to us in the global North and neoliberalism has normalised it. It is worth asking ourselves: how do we understand prosperity? Is it something related to economics? Or is it something broader? Does our notion of prosperity radically extend to include all species and care for the Earth? This is where I think prosperity finds its roots, in a non-hierarchical, respectful and reciprocal relationship with the living land. This, of course, is not new insight. First Nations and indigenous cosmology (which precedes the 17th Century Enlightenment) is typically based on inter-generational wisdoms that had always been tethered to lands, waters, animals and bigger worlds we cannot name or know. How is it possible to rediscover and encourage new sensory and direct experiences with clothing and the body, creating a new relationship between the human and the non-human? Clothing is a membrane between body and w…
creator: Paolo Franzo
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Paolo Franzo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 28
ending page: 30
doi: 10.36253/fh-3607

Interview with Ron Wakkary
type: item
description: The concept of prosperity is often associated with economic growth and the success of a product on the market, neglecting or downplaying the impact on the environment and people according to a model that has long been considered unsustainable. What is your definition of prosperity and what do you think are the tools and approaches to develop it? I’ve not considered the term prosperity before the conference so I can’t say I have an interpretation for myself. The term I use is cohabitation, the idea of living together well. Some qualify this further with the word “thriving”, which I believe is a good addition, but the term is rich enough on its own. It takes more than compatibility or fair exchange to live together, to dwell in place among differences and similarities. It requires kinship and accepting entanglements to use posthumanist language. For me, it’s important that cohabitation is collective or at least requires others and some form of collective participation. It is also active in that to live with others requires being there together, creating shared places, and lastly it is temporal or durational–the length of time together defines in part the cohabitation. To prosper and to thrive can be seen as an individual matter, separate from place, even exclusively about the interiority of the mind or self. I don’t mean that as a critique but more as a comparison to highlight what cohabitation as a term brings. In terms of approach, I see cohabitation as the goal for designing or what I call designing-with to invoke a more-than-human context for designing. In other words, it can be a measure for the success of what and how well we design. If a thing is designed, how does it contribute to living well together throughout its life and after, well past human use (which we then call “waste”). Further, we can ask how the thing designed existed in the world but also what it took to create a thing and its effects on cohabitation. I want to be careful about methods, so we don…
creator: Margherita Tufarelli
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Margherita Tufarelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 32
ending page: 38
doi: 10.36253/fh-3608

Towards a New Sustainable and Relational Paradigm for the Fashion System
type: item
description: The contemporary fashion system currently stands at a critical crossroads, caught between the legacy of a linear production model—often referred to as ‘disposable’—characterized by exponential growth and profit maximization, and the urgent need to redefine its objectives in light of the multiple environmental, social, and cultural crises of our time (Raworth, 2017). This scenario has reinforced the awareness of the need to transition from a linear economy to a circular one (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2013). This transition can be built on three pillars inspired by the ethical and relational archetype of ‘care’: care for living beings (both human and non-human), for the environment, and for objects. In this sense, design is called upon to play a transformative role rooted in an ethics of responsibility (Tronto, 1993; Puig de la Bellacasa, 2017). In recent years, the fashion sector has undertaken numerous efforts to reduce its environmental and social impact through a variety of strategies: the adoption of natural, organic, and recycled materials (Fletcher & Tham, 2019), zero-waste design, the promotion of the slow fashion movement, and product traceability via blockchain (Rogerson & Parry, 2020). Additionally, artificial intelligence has been employed to forecast demand and optimize production processes (Caniato et al., 2020); tools such as the digital product passport (European Commission, 2022) and the application of ecodesign principles (Bocken et al., 2016) have also emerged. However, these practices often remain confined to incremental and sector-specific approaches, without challenging the dominant paradigm of unlimited growth. This context is further complicated by greenwashing practices and ethical compromises that undermine the credibility of ongoing transformations (Delmas & Burbano, 2011). Within this framework, new epistemological and design horizons are emerging: from reparative design (Fuad-Luke, 2022) to regenerative marketing (Tavanti, 2020), from th…
creator: Elisabetta Cianfanelli
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Elisabetta Cianfanelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 18
ending page: 20
doi: 10.36253/fh-3559

Prosperity Fashion
type: item
description: The fashion system has been questioning for years how to decrease its negative impact on the environment and people, trying to improve individual elements: from natural, organic or recycled materials to zero-waste design methodologies, from slower production processes to socially responsible actions, from development of local supply chains to inclusive communication campaigns, from blockchain traceability of products to more reliable trend forecasts through artificial intelligence, from social engagement to large scale regulation. Thanks to the contribution of researchers, practitioners, and activists, a new awareness in civil society about the finite nature of materials and resources has been achieved, and the definition of standards and certifications regulating fashion processes and products towards circular and closed ecosystems has been refined and broadly disseminated. This awareness, however, often conflicts with the need for constant and exponential economic growth, on which fashion brands base their creative direction, communication, branding, and sales decisions. The last few decades, marked by climate, humanitarian and health crises, have prompted debate about the prevailing economic model centred on ‘GDP Fetishism’ (Stiglitz 2009), which consists of holding Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as definitive and universal, and thus pursuing it at the cost of dramatically burdening environmental, human, and social resources. Many researchers have gone back to the criticisms made by the Club of Rome in 1972 to verify and actualise them, fuelling the need not only for a new direction for economics and production, but also for new definitions and terminologies for this urgent change of pace: a-growth and post-development politics (Latouche 2012), post-growth fashion (Fletcher 2011), regenerative marketing (Kotler, Foglia, Sarkar 2023), restorative design (Antonelli 2019), sufficiency-based economy (Bocken et al. 2022) and post-industrial design (Cross 1981), expressi…
creator: Paolo Franzo
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Paolo Franzo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
date: 2025-07-14
publication date: 2025-07-14
number: SI1
starting page: 22
ending page: 24
doi: 10.36253/fh-3560