Prosperity Fashion 2027

 

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 
9-12 February 2027
Università degli Studi di Firenze
Florence, Italy

DOWNLOAD THE CALL FOR PAPERS

 

FROM DOUBTING TO PROMISING
The reflections on prosperity and fashion that were initiated by the first edition of the international conference Prosperity Fashion (13–14 February 2025) does not end with a specific moment in time, nor can it be considered a seasonal topic or a theoretical trend. Prosperity is not a buzzword: it is a structural, long-term perspective through which to rethink the fashion system in its economic, political, social, environmental, cultural, and technological dimensions.

Within the framework of Prosperity Fashion, the term prosperity does not coincide with economic growth or the accumulation of financial value. Rather, it emerges from a critical reassessment of the paradigm of unlimited growth whose environmental, social, and political limits have become increasingly evident. Prosperity is understood as a relational and systemic condition, concerning the quality of interdependencies among actors, territories, communities, ecosystems, and technologies.

The first edition questioned the concept of prosperity by moving beyond its exclusively economic meaning and opening it up to relational, ecological, and post-growth models. The 2027 edition, titled From Doubting to Promising, aims to expand, test, and deepen this perspective, shifting the focus from a theoretical redefinition of the concept toward examining its practical and anticipated implications.

> Can prosperity become a theoretical and operational framework applicable to fashion research and practice?
> How can relational prosperity be implemented within institutional, industrial, and educational contexts?
> What tensions emerge in the encounter between market logics and post-growth models?
> What forms of collective responsibility can orient the future of fashion studies?
> How can nonhuman, posthuman and more-than-human perspectives contribute to redefining prosperity in fashion?
> How can fashion education contribute to fostering a prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive society?

The conference is open to all scholars, practitioners, and researchers interested in engaging with the theme of prosperity in fashion. Contributors from the first edition are also encouraged to return by presenting developments of their previous research, new investigative trajectories, or experimental modes of intervention.

Prosperity Fashion 2027 proposes not only thematic continuity, but also a further developed structure designed to foster critical reflection, experimentation, and the collective assumption of responsibility. The conference is structured into five interconnected sections: Doubting, Sharing, Building, Showing, and Promising.

• DOUBTING
  A space devoted to ongoing research, with particular attention to early career researchers. In this format, participants will briefly present their work while explicitly articulating doubts, critical junctures, methodological crossroads, and open questions. Discussion with the academic community will be an integral part of the session, fostering a dialogical exchange.
  
  
• SHARING
  Parallel sessions dedicated to the presentation of papers based on completed or advanced-stage research. Contributions may address theoretical, historical, methodological, or applied perspectives related to the theme of prosperity in fashion.
  
  
• BUILDING
  Workshop-based sessions oriented toward activating shared processes of research and experimentation. These may include participatory methodologies, design practices, speculative approaches, collective mappings, or performative formats. The aim is not only to construct new knowledge, but also to unsettle and dismantle consolidated assumptions, questioning inherited certainties and opening alternative epistemic and practical trajectories.
  
  
• SHOWING
  A section dedicated to the presentation of digital works (videos, multimedia projects) and physical works (installations, prototypes, material experimentations) that interpret, challenge, or render tangible the concept of prosperity fashion through visual, material, and experiential languages.

The conference will conclude with an active and collective session entitled:

• PROMISING
  In this final moment, all participants will gather in discussion tables to identify priority research lines, emerging issues, and strategic directions for the years ahead. Each table will formulate a scientific and project-based “promise”: a shared commitment to develop specific areas of research or action.

The promises articulated will not remain symbolic declarations; rather, they will constitute the starting point for the subsequent edition of the conference, strengthening the continuity and responsibility of the Prosperity Fashion community.

The structure of the conference does not merely respond to organizational needs; it reflects a precise epistemological orientation. The sections unfold as moments within a shared process of knowledge production, in which prosperity is understood not as a given outcome, but as an evolving relational practice. From this perspective, the conference becomes itself a research dispositif: a space in which knowledge is not simply presented, but questioned, transformed, embodied, and oriented toward common responsibilities.

 

PARTICIPATION FORMATS AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• DOUBTING (Research in Progress)
  Title and subtitle; Keywords (max 5); Abstract (max 250 words); References (max 5); Short biography of the author(s) (max 75 words); 2 doubts, critical junctures, methodological crossroads, or open questions to be discussed during the session.
  Accepted proposals may subsequently be developed and included in the conference proceedings in the form of a research-in-progress paper (2,000–2,500 words).
  
  
• SHARING (Completed or Advanced Research)
  Title and subtitle; Keywords (max 5); Abstract (max 400 words); References (max 5); Short biography of the author(s) (max 75 words); a sentence answering the question ‘how does the paper contribute to defining the concept of prosperity fashion?’.
  Accepted proposals may subsequently be developed and included in the conference proceedings in the form of a full paper (4,000–6,000 words).
  
  
• BUILDING (Workshop)
  Title and subtitle; Abstract and workshop structure, including duration, number of participants, format, expected outcomes, and any technical or equipment requirements (max 400 words); References (max 5); Short biography of the author(s) (max 75 words).
  Accepted proposals may subsequently be developed and included in the conference proceedings in the form of a workshop report (2,000–2,500 words).
  
  
• SHOWING (Artwork)
  Title; Project abstract; Technical description (dimensions, materials, format, duration if applicable, installation requirements); Visual documentation: photographs (if the work is already realized) or drawings, renderings, diagrams, or explanatory illustrations; Short biography of the author(s) (max 75 words).
  Selected works may be included in the conference proceedings in the form of an Artist/Designer Research Statement (1,500–2,000 words).

Submissions should be sent to prosperityfashion@dida.unifi.it by 31 May 2026 indicating ‘Prosperity Fashion 2027’ in the subject line. 

The conference will be held in person only on 9-12 February 2027 at Università degli Studi di Firenze. At least one author of each accepted contribution is required to attend the conference and present their work. Full papers, selected through a double-blind peer review process, will be published in 2027 in Fashion Highlight Journal.

 

IMPORTANT DATES
Abstract submission deadline: 31 May 2026
Notification of acceptance: 15 July 2026
Full paper submission (optional): 30 October 2026
Full paper review decision notification: 15 January 2027

INFO
Venue: 
Università degli Studi di Firenze, Department of Architecture, 
Via della Mattonaia 8, Florence, Italy

Regular fee: 350 €. Reduced fee (PhD and MA students): 170 €
prosperityfashion@dida.unifi.it

 

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Elisabetta Cianfanelli, Università degli Studi di Firenze
Paolo Franzo, Università degli Studi di Firenze
Margherita Tufarelli, Università degli Studi di Firenze

Natalia Berger, Inholland University of Applied Sciences
Paola Bertola, Politecnico di Milano
Patrizia Calefato, Università di Bari Aldo Moro
Cinzia Capalbo, Sapienza Università di Roma
Hazel Clark, Parsons School of Design
Luisa Collina, Politecnico di Milano
Chiara Colombi, Politecnico di Milano
Steven Faerm, Parsons School of Design
Kate Fletcher, Manchester Metropolitan University and Oslo Metropolitan University
Aaron Fry, University of Auckland
Benedetta Giovanola, Università degli Studi di Macerata
Shawana Khalil, Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design
Khaya Mchunu, University of Johannesburg
Gianni Montagna, Universidade de Lisboa
Troy Nachtigall, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Desamparados Pardo Cuenca, EASD Valencia
Barbara Pasa, Università Iuav di Venezia
Eugenia Paulicelli, Queens College - The City University of New York
Alice Payne, RMIT University
Maria Antonietta Sbordone, Università della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
Anneke Smelik, Radboud University
Clemens Thornquist, University of Borås
Monica Titton, University of Applied Arts Vienna
Ines Tolic, Università degli Studi di Bologna
Rūta Valušytė, Kaunas University of Technology
Arzu Vuruskan, Izmir University of Economics
Benjamin Wild, Manchester Metropolitan University