As textile and fashion industry counts among the most polluting industries in the world today, reinventing its production processes and finding alternatives more respectful and viable for the environment has become vital. Committed to addressing these changing needs, Fab Lab Barcelona, as part of the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC)’s educational programmes, offers a brand new innovative course; Fabricademy, to train students to alternatives to current industrial mass-production processes.   

The production and distribution of textiles used in fashion are large contributors to water, air and soil pollution. The rise of fast fashion and overproduction in the recent years has had devastating social and environmental consequences. It is vital that the textile and fashion industry explore more sustainable and viable practices of production and distribution in order to preserve a thriving ecosystem for future generations. Observing this multifaceted challenge, Fab Lab Barcelona presents a forward thinking course that trains students to address the changing needs of this industry: Fabricademy. Fabricademy focuses on the application of emerging technologies to optimise the way fashion and textile industry operates, as well as the wearable market. This educative programme enables students to have access to state-of-the-art equipment to better innovate using digital technology and to learn from a diverse group of peers and experts from various related field of expertise.

The program strives to implement a new approach to address textile and fashion creation, production and distribution-related-issues by reinventing alternatives to industrial processes such as distributed design, localized supply chains, open source methodology and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. Students participating in the course will explore how the application of emerging technologies can open the door to groundbreaking possibilities in the textile industry.

Led by Anastasia Pistofidou, leader of Material and Textile research body FabTextiles and co-founder and director of the global Fabricademy program, Fabricademy takes place over a six-month period in which students learn about textile and design innovation in collaboration with peers and industry experts from across the global. Students practice hands on learning in their local lab and apply learned skills in a practical final project. The program offers a unique learning environment where students from all over the world can have access to state-of-the-art equipment as well as to professionals and experts from various related fields of activity.  

Applications for the September 2019- May 2020 course are now open, with a $300 discount on local fees until June 30th