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Final Transitions Lab: training changemakers for textile’s & fashion’s circular and digital transition

IAAC Barcelona

IAAC – Fab Lab Barcelona led the coordination of the Transition Labs, the pilots that test the curriculum with local stakeholders.

TRANSITIONS (ERASMUS + Project)  is a strategic alliance for innovation formed by research and technological centers, Vocational Education and Training (VET), Higher Education Institutions (HEI), public policy actors, SMEs and other sectoral organizations from Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Sweden.​ The project aims to nurture the textile and fashion transition to an Industry 4.0 system and a circular economy by developing new learning methods, tools, and practices to help students, young designers, and professionals face real challenges. 

The Transitions partners have developed a modular curriculum for the textile and fashion sector to support the transition towards sustainability and digitalization at three educational levels: VET, HEI and Professionals. The Transitions Labs tested the modular curriculum across all the levels and used the Loopholes toolkit as a tool for the training. 

​Transitions Labs are short training programs focused on testing the Transitions modular curricula:

  • Acting as Laboratories for supporting transitions towards sustainability and digitalization in Textile and Fashion ecosystems.
  • Fostering cooperation between vocational training, professionals and higher education institutions.
IAAC Barcelona

After two series of locally running Transitions Labs organized across Europe, the consortium held the final TransitionsLab in Biella (IT) at the Città Studi on the 4-6th of February 2025. Città Studi hosted the final Transitions Lab and is one of Italy’s most important centers of industrial textile culture. We had the opportunity to explore the current realities of the textile sector while fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange with international professionals and local actors.

A three-pathway training program has been designed for vocational education students, higher education students, and professionals with spaces of cooperation – Designing Beyond Sustainability (HEI), Digital Design for Digital Practices (VET) and Glocal partnerships (PRO). Participants learned to navigate the interrelation of the T&F ecosystem enhancing their ability to facilitate circular transitions and work collaboratively on real challenges through each learning pathway. They also visit local factories and stakeholders such as Magnolab, Piacenza or Marchi & Fildi where they sneaked into the local production and ecosystem. 

The Designing Beyond Sustainability (HEI) program successfully introduced participants to systemic design by Eliana Ferrulli, regenerative material practices were introduced by Helen Milne from NOoF, and followed by Svenja Keune and her lecture and workshop on more-than-human perspectives, though mapping of local wool and hemp. Participants showed enthusiasm, collaboration, and critical thinking, but integrating abstract concepts into practical challenging frameworks. The Digital Design for Digital Practices (VET) program, on the other hand, excelled in hands-on digital design training lead by Laura Civetti, circular design principles with Linda Zamboni, and teamwork exercises. The Glocal partnerships (PRO) engaged with creating a new transition mindset and tools  through the Loopholes Toolkit and stakeholders canvas. The session led by the project partners from Netherlands and Sweden helped participants rethink roles strategically, helped them with mapping ecosystems and identifying opportunities.The assessment also emphasized the importance of partnerships, sustainable practices, and stakeholder integration with groups successfully identifying collaboration opportunities.

IAAC – Fab Lab Barcelona led the coordination of the Transition Labs, the pilots that test the curriculum with local stakeholders. They have shared their current background which is based on the design and running of Fabricademy, a Textile & Technology Academy consisting of a transdisciplinary course. It trains students in the know-how of systemic approaches, the emergence of new business models based on distributed design principles, new education models based on active learning, hands-on activities and distributed support.  

 

Stay in touch with us by contacting: [email protected]

The project was co-funded by the European Union Erasmus + Strategic Alliance Program under grant agreement nº 101056544-TRANSITIONS-ERASMUS-EDU-2021-PI-ALL-INNO.