The Postgraduate is designed for fashion designers, designers, makers, architects, artists, scientists, and creatives from all disciplines interested in digital fabrication, biomaterials, and sustainable innovation. It is ideal for those seeking to explore new methods of self-production, integrate emerging technologies, and connect with global networks like Fab Labs and the Maker Movement.
Postgraduate in Textiles & Technology – Fabricademy BCN
Fabricademy is a journey at the intersection between circular fashion, digital fabrication and biology.
Why Postgraduate in Textiles & Technology – Fabricademy BCN?
Studying at Fabricademy in Barcelona offers a unique opportunity to learn in a global benchmark for digital fabrication and fab textiles. With access to a dedicated biomaterials lab and a professional large-scale Fab Lab, Fabricademy Barcelona provides an unprecedented experience for students to study in a unique environment. The international IAAC environment welcomes students from 68 countries and over 200 disciplines, which provides all students on campus the opportunity to expand their professional and personal experiences. Alumni of the program have used their future skills to build leading roles in the global Fab Lab network, establish their design studios, and become entrepreneurs in the innovation and new materials fields.
8
Editions of the Master Programme
55
Graduated students and counting
20
Nationalities. Multicultural environment
The classes run from Monday to Friday, from mid-September until March. During the first phase, each week of Skills Seminars, students will be expected to complete a different topic fully documented. The knowledge learned will contribute towards phase 2 of the programme, with the development of the final Personal Project.
In addition to the Global Lectures, which take place every Tuesday, there are two days each week where you will receive specific support for your project and have access to a dedicated biomaterials lab, and a professional large-scale Fab Lab
Phase 1
From September to December, students participate in hands-on masterclasses that blend traditional skills with cutting-edge tools, innovative materials, and advanced manufacturing techniques. Through intensive exercises and experiments, they develop expertise in key areas of the future textile landscape.
Phase 2
From January to March, students build on their knowledge to create a sophisticated personal project. This phase emphasises in-depth research and critical thinking to design innovative, sustainable, and equitable systems for the modern world, pushing the future of textiles forward.
Personal Project Development
The open laboratory environment provides students with the physical and mental space needed for innovative research and creative rethinking of contemporary challenges, utilising techniques such as recycling, hacking, and sensing. Rapid prototyping facilitates real-time feedback loops for project development ensuring that materials, aesthetics, sustainability, and customisation are all integral to the process. Ultimately, students apply their knowledge to develop a final project that intersects various sectors of the future textile and fashion industry.
Technical Skills
MRAC students become proficient in using advanced robotics systems like KUKA, ABB, and UR robots, mastering the latest tools in computational design, digital fabrication, hardware design, programming, and robotic simulation to shape the future of construction.
Student profile
Career Paths
Graduates pursue cutting-edge careers as body architects, material developers, fashion technology consultants, digital craftsmen, high-tech accessories designers, trend influencers, 3D fashion designers, and more, driving the next wave of innovation.
Alumni of the program have used their newly acquired skills to build leading roles in the global Fab Lab network, established their design studio practices, and have become entrepreneurs in the innovation and new materials fields.
Directors & Coordinators
Santiago Fuentemilla holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of La Salle (Universitat Ramon Llull) and graduated from the Fab Academy at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms in 2012. He is currently pursuing a PhD in digital manufacturing at UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya).
With over 10 years of experience in international architectural projects, Santiago joined Fab Lab Barcelona in 2013, where he leads the Future Learning research area, focusing on innovative educational models to tackle future challenges. He directs the global Fab Academy and Fabricademy programs at the Barcelona node and has been a professor of the Master in Design for Emergent Futures (MDEF) since 2017.
Santiago also contributes to various EU-funded research projects, including TEC-LA (STEAM education), DO IT (entrepreneurship and social innovation for youth), PHALABS 4.0 (photonics research), POP-MACHINA (maker movement and circular economy), and SHEMAKES (empowering sustainable fashion innovators).
Santiago Fuentemilla
FLB Future Learning Lead (he/him)
Luciana Asinari is the Educational Programs Lead at Fab Lab Barcelona, where she oversees the formal educational offerings, including the Master in Design for Emergent Futures, the Fab Academy, the Textile Tech Incubator, and Fabricademy. Since 2014, she has also coordinated the global Fab Academy Diploma.
Luciana’s primary interest lies in the impact of digital fabrication tools on education and the implementation of distributed educational models within the Fab Lab Network. This model connects students, mentors, and faculty globally for content sharing while allowing local prototyping to impact their immediate communities.
Luciana holds degrees in Social Sciences and Fine Arts.
Luciana Asinari
FLB Educational Programs Lead (she/her)
Santiago Fuentemilla
FLB Future Learning Lead (he/him)
Santiago Fuentemilla holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from the University of La Salle (Universitat Ramon Llull) and graduated from the Fab Academy at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms in 2012. He is currently pursuing a PhD in digital manufacturing at UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya).
With over 10 years of experience in international architectural projects, Santiago joined Fab Lab Barcelona in 2013, where he leads the Future Learning research area, focusing on innovative educational models to tackle future challenges. He directs the global Fab Academy and Fabricademy programs at the Barcelona node and has been a professor of the Master in Design for Emergent Futures (MDEF) since 2017.
Santiago also contributes to various EU-funded research projects, including TEC-LA (STEAM education), DO IT (entrepreneurship and social innovation for youth), PHALABS 4.0 (photonics research), POP-MACHINA (maker movement and circular economy), and SHEMAKES (empowering sustainable fashion innovators).
Luciana Asinari
FLB Educational Programs Lead (she/her)
Luciana Asinari is the Educational Programs Lead at Fab Lab Barcelona, where she oversees the formal educational offerings, including the Master in Design for Emergent Futures, the Fab Academy, the Textile Tech Incubator, and Fabricademy. Since 2014, she has also coordinated the global Fab Academy Diploma.
Luciana’s primary interest lies in the impact of digital fabrication tools on education and the implementation of distributed educational models within the Fab Lab Network. This model connects students, mentors, and faculty globally for content sharing while allowing local prototyping to impact their immediate communities.
Luciana holds degrees in Social Sciences and Fine Arts.
Faculty Name
Position
Petra Garajová
Materials and Textiles Expert
Petra is a Slovak designer with a background in architecture, exploring the boundaries of material innovation, digital fabrication and textiles. Currently, she is working as a Fabricademy Local Instructor and Researcher between Beta Biolab and several European projects.
Petra holds a Master’s degree in Arts and Architecture at the Academy of Arts Architecture and Design in Prague. After her architectural studies, she graduated from Fabricademy – Textile and Technology Academy in Fab Lab Barcelona IAAC. During her studies, she was part of Shemakes.eu European project as an Ambassador between Fab Lab Barcelona and TextileLab Iceland working on the Lab to Lab project – Rethinking Wool. Moreover, her Fabricademy final project was awarded the Young Scientist Award 2022 at the Fiber Global Congress in Dornbirn for the most innovative use of bio-based fibers. Currently, she is still working on the application of protein fibers under the scope of new technologies and biobased materials.
Daniel Mateos San Martín
Julia Leirado
FLB Future Learning Expert (she/her)
Julia Leirado is an architect based in Barcelona with a focus on educational innovation and how new technologies and digital fabrication tools can enhance traditional curricula and improve the learning experience. She holds a Graduate Diploma in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (ETSAB), a Master’s in Project Management from EAE, and a Fab Academy diploma in digital fabrication from the Fab Lab Network.
Adai Suriñach
“I chose Fabricacademy because I wanted to know more about biomaterials and to gain the knowledge and skills needed to work in the sustainable field. It’s also like a network—Fabricademy and FabLab are about constantly learning from people. It’s not just about one place; it’s about something bigger, something worldwide, where knowledge is shared.”
Lara Campos, Argentina, Fabricacademy Alumni 2018-19.
Founder of “Be Grounded”.
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IAAC is an innovative centre dedicated to prototyping the future. We don’t see the future as a distant horizon awaiting us. We understand the present as a moment to influence what comes next. The future is our daily inspiration, our driving force, and our biggest commitment: our minds live in the cities, the technology and the problems of the future. We stand at the intersection of imagination and reality, where every prototype holds the potential to shape the next era of habitat. We are architects of change.
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