Events
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Call for abstracts due 31 May 2026. see more
PROSPERITY FASHION 2027
International Conference
9-12 February 2027
Università degli Studi di Firenze
Florence, ItalyFROM 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 €
for any inquiry please contact us at prosperityfashion@dida.unifi.it and download the full call for contributions here: https://riviste.fupress.net/index.php/fh/prosperity-fashion-2027 -
Papers due 31 May 2026. see more
Journal website and call download: https://riviste.fupress.net/index.php/fh/announcement/view/90
Call for papers
Over the past decade, and with heightened urgency in the post-Covid period, fashion has undergone a profound digital realignment. No longer confined to discrete tools or isolated innovations, digitalisation has become a structuring condition of contemporary fashion practice. From 3D modeling suites and configurators to generative AI for modeling and product development, digital twins of avatars and garments for production and archival purposes, virtual showrooms, digital fashion for gaming, and platform-based retail infrastructures, digital technologies mediate the conception, production, circulation, and experience of garments. What has emerged is not simply a new aesthetic, but a reconfiguration of fashion as a socio-technical approach, wherein creativity, labor, identity, and value are increasingly negotiated through technological software and infrastructures.
Scholars in design research, fashion, media, science and technology studies have begun tracing this shift. Yet much discourse remains polarised between celebratory narratives of innovation and skeptical accounts concerned with authenticity, labor displacement, and ecological costs. These tensions reveal a deeper need for critical frameworks that can situate digital fashion within broader transformations of cultural values, product development, integrated platforms, and materiality. Digital fashion design is neither immaterial nor frictionless; rather, it is embedded in networks of data extraction and manipulation, cloud computing, algorithmic governance, and global supply chains.
To address these complexities, this special issue introduces a conceptual model of three interrelated trajectories of digitalisation:
Partial digitalisation encompasses digitally assisted processes that augment but do not fundamentally disrupt established design and production workflows.
Hybrid digitalisation refers to the entanglement of physical and virtual systems, where garments, bodies, and narratives circulate fluidly between material and computational domains.
Full digitalisation describes practices in which the fashion object becomes entirely virtual, enabling new economies of value, identity, and representation yet also distancing fashion from its material roots.
These trajectories are not linear stages but overlapping modes of how digital systems reorganize agency: human (fashion designers and operators) and nonhuman actors (software, algorithms, and platforms). They also foreground the unevenness of digital adoption across global contexts and the differential vulnerabilities that arise from technological dependency, skill hierarchies, and opaque proprietary infrastructures.
Crucially, digital fashion compels us to rethink foundational categories within fashion studies: What does materiality mean when fabrics are simulated? What happens to handcraftsmanship when humans collaborate with automated machines? What constitutes authorship when apparel designs are co-generated by AI or crowdsourced by platform communities? How should sustainability be evaluated when the environmental footprint shifts from textiles to data centers? These questions signal a broader epistemic shift in how fashion is defined, practiced, and governed.
SUBTOPICS
1. Digital fashion’s impact on design, production, and communication processes
How is digitalisation reshaping the core processes of fashion practice, and what new dependencies and vulnerabilities emerge as creative work becomes increasingly mediated by computational and automated tools? We welcome contributions to digitalisation workflows’ new efficiencies, creative limitations, and skill erosion. Topics may include:
-3D modeling and generative AI for garment digital twins’ development
-Digital prototyping and sampling tactile and craft-based skills
-Virtual visualisation tools shaping marketing, retail, and consumer perception
-Proprietary platforms access and creative autonomy
2. Pedagogies of digital fashion for virtual, AI-aided, and hybrid practices
How is evolving fashion education integrating virtual, AI-aided, and hybrid design practices in garment prototyping? We invite contributions related to digital and hybrid didactic practices and results, new curricula models and educational experiences. Topics may include:
-Virtual garment creation through generative AI-driven modeling
-Digital literacy about algorithmic bias, and assessment of sustainability impact, data governance, and rapid obsolescence of tools.
-Comparison of craft-based, computational, and hybrid prototyping practices.
-Access to and adoption of digital resources for extended participation in emerging new creative practices.
3. Mass fashion personalisation and designer-consumer co-creation
What are the design pathways and skills necessary for parametric custom-apparel design? What possibilities and threats emerge when consumers become co-designers? We welcome research on parametric custom design, customisation platforms, real-time personalisation, and co-creative models that challenge traditional roles in fashion design and production. Topics may include:
-Body data-driven garment pattern design and construction
-User interface and UX design of digital and virtual fashion co-creation platforms
-Garment customisation and implications for supply chains
-Open-source design processes and collaborative digital making, creative authorship in consumer-influenced or -AI generated design
4. Design labor, professional identity, and ethics in platformised digital fashion practices
As digital fashion becomes increasingly shaped by platform economies, automation and decentralised systems, the role and identity of fashion designer is under scrutiny. How are platform-based work, algorithmic visibility, and working with emerging technologies redefining the creative labor, professional authorship and ethical responsibilities in design and product development, as well as the identity of the fashion designer as a professional? We invite contributions that critically examine the structural, cultural, and economic implications of working within digital fashion platforms, including issues of recognition, intellectual property, labor rights, and data ethics. Topics may include:
-Labor ethics, algorithmic visibility and creative autonomy in platform-based digital fashion gig economies
-Creative authorship, IP justice, recognition, and ownership in decentralised design ecosystems
-New creative identities, cultural responsibility and power structures in global virtual fashion environments
-Data governance, design accountability, and ethical use of AI in design and fitting practices
5. Sustainability, transparency, and the hidden materialities of digital fashion
Although digital fashion appears immaterial, its infrastructure has real environmental costs, such as energy use, hardware dependency, and digital waste. How can designers engage with these issues in sustainable product development? Topics may include:
-Energy and resource use in 3D rendering and digital asset creation
-Hardware lifecycles, e-waste and overflow in digital fashion production
-Transparency and traceability in digital design systems
-Critical perspectives on the “immaterial” narrative of digital fashion
6. Designing for digital bodies and identity in virtual and hybrid environments
How do digital bodies, avatars, and virtual fittings reshape fashion design practices and the way designers engage with embodiment, identity, and representation? This theme invites research that explores the embodied nature of digital fashion design—both from the perspective of the designer’s own bodily experience and in the creation of inclusive, expressive virtual garments for diverse digital bodies. Topics may include:
-Embodied dimensions of digital design: how designers use their own bodies in virtual garment creation
-Digital fitting technologies and their implications for design decision-making
-Designing for body diversity, inclusion, identity expression, and gender performance in avatar-based fashion
-Virtual garments and bodily presence in gaming, XR, and metaverse contextsInstruction for the authors
We welcome full papers in English with a range length of 4000-6000 words, footnotes and bibliographical references excluded. It is highly recommended to use the template and APA STYLE as a formatting guideline. We also welcome the following formats:
Book, digital games and digital exhibition reviews with a range length of 1500-2500 words.
Case studies and digital fashion projects with a range length of 1500-2500 words. These contributions should include a visual / digital abstract in the format of video that showcases the projects.
The deadline for submitting the proposals (saved in .doc or .docx format) via the platform is 31 May 2026. Issue 8 will be published in 2026. -
8 July 2026: Submission deadline for long papers see more
The CWUAAT (Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology) series has hosted the multidisciplinary dialogue on design for inclusion for 25 years, since 2002. It involves a wide range of disciplines, including design, computer science, engineering, architecture, ergonomics and human factors, policy and gerontology. The 2027 edition will mark 25 years of collaborative research, celebrating what we have learnt and reflecting on what we still need to do.
CWUAAT is characterised by a single session running over three days in pleasant surroundings. Past attendees to CWUAAT have enthused about the ability to easily meet and socialize with new colleagues who share similar interests, but are from other disciplines.
CWUAAT 2027 will be held on 7-9 April 2027 in St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, UK, a beautiful college in the centre of Cambridge. As well as the paper and poster sessions, we plan to include a traditional Cambridge three-course gala dinner and plenty of networking opportunities.
For further enquiries, please contact: cwuaat-enquiries @eng.cam.ac.uk.
Vist the conference website here: https://www.inclusivedesigntoolkit.com/conference
Conference theme and special topics
Submissions are welcomed on all aspects of inclusive design, universal access and assistive technology. The conference subtitle is ‘Inclusion matters’, with subtopics on a range of issues such as leadership, working with people, understanding what it means to be inclusive and making an impact, as well as methods, tools and strategies to enhance design practice. In addition, we invite submissions that look back over the last 25 years of progress and reflect on the progress made and challenges that still need to be addressed.
Submitting a paper
Papers can be submitted to one of two categories: long papers and poster abstracts. All submitted papers will be peer-reviewed by an international panel of currently active researchers. Accepted long papers will be published in a volume by Springer and presented orally at CWUAAT. Accepted poster abstracts will be published in a technical report and presented as a poster.
The paper submission system will open around the start of July 2026.
Submission deadlines:
- 8 July 2026: Submission deadline for long papers
- 26 Oct 2026: Submission deadline for poster abstracts
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Papers due 25 May 2026. see more
At a time when global society is confronted with multiple and compounding uncertainties, design has moved beyond its traditional aesthetic and functional domains to become a critical force driving systemic transformation and catalyzing social innovation. Following the successful convening of the previous two editions in Hong Kong and the consolidation of broad international academic consensus, this year’s forum will be held in Kyoto—a city that uniquely integrates rich cultural heritage with vibrant contemporary design practices. The forum is organized by Michelangelo Scholar Publishing Limited (MSPL) and co-organized by the Macau Asia Design Society. The theme, “Evolving with Problems: Design Resilience and Cultural Inclusivity in an Era of Uncertainty,” centers on three key dimensions of service design in social innovation: theoretical frontiers, methodological innovation, and practical application. The forum aims to further expand cross-cultural dialogue, deepen understanding of design research and practice, and promote the sustainable development of social innovation.
This forum will bring together globally influential scholars in service design, social innovation, and related interdisciplinary fields, alongside industry leaders with forward-looking perspectives and practitioners with extensive hands-on experience. The program encompasses multiple levels of academic exchange, including keynote addresses delivered by internationally renowned scholars and practitioners; parallel sessions and roundtable discussions designed to foster in-depth dialogue and intellectual exchange; academic poster exhibitions showcasing the latest research developments; and publication opportunities through MSPL’s portfolio of international academic journals, ensuring the wide dissemination and scholarly impact of high-quality research outcomes.
In addition, the forum features a dedicated Kyoto cultural field study, involving on-site visits to local traditional cultural venues and contemporary design education institutions. This component is intended to encourage participants to reflect on the historical trajectories and contemporary practices of design within a cross-cultural context, and to further stimulate theoretical inquiry and practical insights into the dynamic relationship between local wisdom and global challenges.
We cordially invite scholars and professionals from around the world to gather in Kyoto and engage with this forum as a shared platform to collectively envision the future directions of service design and social innovation. Through academic rigor, practical innovation, and cultural specificity, the forum seeks to contribute knowledge and expertise toward building a more inclusive, adaptive, and sustainable society.
Scope of submission
Forum Theme: Evolving with Problems: Design Resilience and Cultural Inclusivity in an Era of Uncertainty
Key Topics:
1. Design as a mediating approach to social problems
2. New methods and theories of design intervention in social innovation
3. Uncertainty in the resolution of complex social problems
4. Design resilience and cultural inclusivity
The forum invites submissions from around the world, including academic papers, practice-based case studies, and poster presentations (English submissions only) that are closely aligned with the forum theme and key topics. All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process. Accepted contributions will be presented during the forum in the form of oral presentations, poster sessions, or public exhibitions.
Accepted papers will be published free of charge in MSPL-affiliated academic journals, including the Journal of Design Service and Social Innovation and the Journal of Architecture and Urban Design.
Important Dates
Submission time
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Abstract submission (250–300 words) deadline: May 25, 2026
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Full paper submission deadline: July 20, 2026
Manuscript submission emails:m.scholar2023@gmail.comï¼›mspl-editor@michelangelo-scholar.com
Acceptance notifications and the detailed program will be announced in due course.
Manuscript requirements
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Language: English (including abstract, keywords, main text, and references).
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Type: Unpublished original academic papers, practice-based case studies, or poster abstracts.
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Length: Approximately 8,000 words for full papers (including figures and tables); 1–2 pages for poster submissions.
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Format: A4 size, single-column layout.
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Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt for main text; 14 pt, bold for the title; bold for first-level headings.
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Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides.
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Line spacing: 1.5.
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Structure: Title; author information (name, affiliation, email); abstract (250–350 words); keywords (4–6); introduction; main body; conclusion; references (Chicago style). Figures and tables are essential components of the manuscript and must be of high quality, embedded within the text, numbered consecutively, and accompanied by copyright statements.
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File format: Microsoft Word (.docx). Please follow the manuscript formatting guidelines of MSPL journals as provided on the MSPL website.
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Peer review and academic integrity: All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review, with emphasis on originality, scholarly rigor, and relevance to the forum theme. AI-generated manuscripts and fabricated references are strictly prohibited. Submissions with a similarity index exceeding 10% or containing AI-generated content will be rejected.
Date and Location
As a millennium-old center of Eastern culture and a contemporary hub of design innovation, Kyoto offers a unique and inspiring academic and cultural setting for this forum, where traditional wisdom and modern practices converge and interact.
Main Activities
1.Keynote Lectures: Thematic presentations by internationally renowned design scholars and leading practitioners.
2.Parallel Sessions and Roundtable Discussions: Research presentations and scholarly exchange among early-career and emerging researchers.
3.Academic Poster Exhibition and Paper Publication: All accepted papers will be published free of charge in MSPL-affiliated international academic journals.
4.Kyoto Cultural Field Study: On-site visits to Japanese traditional cultural sites and contemporary design education institutions (subject to the final program).
Date and Venue
Date: August 6-8，2026 (the detailed schedule will be announced in the final program)
Venue: Hearton Hotel Kyoto，hybrid format
Organizer：MICHELANGELO SCHOLAR PUBLISHING LIMITED (MSPL)
Co-organizer: Macao Asian Design Association
Registration Fee
Registration can only be completed via email after the abstract or full paper has successfully passed double-blind peer review.
Early-bird registration (by April 30, 2026): USD 500 per person
Group registration (by June 30, 2026; applicable to groups of three or more): USD 550 per person
Forum attendance only (no submission): USD 550 per person
Standard registration (by August 1, 2026): USD 600 per person
Registration fee waiver: Participants of the previous two MSPL Hong Kong International Forums may apply for a registration fee waiver via email.
Notes:
International forums organized by MSPL are non-profit academic events, aiming to enhance the publisher’s academic reputation and the international impact of its scholarly journals. After completing one paid registration, participants may apply for a registration fee waiver for future annual international forums organized by MSPL. All participants are entitled to attend the welcome dinner and academic networking reception.
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Paper deadline 28 October 2026. see more
Call for Papers: Special Issue of Crafts
"Regenerative Craft and Circular Practice: Material, Technological, and Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Sustainable Making"
Paper submission Deadline: 28 October 2026
Special Issue Website: mdpi.com/journal/crafts/special_issueThe Special Issue of Crafts, "Regenerative Craft and Circular Practice: Material, Technological, and Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Sustainable Making", invites contributions that advance our understanding of sustainable making through craft-based practices, with a focus on the following themes:
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material innovation
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technological integration
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socio-cultural dynamics
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systems thinking and framework
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case studies and interventions.
We particularly welcome interdisciplinary collaborations that bridge craft studies, design, materials science, sustainability studies, anthropology, and related fields. Submissions may include original research, empirically grounded case studies, methodological explorations, or critical reviews.
This Special Issue is affiliated with Making Sustainability 2026: International Conference on Craft, Design and Innovation
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