About Fabricademy

Fabricademy, Textile and Technology academy is a multidisciplinary 6-month intensive program at the intersection of digital fabrication, textiles and biology. The program explores the interrelation of human-technology-environment through the notions of embodiment, materiality, ecodesign, biodesign, performance, smart textiles and digital fabrication. Our mission is to (re)shape and (re)define the implications and applications of technology in the textile and clothing industry, from the fashion sector to the upcoming wearable market. The program offers a broad overview of the state of the art of the current industry and builds on “learning by doing” methodologies, tackling themes like personal fabrication, distributed manufacturing, industry 4.0, wearable technology, biofabrication, assistive technologies and sustainability.







The textile and clothing industry needs to explore and start to implement more viable, sustainable and fair alternative systems of today. The program focuses on the unethical and environmentally unfriendly realities of the current industry while combining the knowledge of traditional and future craftsmanship to work towards new ways of designing, prototyping and producing for the slowly changing textile and fashion industry.

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Fabricademy À La Carte, Packages:


⚗️ SUSTAINABILITY

Exploring the role of future eco-pioneers and material designers for a circular and sustainable textile and clothing field, bringing together craftsmanship knowledge and disruptive technologies. The lectures and hands-on learning sessions offer a view on the past and future of sustainable craftsmanship: an array of techniques for environmentally friendly alternatives for the fields of textile and clothing. This sustainability area of research clusters knowledge from biomaterials, natural pigment & dyes fabrication, modular reconfigurable laser cut designs, and the solidification of soft fabrics into hard-structures for technical textile applications. It also introduces the participants to basic biotechnology practices It combines the following modules: State of Art, OS Circular Fashion, Biochromes, and Biofabricating Materials.


⚙️ INDUSTRY 4.0

Developing skills and exploring the field of new technologies such as 3D scanning, 3D printing(additive manufacturing), parametric design and 3D modeling, as well as subtractive manufacturing, such as CNC milling and laser cutting. A combination of intensive workshops, where participants learn how to create digital files for apparel, fashion and accessories that are enabling mass customization, local manufacturing and reshape the factories of the Future through a performance-based hands-on approach to design. It combines the following modules: State of Art, Digital Bodies, Computational Couture, Textile Scaffold.


💡 WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

The Wearable tech research area focuses on the design and integration of electronics with and as textiles for the development of smart fabrics that are aesthetically and performance-wise enhanced with microcontrollers, sensors, actuators and programmable logics. Participants will obtain basic programming, hardware design and circuit crafting skills in order to create interactive prototypes using conductive threads, fabrics, e-embroidery and other techniques. The projects can be developed for a broad range of applications, from performative arts to healthcare solutions. It combines the following modules: E-textiles, Wearables, Soft Robotics, Skin Electronics.


🌐 INNOVATION NARRATIVES

The innovation narratives research area provides participants with theoretical knowledge about disruptive technologies, materials and processes that are transforming today's industry and creating the culture and conditions to innovate and change. Gain a set of unique perspectives in the textile field, further develop your critical thinking to integrate sustainable design strategies that consider environmental, ethical and societal challenges. Through a multidisciplinary approach, understand how different expertises can be combined to generate alternative opportunities and new hybrid professions. Create career development opportunities for professional women to acquire positions, confidence, leadership and entrepreneurial skills to promote gender parity in the leadership of the textile and fashion industry.



PARTICIPANTS PROFILE 👩‍🔬🧑🏻‍🚀👨🏼‍🎨👩🏾‍💻🧑🏽‍🏭

Through its experimental, practice-based, and creative approach, Fabricademy is open to a wide-range of participants, coming from various ages, disciplines, and professions. Its purpose is to foster a community of pioneers that invent novel concepts, materials, products, experiences, and services that seek to bridge the gap between academia and industry. Furthermore, it contributes with skills, collaborative tools and transnational communities leading to awareness, reinvention and resilience. The participants of the program can pursue careers that introduce new roles such as body architect, material developer, fashion technologist, interactive performer, digital craftsman, high-tech accessories designer, trends influencer, 3D fashion designer, lab manager and head of design among others.

Find out more
participant profiles & alumni stories




ACADEMANY

The methodology and network developed in Fab Academy platform has subsequently been used to add classes (collectively called Academany) that share the model of hands-on instruction to students in workgroups, with local mentors, connected globally by content sharing platforms and interactive online classes with global lecturers.

Fabricademy is the second program within Academany, introduced in 2017. It sets the grounds for worldwide educational collaborations offering distributed education on demand combining local manufacturing and global networking.

Staff
Coordination

Anastasia Pistofidou
FabTextiles / Fab Lab BCN


Anastasia is a Greek architect specialized in digital fabrication technologies, design and education. She has a Master degree from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia 2010-2011 with a specialization in Digital tectonics and a Bachelor Degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, department of Architecture in 2008. She currently works at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) Fab Lab Barcelona as the director and founder of the FabTextiles research lab. She combines the analog and the digital towards applied research focused on new materials, art and textiles.


Cecilia Raspanti
TextileLab Amsterdam / Waag Society


Cecilia is a fashion/textile designer and digital fabrication expert. She studied fashion design and knitwear at Polimoda Fashion Institute in Florence, Italy. Currently based in Amsterdam, she is the co-founder of the TextileLab Amsterdam and co-initiator of the educational program TextileAcademy at Waag Society. Here she leads the creative research and technological development of new concepts and alternatives for the textile and clothing industry, which is at the moment part of the TCBL project. Experienced in fashion, knitwear and textiles, she focuses on translating traditional craftsmanship techniques and small production processes into digital fabrication opportunities to facilitate the access of these technologies for a broader public. Always inspired by human’s connection to nature and technology, her latest work involves research towards more sustainable solutions for dyeing in the textile and clothing industry.


Fiore Basile
- Fab Lab Toscana / Fabctory / Fab Connections


Fiore has been coding computers, and soon moved to early network hosting a BBS in his room in the late 80s, getting a Computer Science degree, founding two IT startups, managing EU IST research projects, building web and mobile apps and consulting to companies. In his late thirties he realized that software alone cannot make a real impact in the world, and he started to get involved in the local Fab Lab movement first, then joining the Fab Academy and opening a public access Fab Lab in his town, Cascina, Italy. He is currently running a network of digital fabrication labs all over Tuscany, connecting projects and infrastructure for a future of distributed manufacturing and education, and is lead manager of infrastructure for different educational programs in the Fab Lab network such as Fab Academy and Bio Academy.