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.






Fabricademy À La Carte, Packages:


⚗️ SUSTAINABILITY

Shaping the future of eco-pioneers and material designers in circular and regenerative textile and material manufacturing by blending craftsmanship and ancestral knowledge with disruptive technologies. The course offers an overview and practical skills for creating environmentally friendly alternatives. Key research focuses include biomaterials, bio-based textiles, bioyarns, and bioleathers for sustainable innovation; eco-friendly dyeing methods, like natural dyes and pigments to replace toxic chemicals; modular laser-cut designs for zero-waste patterns and extended textile longevity; and soft-to-hard textile transformations, solidifying fabrics into rigid structures for technical applications.


⚙️ INDUSTRY 4.0

The industry 4.0 research area focuses on developing digital skills and exploring technologies such as 3D scanning, 3D printing (additive manufacturing), CNC milling parametric design and 3D modelling. Participants learn how to create digital files and file to factory workflows that are enabling mass customization, localized production, and sustainable manufacturing. and reshape the factories of the future through the combination of digital fabrication, parametric design, and advanced manufacturing technologies.


💡 WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

The Wearable Tech field is at the forefront of merging electronics with textiles to create smart fabrics. These fabrics are enhanced with microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, and programmable logic to bring interactive designs to life. In this course, participants will explore basic programming, hardware design, and circuit crafting, learning to create interactive prototypes using conductive threads, e-embroidery techniques, and smart textiles, . Projects can span a variety of industries, from performing arts to healthcare solutions, making wearable technology, an exciting and versatile field to explore.


🌐 INNOVATION NARRATIVES

Fostering a culture of innovation and sustainable change. Participants gain in-depth theoretical knowledge and develop critical thinking skills to integrate future-forward design strategies that address environmental, ethical, and societal challenges. Through a multidisciplinary approach, this research area highlights how diverse expertise can be combined to generate new opportunities, career transitions, hybrid professions, and alternative business models.



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

Open to participants of all ages, disciplines, and professional backgrounds, the program merges experimentation, creativity, and technology to invent novel concepts, materials, products, experiences, and services that bridge the gap between academia and industry. Through its hands-on, transdisciplinary approach, Fabricademy equips participants with advanced skills, collaborative tools, and access to transnational networks, fostering awareness, reinvention, and resilience in the evolving creative industries sector. Graduates of the program can pursue emerging career paths, taking on roles such as body architect, material developer, fashion technologist, interactive performer, digital craftsman, high-tech accessories designer, trend influencer, 3D fashion designer, lab manager, and head of design.

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.