On Friday, February 7th, the Transnational Transitions Conference, marking the conclusion of the European project, was held at Confindustria Moda in Milan, Italy. The event could be followed both in person and online in real-time. Around 200 attendees from the textile and fashion industry participated.
The day began with a welcome from Confindustria Moda, followed by an online intervention from Cecilia Liljegren, Team Leader of the European Commission, who explained the importance and impact of Erasmus+ Alliances for Innovation projects.
Next, representatives of the Transitions partner institutions took the stage to present the work accomplished and share the lessons learned throughout the project’s development. Additionally, the Loopholes Toolkit, a tool developed by Transitions that combines strategy and design thinking, was introduced.
Dirk Vantyghem, General Director of Euratex, delivered a keynote speech outlining the current landscape of the European textile sector. He also provided insights into future European policies and strategies, as well as the curriculum in development, which aligns with the European Pact for Skills and the 2030 Horizon goals.
The event continued with paired presentations based on the speakers’ areas of expertise. The professional duo included Zoe Romano and Silvia Moglia. They highlighted how contemporary social and environmental changes are hindering the development of the textile sector. “Our cities are becoming increasingly unwelcoming for micro-enterprises,” exclaimed Romano. Silvia Moglia voiced concerns about generational replacement in the textile industry, as it is not currently an attractive sector for young professionals.
Textile and fashion experts focused on professionals, Chelsea Franklin and Christine Nsubuga, expressed optimism about the future of fashion, emphasizing the key role of digitalization.
Chiara Colombi and Svenja Keune represented the higher education sector. Colombi emphasized the need for lifelong learning: “Education should be an ongoing activity that accompanies every individual throughout their life.” Keune highlighted the importance of integrating diverse perspectives and viewpoints in the textile and fashion industries, such as multispecies approaches.
Three representatives of Erasmus+ European projects – SIT Project, VETRINE Project, and ADDTEX Project – took the stage to present their work on the twin transition of the textile and fashion sectors.
The event concluded with a roundtable discussion moderated by Marina Castán, featuring industry experts Pedro Gonçalves, Enrico Venturini, Silvia Moglia, Troy Nachtigall, Chiara Colombi, and Chelsea Franklin. The panelists exchanged opinions on three key topics:” Bridging skill gaps in sustainability and digitalization”, “Educators and trainers: challenges, pollution, and accessibility”, and “Collaboration between educational institutions and industry”.
With this event, the Transitions project comes to an end. In the coming months, the modular curriculum developed within the project will be made publicly available. The Loopholes Toolkit is already accessible on the Transitions website and is free to use.
If you couldn’t attend, here’s a glimpse of how the event took place! Click