Digital Fashion: Culture, Practice & Sustainable Future (5cr)

Objective

After completing the course, the student will be able to • critically analyze the socio-cultural, economic, and technological conditions that have enabled the rise of digital fashion and contextualize its emergence within contemporary fashion culture and post-digital society • valuate the environmental, social, and ethical implications of digital fashion practices—such as virtual garments, NFTs, and AI-generated content—and formulate responsible approaches to sustainability in digital fashion • analyze the functions of digital fashion within XR, metaverse, and virtual platforms from user experience, branding, and marketing perspectives, and design strategies for impactful and ethical digital presence • assess the roles of artificial intelligence, data-driven processes, and platform governance in shaping digital fashion ecosystems, with particular focus on labor, equity, intellectual property, and algorithmic ethics • create and communicate responsible future visions of digital fashion that demonstrate ethical foresight, systems thinking, and creative engagement with socio-technical change, working individually or collaboratively in international and interdisciplinary contexts.

Content

1. Introduction to digital fashion culture & context 2. Digital fashion & sustainability 3. Digital XR fashion in metaverse – practices, experience & marketing 4. Ethics of AI, datafication and platformization of digital fashion 5. Future visions of responsible digital fashion

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Assessment criterion at the 'pass' level: • The student demonstrates an understanding of the cultural, economic, and technological backgrounds of digital fashion and is able to contextualise it within contemporary society. • The student is able to identify and assess the environmental, societal, and ethical impacts related to digital fashion and presents well-founded proposals for responsible modes of action. • The student analyses the operation of digital fashion on XR, metaverse, and virtual platforms from the perspectives of user experience, brand, and marketing, and proposes related ethical solutions. • The student evaluates the roles of artificial intelligence, data, and platform economy in digital fashion, especially from the perspectives of labour, equality, ownership, and algorithmic ethics. • The student formulates and communicates a responsible future vision for digital fashion, demonstrating ethical foresight, systemic thinking, and a creative approach to socio-technological change. • The student participates in the course’s learning tasks independently and/or in groups and demonstrates active and purposeful work in an international and interdisciplinary context. • All required assignments have been successfully completed.

Further information

This is a Master's level course (EQF 7). The course unit was created within the U!REKA network and in collaboration with the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) / Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.