Re-FREAM supported art-driven innovation in European R&I projects by inclusion of artists in research consortia via linked third-parties with strong support from art-related partners like the Art University of Linz (UFG) and the European Institute of Design (IED). STARTS lighthouse pilot for “art-inspired urban manufacturing” engaged industry, technology, end-users and artists in a broad artistic exploration of technologies with the aim of creating novel products, processes and services that respond better to human needs. In a co-creation process of arts and technology, digitalized manufacturing of fashion was developed up to TRL 5 to enable small-scale production of fashion in urban environment.
The digital technologies that are transforming the fashion industry exemplified the changes impacting businesses and industries. The mega trends in technology directly affect the creation, production, distribution/sale, and presentation of fashion to consumers; technology is finally set to disrupt fashion at every stage of the product lifecycle. Besides technology, the “new aesthetic”, sustainability and inclusiveness will influence the fashion of the future.
Over three years, artists, designers, scientists and industry experts entered into the Re-FREAM co-creation processes. Together, they conceived trailblazing solutions for pressing social and environmental needs. Their exchange generated far more than prototypes and products: they are key to defining new narratives.By identifying shared processes and common values, across disciplines and borders, they seeded future practices that could be applied, not only to urban manufacturing, but to many other domains as well. Re-FREAM explored urban manufacturing through the categories of 2D to 3D ), sustainable finishings, electronics and textiles, all integrating the overarching questions of sustainability and customization. . The practices and processes they generated contribute to finding new forms of sustainability and community engagement, new and inclusive ways of creating meaningful impact, and new ecosystems. Materials and their manipulation are never neutral: making is the transmission, production and embodiment of knowledge.