Digital Textile Revolution: Discussions on the usefulness and ethical implications of a digitalised by Hereford College of Arts

Digital Textile Revolution: Discussions on the usefulness and ethical implications of a digitalised fashion and textile industry Abbie Gerrard

Submitted to Hereford College of Arts In partial fulfilment of the requirements For the degree of BA (hons) Textile Design Module code: HETD6020

Validated by the University of Wales Trinity St David

Edited word count: 4740 Full word count: 6282

Digital Textile Revolution: Discussions on the usefulness and ethical implications of a digitalised fashion and textile industry Currently, we are living in a world where we face a new revolution in digital and technological advances and practices, which are changing each and every aspect of our daily lives. Within the fashion and textile industry, this development has been coined as the fourth industrial revolution. For context, the first revolution saw the implementation of water and steam power, the second, the use of electrically powered production, the third, the application of electronics and IT and the fourth, the advancements of cyber-physical systems. (Bertola & Teunissen, 2018, p355)

Figure 1 (Bertola, P. and Teunissen, J. 2018, p355)

With this topic being so prevalent in current times, this essay highlights areas of interest and discussions around consumerism, sustainability, creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation investigate the ways digital systems and technology are implemented. Through the investigations of each topic, using the theories of material intelligence, customer experience, material culture, this essay aims to explore the ways in which a digital revolution has impacted and changed the way the industry operates and discusses whether its use is ethical and needed. Consumerism – retail and online shopping The use of digital practices and technology has opened up the industry of fashion and textiles to become an ever-growing and fast-paced market. In a climate where trends are constantly changing and evolving, the industry has the capability to meet new demands of higher consumption rates. This poses the question of cause and effect: is a quicker-paced production time creating micro trends, or is the industry complying with people’s short-lived tastes? Through these changes, this shift in buying and selling habits has also changed how we interact and experience the fashion and textile world and has provided the industry with new ways to explore marketing and customer relations.

The rise of digital retail has opened up the world of shopping to a mass market, which is highly accessible to the public, with almost all modern retail stores and brands having an online presence. Whilst online shopping made its emergence in the 1990’s, online sales rates in the UK have grown from 2.8% in November 2006 to 18.9% in February 2020, with the pandemic further pushing online sales to 30.8% in April 2020. (Lufkin, 2022) In this loss of physical, in-store buying, it can be asked, how has this shift to digital retail impacted the experience of buying and consuming fashion? Fashion advertising has always existed, but now we face a new, potentially dystopian way of living where adverts are no longer generalised to the masses but designed and tailored to reach the specific behaviours of consumers. The advancement of data tracking and analytics now allows marketing strategies to give their audience a constant push of adverts, which are not only based on general digital traffic but target the specific consumers’ tastes based on their personal search and shopping habits from a wide range of online sources. By employing data analytics strategies, brands have the ability to understand and take advantage of their customers’ preferences and shopping habits. In using this data, exposure to products and promotions can be targeted specifically to an individual, with research showing that brands that successfully personalise their advertisement generate 40% more revenue. (Dennis, 2024) The benefits of using strategies such as this mean the shopping experiences for costumers is much more personal and allow an audience to be exposed to items that otherwise may not have been discovered, boosting sales for the brand, and increasing the likelihood of a returning customer. Whilst this is all positive for the benefit of the companies, moral considerations need to be taken into account for the impact on the environment and issues surrounding sustainability. Such exposure and access to vast arrays of available items have fuelled a ‘See now, buy now’ culture, feeding into fast-paced trend cycles and overconsumption habits. (Geczy, A. and Karaminas, V.,2019, p113) The implications of using digital systems and technology on the environment and sustainability is later discussed in further detail. Another way the digital revolution has changed our shopping habits is the way we interact with the things we buy. With the shift of buying habits moving from in-person retail stores to online markets, the importance of involvement in the shopping experience is now

highlighted more than ever. Textiles themselves are inherently dependent on tactility and interaction, and these qualities are ingrained into each aspect of the design process. When buying is done online, the consumer loses this physical interaction and the ability to investigate how a fabric moves, how it feels and how it makes the individual feel. This issue links to the concept of material intelligence as discussed by Glenn Adamson, who defines this idea as ‘literacy in the physical world’. (Adamson, G. 2018, p2) The theory of material intelligence and the part it plays in this digital revolution is discussed in further detail in the topic of craftsmanship. Figure 2 (Virtual try on clothes, Wanna, no date) In this digital changeover, many brands have identified the barrier to involvement and have sought to bridge the gap between the screen and the buyer through digital tools. Over recent years, initiatives have been introduced to create virtual try-on experiences by experimenting with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) systems. High-end fashion brands such as Dior, Prada and Marc Jacobs have been seen utilising existing social media platforms to create filters which allow people to virtually ‘try on’ and visualise garments and accessories. Whilst this method of marketing may seem quite trivial and simply a way for brands to engage with their audience in a new approach, new platforms, such as Wanna Fashion, have created apps and websites with the sole purpose of providing virtual involvement with physically existing items. These new strategies further relate to the loss of physical involvement in, not just objects themselves, but also the environment in which they are engaged. In the role of a customer, hedonic and utilitarian shopping values have shown to influence buying habits, with hedonic shopping involving the ‘value received from the multisensory, fantasy and emotive aspects of the experience’, whereas utilitarian shopping is identified as more ‘rational and task orientated’ and a ‘non-emotional outcome of shopping’. Blázquez classifies clothing as a high-hedonic product category and discusses the importance of creating an environment that supports this. (Blázquez, M. 2014, p101) Research into customer experience in retail highlights a range of variables that affect engagement, such as involvement, attitudes, mood and effect and atmospherics (Puccinelli et al., 2009, p15) and discusses how retailers ‘seek to attract attention and communicate a message’, but what is equally as important is ‘the degree to which the customer is involved, engaged, or views the message as important. (Puccinelli et al., 2009, p20) Through the use of these new virtual systems, it can be argued that retailers are trying to replicate this hedonic environment through a digital sensory involvement to help engage consumers and subsequently strengthen a connection with their audience. Whilst these developments are new and exciting, and embrace the changing times of shopping experiences, challenges and morals must be taken into consideration. Issues surrounding overconsumption can quite easily be linked to the ease of accessibility that online shopping has provided, and with the changing ways of marketing, this pressure to buy and consume will only become more prevalent. Despite attempts to replicate physical environments through digital tools, only so much can be done, and the lack of physical involvement and investigation from the consumer means that fashion and textile waste can only grow. Another barrier that makes a complete move to a digital shopping sphere is cost. The online shopping market has had its benefit to small businesses and has given them a new platform to reach wider audiences but such a shift requires a large investment from brands. Whilst we see high-end brands and large company retailers making this change, it

poses the risk of smaller businesses being left behind in a growing market. In terms of whether such initiatives are needed, research shows that 63% of clothing and footwear sales still occur in-store, showing that people still value and rely on having an in-person experience. (Donnell, E. and Dahlberg, Y. 2025) Sustainability and environment As the fashion and textile industry continues to grow and develop, concerns around the impact it is having on the environment are rising alongside it. Issues such as textile waste and landfill growth, pollution in water systems and C02 emissions are just a few examples of the issues being raised. Currently, research shows that 92 million tonnes of garments end up in landfill each year, and with the push of over-consumption and fast production, these rates can be expected to grow with time. (Igini, 2024) With the implementation of new digital practices, the industry faces a crossroads: whether these tools can provide a new way forward to solve existing issues, or if they simply contribute to and fuel existing issues. Currently, there is a plethora of ways digital tools can be implemented into practices to help move towards a more circular and regenerative economy. A change that can be recently seen is the decision for many brands’ design process to move over to the use of digital design tools. This changeover involves creating digital visualisations of fabrics and garments as opposed to a traditional, physical mock-up. CLO 3D, developed in 2009, is a software that has had widespread success over the years in the industry for supporting designers in making the move to digital sampling. (CLO: 3D fashion design software, no date) In recent developments, other platforms have utilised the advancements of AI and have taken digital sampling to a new level. An example that showcases this is The Fabricant, an AI-powered digital design tool that allows designers to generate realistic digital renders from text prompts and hand-drawn sketches and can be used to produce photoshoot-style images. (The fabricant intelligent tools, no date) By creating digital samples and mock-ups, tools such as these can help designers cut down on material waste, with The Fabricant claiming to support sustainability by eliminating ‘waste in fashion by replacing physical sampling and photoshoots with digital processes. Every digital garment avoids material waste and carbon emissions from transport and production.’ (The Fabricant, FAQ 2025) As touched on earlier in this essay, fashion brands have started to explore ways to move into the metaverse, creating digital renders of garments that can be virtually tried on and interacted with. However, this mode of consumerism goes even further, with brands entering the market of digital fashion through the sales of digital garments as NFTs. NFT refers to non-fungible tokens that provide proof of ownership over a digital asset. These come in many shapes and forms, but within the fashion industry, has offered brands a new way to connect with their audience by allowing customers to purchase digital versions of their items that can be worn in digital environments. (Christou, 2024) Whilst this market saw its peak in 2021, interest in digital ownership is seen to be on the decline and it can be observed that ‘This market itself was very popular with growing interest pre-pandemic, the digital world as a whole seems to have lost interest from its users with a resurgence of people appreciating physicality with a shift of people preferring to spend their money on things they can physically own’. (Kotsoni, 2024) In the coming years, this method of

consumption may not be an avenue that holds as much value as it once did, demonstrating how quickly trends shift and how dependent they are on current environments. Despite the decline in meta fashion, the industry has been exploring other methods of integrating technology, such as AI systems, to help provide solutions for the current sustainability crisis. Examples of using new systems in the sourcing and manufacturing process may involve IoT sensors, blockchains and AI. IoT, Internet of Things, refers to a network of physical objects that use sensors, software and other technologies that connect with other systems over the internet to exchange data (Oracle, no date). Its use within the fashion industry can help to provide monitoring of stock levels to match supply to demand to prevent overproduction, and to monitor and improve consumption of water, energy and materials (Anamika, 2025), all of which contribute to a less wasteful practice. The use of blockchains, a shared technology that allows data and transactions to be recorded and traced within a business network (Susnjara, S. and Smalley, I. 2025) helps to provide transparency and traceability for materials and production, allowing brands to give customers authenticity and confidence in their practices. (Consensys, no date) The number of ways AI, artificial intelligence, can and is being used within the industry is extensive, with it having the ability to be integrated into almost every part of the industry’s manufacturing process. It can offer analysis, forecasting and monitoring of production and provide efficiency recommendations for machines and resources. Whilst these new methods of integrating technology into the industry are a step towards creating a more sustainable and circular economy, many ethical issues come with this development. A growing concern for the industry is water consumption and pollution. The statistics around the fashion and textile industry’s water usage and pollution are well established, with research showing over 79 trillion litres of water being consumed each year (Studio, 2024), and to pair with this, research surrounding AI has shown similar issues. The Government Digital Sustainability Alliance’s (GDSA) reports that AI is predicted see an increase in global water usage from 1.1bn to 6.6bn cubic metres by 2027. (Kenny et al., 2025) This information should raise questions for brands and companies and force them to evaluate the consequences of using AI, even when it is intended for a greater purpose. Not only is the physical impact an area to be mindful of, but also the way these new practices are being used. An issue that is highlighted by Glogar et al shows that the industry has the resources to implement technology to provide solutions to sustainability, but is currently focused on user applications to drive sales and production rather than within the manufacturing and sourcing stages. (Glogar, M. et al, 2025, p3) This again links back to consumerism and how society is being pushed into the rhetoric of over-consuming, a habit that is inherently unaligned with sustainable practices. When evaluating these consequences, it can be easily argued that this situation can be considered a catch-22. When used with positive intentions, negative impacts still arise, but to neglect the ability to harness new development, nothing will change. A potential dispute for this case is to question whether money and resources could be invested into more ethical attempts to improve environmental concerns, such as textile recycling and the production of more conscious, natural materials. Craftsmanship- handmade vs mass-produced

As touched on earlier in this essay, the impact of the industrial and digital revolution has opened the fashion and textiles industry to high levels of consumerism. With the rise of mass production allowing products to be readily available, the market of ‘handmade’ and ‘slow craft’ has lost its value, appreciation and understanding. This change in attitudes has normalised the idea of products being made and available in short time frames for low prices, concepts that cannot exist within the hand-made market. Whilst these issues lie within all areas of craft, it has been particularly felt in the fashion and textile industry, with the growing throw-away culture we face, items such as clothes are no longer seen as an investment but as disposable. A concept that relates closely to this issue is material intelligence, discussed by Glenn Adamson. As mentioned earlier in this essay, material intelligence describes our ‘literacy in the physical world and the ability to understand it’. It explores how we, as consumers, have become oblivious to the processes that are involved in making, creating a state of living in ‘general ignorance about our physical surroundings’. This separation of understanding allows knowledge to be reduced to algorithms and allows us to consume with little thought and consideration of ‘extraction, manufacture and disposal’. (Adamson, G.,2018, p1,2) This dissonance between person and product can be put down to either ignorance or lack of education. Despite the lack of transparency from major fast-fashion brands, many of their operations have been exposed to show the poor quality of conditions for workers and the materials used, and it can be argued that the responsibility lies with the consumer to make a conscious decision to educate themselves. Furthermore, this detachment from understanding allows consumers to buy with a state of ignorance and reinforces the idea that the problems are out of their control, with responsibility lying solely with the industry. Adamson poses solutions to the decline in our material intelligence by being more curious about how things are made and where they come from, applying transferable knowledge from one craft to another and developing an appreciation for how human ingenuity is embedded within a craft. (Adamson, G.,2018, p2) Material culture, ‘the study through the artefacts of the beliefs, values, ideas, attitudes, and assumptions of a particular community or a society at a given time’ (Prown, J.D., 1982, p1) has also been lost with recent developments. The consumption of fast fashion has slowly taken away ideas of value in not just the process that goes into making, but of the object itself. This can be explored through the ideas of intrinsic and attached value. Prown discusses the types of value an object or item can hold, with intrinsic value describing value that is ‘intrinsic in the fabric of an object itself, is established by the rarity of the materials used’ and attached value being ‘more transient or variable are those values that have been attached by the people who originally made or used the object, by us today, or by the people at any intervening moment’. (Prown, J.D., 1982, p3) By understanding the ways objects can hold value, comparisons can be made between mass-produced and hand-made objects. As widely seen in mass-produced garments, the quality of fabrics, materials and finishings is not held to a high standard. The vast majority of fast-fashion clothes are made with high levels of polyester, whilst it can be observed that many small businesses and crafters make the effort to provide customers with more eco-friendly materials ‘as they have the ability to maintain control of their entire supply chain’, and, to test ‘novel business models and design practices that also work toward full transparency in environmental and ethical practices.’ (Geczy, A. and Karaminas, V., 2019, p114) Design choices around material

are important for providing both intrinsic and attached value to both the consumer and maker, as higher quality fabrics give not only a higher monetary value, but the attached value of making conscious choices regarding the environment. Despite this added value of shopping with small businesses, research has shown that only 21% of British shoppers say they consistently choose these options. (YouGov, no date) Another contrast that can be seen is the time and skill when comparing fast-fashion to hand-made. For an item to be handmade, an understanding of skill and labour must be well developed, and the time taken to create something by hand is considerably longer than that of something that is massproduced. This added element of time adds to both ideas of value, as the object can be seen as an investment in a maker’s craft and knowledge, rather than paying for the service of

machine-operated processes. This being said, many of the steps involved in creating massproduced garments still heavily rely on the use of the human hand and is a factor that is often overlooked when placing value on these cheaper, fast-fashion options. Figures 3, 4 and 5 (I’d Knit That, Hands Vests, no date) A maker that touches on the themes of hand-made craft and the value it holds is the small business I’d Knit That. This maker, Kendall Ross, creates a range of fine art and wearable hand-knit garments that provide a commentary on a range of themes and topics. In the series ‘Hands Vests’ (see figures 3, 4, and 5) Ross explores the value of hand-crafted items through an open dialogue that discusses the impracticality of hand-made garments and the importance of craft as the maker. Through the use of text, Ross conveys a message to the audience which challenges the way we place value on handmade items. It emphasises how quick we are as consumers to overlook the skills, time and consideration that are put into making and to simply base our choices around how something looks. In the oversight of labour, Ross goes on to highlight the importance of craft to the makers themselves, and how the value of sense can be intertwined with the value of craft, with the potential to see craft as an extension of a person’s being. This example of work perfectly demonstrates from a maker’s perspective how the perception of value is important to both the maker and the wearer, and prompts an audience to consider how an object can be much more than a physical thing. Taking into consideration the differences between the values embedded in fast-fashion compared to those of hand-made, it is clear to see how the digital revolution has negatively impacted the way we view labour and skill. Through this growing disconnect, the way in which we perceive objects with such disregard has impacted both workers and makers, but 8

also contributes to rising environmental concerns. Moving forward, there is a cause for concern if these issues don’t change. To make such changes, understanding and education must be cultivated to help people make conscious decisions, and it can be easily argued that the responsibility must be shared with both the industry and the consumers. Innovation and new techniques In all the doom and gloom that has resulted from the digital revolution, there are many developments that are worth celebrating. The fast-paced development of digital practices has forced the industry to find new ways of working, and in light of this, it has provided the tools to create things with a positive purpose. Designers and makers are now being provided with new ways to push the boundaries of what is possible in their work, and these new opportunities can be seen being applied to both artistic and functional textiles. Implementing new technology and practices in the textile industry has enabled the research and development of smart/ E-Textiles to flourish. This recent advancement has changed the way textiles are interacted with and are often used to solve user-focused problems. ETextiles refer to ‘electronic textiles, where the ability to store data and harvest energy is embedded directly into the textile itself through the use of conductive fibres’. (PailesFriedman R., 2016, p53) Creating E-Textiles can be achieved through an array of processes, and its applications are vast, but an interesting example of its use is the medical application of Shieldex. Shelidex is a textile manufacturer that produces medical-grade metallised fabrics that utilise the properties of silver within the textile. Through this application, Shieldex has been able to create a range of products that can be used to aid and support individuals’ health and wellbeing in the use of wound dressings, health monitoring devices and protection. Silver-infused textiles are ideal for creating antimicrobial environments, which, when used in medical dressings, help to heal wounds at quicker rates compared to more commonly used dressings. As silver possesses conductive qualities, this textile can also be used as ECG (electrocardiogram) electrodes and is mostly applied to long-term and exercisebased recordings. In its design, the textile provides stretch and comfort for the user as it moves with the body and helps to make monitoring less restrictive for patients. Shelidex has also been applied to furnishings, creating medical sensors in mattresses of bed-bound patients which can highlight developing bed sores and help to alert care staff to the need for readjustment of the patient, further supporting care needs and quality. Smart textiles also offer user-focused interaction, with their ability to record and transfer data, which can be used in garments such as socks and shoes to allow users to monitor movement, speed and steps taken through an app. (Medical textiles, 2023) These advancements in smart textiles prove there are positive outcomes from the digital revolution, and in cases such as these, the moral and ethical implications are not limited to a money-making scheme but take into consideration the positive benefits it has on users. In the context of pushing boundaries between the digital world, fashion, and art, many designers are beginning to explore this sphere, but one of the most notable names in this realm is Iris van Herpen. Van Herpen is a Dutch designer whose name emerged in 2007. Her designs embrace the crossover between traditional hand-craft and digital practices to create elegant and sculptural haute couture fashion. Blending together laser cutting, 3D printing and hand embroidery, van Herpen finds success in redefining the way in which fashion can

be approached, executing intricate machine-operated designs with the delicacy of handmade, as can be seen in figures… Through the use of her innovative designs, van Herpen has been able to demonstrate what the industry is capable of when these new developments are used as a tool to support existing practices and challenge ideas of what fashion is. However, inherent in the realm of haute couture, arguments around sustainability arise. As mentioned earlier in this essay, the environmental cost of using such methods is something that needs to be considered, especially in the instance of high fashion, where functionality and usability are limited to a specific context, with no practical application to the real world. Despite this, creativity is a medium that should be celebrated, and without pioneers like van Herpen, the industry would become stagnant. For changes to come, designers have no choice but to look at new ways of working. (The maison of iris van herpen, no date)

Figures 6 and 7 (Iris van Herpen, left: Capriole A/W 2011, look 1. right: Roots of Rebirth S/S 2021, look 21) Conclusion The intricacies of the digital revolution we face are vast, and the interactions between all the factors are hard to separate into specific categories. Whilst the developments have recently come a long way, the reality is that it is just the tip of the iceberg. In this change, the industry faces many challenges in the implementation of these new practices, and the future of a completely digitally revolutionised society may be further away than is currently feared. Through the investigation of the impact of digital practices on consumerism, sustainability, craft, and the future, it is hard to pinpoint a definitive answer as to whether these new developments are ethical and needed. In the cases of consumerism and craft, the main 10

objective is observed to be a new way of driving sales and pushing buyers to conform to an over-consuming culture; the moral considerations are much clearer, and to justify its uses for this purpose is difficult. When used as a tool to support and change existing systems within the industry, the cost-to-reward ratio is much more ambiguous, as seen in its application to the growing concerns of sustainability and future developments of textiles. From this essay, it is clear that the use of digital practices should be evaluated as individual cases, and it would be irresponsible to state that all digital developments are inherently good or bad. Despite the concerns of a total digital takeover, it can be argued that the most beneficial and ethical way to use these new methods is view them as tools that can support and enhance existing systems, not to replace them. In the current climate, these changes are inevitable, and their use within the industry can only further grow and progress. However, in all this, there is the potential for opposition to these changes. As the awareness around the negative impacts becomes more accessible and understood, people have the opportunity to find solace in the physical world and to reject a digital way of living, something that can already be observed in consumer shopping habits. To summarise a previously stated point, this way forward is a catch-22; to avoid being left behind in the industry, brands must keep up with changing ways, but in doing so, risk contributing to and becoming a part of a flawed system.

This essay was written with the assistance of Grammarly. Image library Figure 1: Bertola, P. and Teunissen, J. (2018) ‘Fashion 4.0. innovating fashion industry through digital transformation’, Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, 22(4), pp. 352–369. doi:10.1108/rjta-03-2018-0023. Figure 2: Virtual try on clothes: Ar try-on and 3D viewer by wanna (no date) Wanna now Part of Perfect. Available at: https://wanna.fashion/virtual-try-on-clothes (Accessed: 16 November 2025).

Figure 3,4,5: Portfolio (no date) I’d Knit That. Available at: https://idknitthatco.com/pages/portfolio#portfolio-e2f50373-9400-4b4b-b11a28ca9784f5f3 (Accessed: 07 February 2026). Figure 6: Runway: Capriole: Haute couture (no date) Iris van Herpen. Available at: https://www.irisvanherpen.com/collections/capriole/runway-17 (Accessed: 07 February 2026). Figure 7: About: Roots of rebirth: Haute couture (no date) Iris van Herpen. Available at: https://www.irisvanherpen.com/collections/roots-of-rebirth/the-inspiration-2 (Accessed: 07 February 2026). Reference list Adamson, G. (2018) The case for Material Intelligence, Glenn Adamson. Available at: https://www.glennadamson.com/work/2018/11/18/materialintelligence (Accessed: 16 November 2025). Anamika (2025) How IOT is redefining the future of fashion: From smart fabrics to connected garments, Techpacker Blog. Available at: https://techpacker.com/blog/design/iotredefining-the-future-of-fashion/ (Accessed: 02 February 2026). Bertola, P. and Teunissen, J. (2018) ‘Fashion 4.0. innovating fashion industry through digital transformation’, Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, 22(4), pp. 352–369. doi:10.1108/rjta-03-2018-0023. Christou, L. (2024) NFT in fashion: 6 creative ways brands are capitalizing on nfts, 3DLOOK. Available at: https://3dlook.ai/content-hub/nft-in-fashion/ (Accessed: 29 January 2026). CLO: 3D fashion design software (no date) CLO Official Site. Available at: https://www.clo3d.com/en/resources/notices/427 (Accessed: 29 January 2026). Consensys (no date) Blockchain in retail fashion and luxury: Real World blockchain use cases, Consensys. Available at: https://consensys.io/blockchain-use-cases/retail-fashion-andluxury (Accessed: 02 February 2026). Dennis, A. (2024) Digital Transformation in fashion (+examples) - whatfix, The Whatfix Blog | Drive Digital Adoption. Available at: https://whatfix.com/blog/digitaltransformation-fashion/ (Accessed: 27 October 2025). Donnell, E. and Dahlberg, Y. (2025) The future of Digital Customer Experience in fashion and beauty, The Business of Fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/marketing-pr/the-future-of-digitalcustomer-experience-in-fashion-and-beauty-bof-knowledge-report/ (Accessed: 27 January 2026). 12

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Dennis, A. (2024) Digital Transformation in fashion (+examples) - whatfix, The Whatfix Blog | Drive Digital Adoption. Available at: https://whatfix.com/blog/digitaltransformation-fashion/ (Accessed: 27 October 2025). Donnell, E. and Dahlberg, Y. (2025) The future of Digital Customer Experience in fashion and beauty, The Business of Fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/marketing-pr/the-future-of-digitalcustomer-experience-in-fashion-and-beauty-bof-knowledge-report/ (Accessed: 27 January 2026). Ferrandez, C. (2022) 8 virtual try on clothing examples to inspire fashion brands, Poplar Studio. Available at: https://poplar.studio/blog/virtual-try-on-clothing/ (Accessed: 16 November 2025). Geczy, A. and Karaminas, V. (2019) The end of fashion: Clothing and dress in the age of globalization. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. Glogar, M., Petrak, S. and Mahnić Naglić, M. (2025) ‘Digital Technologies in the sustainable design and development of textiles and clothing—a literature review’, Sustainability, 17(4), p. 1371. doi:10.3390/su17041371. Glogar, M., Petrak, S. and Mahnić Naglić, M. (2025) ‘Digital Technologies in the sustainable design and development of textiles and clothing—a literature review’, Sustainability, 17(4), p. 1371. doi:10.3390/su17041371. Hearn, G. (2020) ‘The future of creative work: Creativity and Digital Disruption’, The Future of Creative Work [Preprint]. doi:10.4337/9781839101106.00007. Hemmings, J. (2023) The textile reader. London, UK: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. Igini, M. (2024) 10 concerning Fast Fashion Waste Statistics, Earth.Org. Available at: https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/ (Accessed: 12 November 2025). Kenny, R., Lunj, A. and Kis, A. (2025) Ai’s thirst for water , UK Government Sustainable ICT. Available at: https://sustainableict.blog.gov.uk/2025/09/17/ais-thirst-for-water/ (Accessed: 12 November 2025). Kotsoni, E. (2024) Is digital fashion still in fashion?, Vogue Business. Available at: https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/fashion/is-digital-fashion-still-in-fashion (Accessed: 25 August 2025). Lufkin, B. (2022) The curious origins of online shopping, BBC Worklife. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/worklife/article/20200722-the-curious-origins-of-onlineshopping (Accessed: 16 November 2025). Lufkin, B. (2022) The curious origins of online shopping, BBC Worklife. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/worklife/article/20200722-the-curious-origins-of-onlineshopping (Accessed: 12 November 2025). 15

McKeegan, D. (2025) Embracing digital transformation in fashion: The path to revolutionizing the industry, TEXINTEL. Available at: https://www.texintel.com/blog/embracing-digital-transformation-in-fashion-the-pathto-revolutionizing-the-industry (Accessed: 16 November 2025). Medical textiles (2023) Shieldex® – Metallized Technical Textiles. Available at: https://www.shieldex.de/en/industries/medical-textiles/ (Accessed: 21 January 2026). Oracle (no date) Accelerate your operations with IOT, What Is the Internet of Things? | Oracle United Kingdom. Available at: https://www.oracle.com/uk/internet-of-things/ (Accessed: 18 January 2026). Pailes-Friedman, R. (2016) Smart textiles for designers: Inventing the future of Fabric. London: Laurence King Publishing. Portfolio (no date) I’d Knit That. Available at: https://idknitthatco.com/pages/portfolio#portfolio-e2f50373-9400-4b4b-b11a28ca9784f5f3 (Accessed: 16 November 2025). Prown, J.D. (1982) ‘Mind in matter: An introduction to material culture theory and method’, Winterthur Portfolio, 17(1), pp. 1–19. doi:10.1086/496065. Puccinelli, N.M. et al. (2009) ‘Customer experience management in retailing: Understanding the buying process’, Journal of Retailing, 85(1), pp. 15–30. doi:10.1016/j.jretai.2008.11.003. Roberts-Islam, M. (2025) Vogue’s AI-generated models Spark Reader Fury and industry panic, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/moinrobertsislam/2025/07/29/vogue-erupts-ai-generated-models-spark-reader-fury-and-industrypanic/ (Accessed: 16 November 2025). Rockett, E., Fenwick, M. and Jurcys, P. (2024) ‘Fashion 4.0 and emerging designers: leveraging data and ai to drive creativity, innovation and compliance in Global Supply Chain regulation’, Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, 20(2), pp. 111–121. doi:10.1093/jiplp/jpae110. Studio, Q.I.D. (2024) Is fashion’s impact on water being overlooked? read more here!, Global Fashion Agenda. Available at: https://globalfashionagenda.org/news-article/isfashions-impact-on-water-being-overlooked/ (Accessed: 12 November 2025). Susnjara, S. and Smalley, I. (2025) What is blockchain?, IBM. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/blockchain (Accessed: 18 January 2026). Team, 1 Granary (2025) The textile industry is due an overhaul, here’s how to stay ahead, 1 Granary. Available at: https://1granary.com/miscellaneous/borre-akkersdijk-byborreinterview/ (Accessed: 16 November 2025).

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