Registration: Open

Explore the cultural, technological and ethical dimensions in the fashion industry as it shifts towards digital futures. This is a joint online course offered by Metropolia UAS (Helsinki) and AMFI (Amsterdam) as part of the U!REKA collaboration, open to Master’s students, advanced Bachelor students and life-long learners. The course explores the cultural, technological and ethical dimensions in the fashion industry as it shifts towards digital futures. Through independent study and virtual group activities, students critically engage with topics such as AI-assisted design, virtual garments, data-driven fashion and sustainability in the digital and phygital realm. Emphasizing responsible innovation and aligned with the U!REKA Centre of Expertise Transition to Circular Society, the course provides learners with the theoretical knowledge by introducing to the key literature in the area and familiarizes with digital fashion practices. The course also fosters cross-border and interdisciplinary collaboration. These together equip to envision and co-create more ethical, inclusive and sustainable digital fashion futures. Prerequisites Bachelor’s degree recommended but not necessary. This is a master level course (EQF 7), but advanced bachelor’s students can als take the course. The course is intended for students of fashion & clothing, digital fashion technology, fashion management, fashion studies, digital design, game design or similar. U!REKA staff members and lifelong learners with sufficient background in fashion or digital technology are also welcome. Course dates The course can be taken any time between 16 Februar – 31 December, 2026. After completing the course, the student can: 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. Evaluate 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. Ceate 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. Introduction to digital fashion culture & context Digital fashion & sustainability Digital XR fashion in metaverse – practices, experience & marketing Ethics of AI, datafication and platformization of digital fashion Future visions of responsible digital fashion