The FashionTEX Festival is a significant event for fashion designers, textile companies, startups and industry professionals who are striving to shape the future of fashion, taking place on November 6-7, 2025 in the Cultural Center of Europe – the city of Chemnitz (Germany), on the territory of the exhibition space, which is a monument to Saxon industrial culture with over 150 years of history – Die Fabric Chemnitz, a place that preserves the past and continues the future. The event combined tradition and innovation, craftsmanship and high technology, demonstrating how artificial intelligence, 3D technologies, smart textiles, and sustainable development principles are transforming the textile industry and opening up new opportunities for the next generation of creative students and entrepreneurs.
Yevhenia LAZARIV (Group MgSHMK-24) and Anastasia STELMAKH (Group BSHMK-23) – graduates of the educational program “Modeling, Design and Artistic Decoration of Light Industry Products” at the master’s and bachelor’s levels, successfully presented their own developments of digital and physical product models at the festival, adequately representing KNUTD and Ukraine at the international level. The project executors, senior lecturers from the Department of Fashion and Style, Dr. Liliya NAVOLSKA and Dr. Yana MAMCHENKO, participated in the events within the framework of the festival and a discussion with the project partners about the next steps in its implementation.
FashionTEX project participants – teachers and students of the Department of Fashion and Style
at FASHIONTEX SHOW 2025
This year’s FashionTEX festival was held under the slogan “Fashion of the Future”, which was vividly embodied in the original designs of young designers. The event brought together 24 talented participants from 11 partner institutions in cooperation with the European Cultural Forum, becoming a platform for combining a creative approach, an original vision of modern fashion, and the integration of innovative technologies into the creative process. Over two eventful days in Chemnitz, designers presented conceptual physical models created using 3D printing, laser cutting, embroidery, thermal printing, knitting, and combined techniques, which were complemented by digital projects developed using Clo3D, Substance, Daz, and artificial intelligence technologies.
The festival is the result of the fruitful work of students in the Atelier (2024) and Makerspace (2025) courses, conducted by lecturers from educational institutions. It culminated in the grand finale of the FASHIONTEX SHOW 2025, which took place on November 7, 2025 – a spectacular show that demonstrated how creativity, fashion, and technology are shaping a new future.
Design of the future from project participants at FASHIONTEX SHOW 2025
The model by Anastasia Stelmakh with stylized elements of Samchykivka painting – a unique phenomenon of Ukrainian decorative art, almost destroyed in the 1930s during the “Shot at the Renaissance” is an act of cultural resistance, a living symbol of memory, hope, and indestructible Ukrainian identity. The work reinterprets the traditional visual language of Samchykivka, transforming the historical ornament into a modern, fashionable aesthetic.
The young designer combines 3D printing technology with bioplastics of her own development, made from gelatin, glycerin, water, and natural pigments obtained from food waste, creating a symbiosis of tradition and ecological innovation. The outlines of the ornaments, which serve as decorative finishing for the product, are obtained by 3D printing cells, which are subsequently filled with colored bioplastic.
Creative Model: A Modern Reinterpretation of Samchykivka Painting Combined with Sustainable Development and Innovative Technologies
(Author – Anastasia Stelmakh)
“This dress is more than just fashion. It is a living talisman. Samchykivka is the invincible soul of Ukraine, forged from beauty, memory, and defiance”, says Anastasia Stelmakh. The presented design is a symbol of resilience and renewal. At a time when Ukrainian culture is once again fighting for its survival, the author transforms this ancient ornament into a modern symbol of national revival, combining folk art, sustainable development, and technology into a new poetic form of fashion.
The model called “Pulse” by Yevhenia Lazarev combines technology and nature, embodying the harmony between innovation and sustainability. It symbolizes the balance between technical progress and human sensuality, demonstrating that modern fashion can be both high-tech and ethical, while also being environmentally conscious.
Inspired by the structure of a computer chip, the designer interprets technology as an extension of human life. The visual solution of the fabric print reflects abstract lines, patterns, and organic shapes that flow into each other, symbolizing the interaction between the digital pulse and the biological rhythm of a person. “I wanted to show that technology controls not only machines, but also life itself, that it has become our pulse”, explains Yevhenia.
Pulse Creative Model: Balance Between Innovation and Sustainability
(Author – Yevhenia Lazariv)
The suit is designed on the principle of modularity, which is implemented using fittings and provides a functional transformation of the product, making it adaptive, aesthetically ergonomic, and environmentally friendly. To implement the idea, the designer combined denim, laser cutting, and thermal transfer printing. The precision of the laser enabled the creation of structural technical elements and printing of color gradients similar to energy flows.
The Festival program included reports, rich lectures, panel discussions with leading experts in the fields of 3D design, innovative technologies, textile innovations, as well as masterclasses. The speakers of FASHIONTEX SHOW 2025 demonstrated how artificial intelligence and digital technologies are radically changing modern textiles and approaches to product design. Attendees learned how innovation and creativity combine to open up new horizons for production, personalization, and sustainability. Practical implementation demonstrates the effectiveness of digital strategies in shaping trends and driving the evolution of modern fashion. In addition, Die Fabric Chemnitz brought together leading companies, startups, and research institutes, showcasing the latest developments in textile technology, digitalization, and sustainable design.
Panel Discussion of Project Lecturers
Project participants – lecturers and experts from leading educational and creative institutions – discussed the potential of artificial intelligence, digital tools, and sustainable technologies in shaping a new model of design education. The panel discussion focused on the challenges and opportunities facing the educational environment in the era of digital transformation. Participants emphasized that artificial intelligence, 3D modeling processes, virtual and augmented reality, production automation, and sustainable development principles are radically changing approaches to fashion creation and its perception by society.
Panel discussions at FASHIONTEX SHOW 2025 (photo: Michael Schmidt)
The discussion touched on the skills that will be key for designers of the future – from digital literacy and interdisciplinary thinking to emotional intelligence and the ability to adapt creatively. Experts also shared their vision of how universities and educational programs can transform themselves by integrating new technologies into the learning process and preparing professionals who can combine creativity with innovation.
Panel discussion of student project participants
The project participants represent a generation of young designers who are not just creating fashion but shaping its new philosophy. Ambitious young designers joined the discussion, shared their own experience of participating in the project, preparing original models for the Festival, in particular, as part of the two-week Makerspace in Schneeberg (Germany).
We express our sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of FASHIONTEX SHOW 2025
– the organizers, partners, young designers, and guests of the festival.
FashionTEX is a platform where innovative concepts and bold creative ideas come to life!
We wish you continued professional growth, boundless inspiration, and new creative achievements!
20.11.2025
