In the current context of integration into the European educational and research area, international cooperation is a key factor in improving the quality of specialist training and developing innovative approaches in the field of design and fashion. Participation in grant-funded projects promotes academic mobility, the exchange of experience and the incorporation of best European practices into the educational process.
The period from January to March 2026 proved to be exceptionally busy for the Department of Fashion and Style within the European educational space. Indeed, almost every week, the co-executors of the international FashionTEX grant project from KNUTD – Tetiana Struminska, PhD, Associate Professor and Head of the Department; Alla Rubanka, PhD, Associate Professor; and Yana Mamchenko, PhD in Philology – held meetings with partners from 11 European countries with the aim of implementing the next stages of the project.
The earlier stages of the project focused on mastering modern digital technologies for fashion design, exchanging teaching experience in specialist subjects, and establishing professional contacts. In particular, in 2025–2026, participants in the grant project held working meetings with partners in Portugal, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. As a result, two students from the Department of Fashion and Style took part in a two-week Makerspace in Germany as part of the project, where they developed and successfully presented their own digital fashion looks and models, made from fabric during shows in Chemnitz (Germany) and Amsterdam (the Netherlands).
A final Makerspace event is planned for the future at the Latvian Academy of Arts; consequently, high-quality preparation of the online and offline components of the programme is of particular importance to ensure all the project’s planned objectives are achieved.
Students from the department are also actively preparing, as part of the research clubs ‘Clothing Design Using Digital Technologies’ and ‘Art and Fashion: A Creative Approach to Design”, to take part in Makerspace and a fashion show, which are planned to be held as part of the project tasks. This will be an interesting and useful experience for them and will significantly enhance their portfolios.
The department’s lecturers are also actively working on preparing and submitting new project proposals under the Creative Europe and Erasmus+ grant programmes, in collaboration with partners from European universities, with the aim of strengthening international cooperation and expanding academic exchanges of knowledge and experience.
International activities contribute to the department’s integration into the European educational space and enhance the competitiveness of its educational programmes. The continued implementation of international initiatives opens up new opportunities for the professional development of students and lecturers.
24.04.2026
