Against the backdrop of the global fashion industry’s urgent transition toward green and intelligent development, the 3rd International Conference on Fashion and Sustainability was hosted by Wuhan Textile University from October 27 to 29, 2025. Guided by the Hubei Provincial Department of Education and co-organized with the China Textile and Apparel Education Society, the conference centered on the theme “Integration and Co-creation: Technology and Culture Driving Sustainable Development in Fashion”, assembling over 300 scholars, industry leaders, and practitioners from more than 10 countries including China, Japan, the UK, Greece, and Bangladesh to exchange frontier insights and actionable strategies .
Core Academic Discussions
Keynote Speeches
The keynote session set the tone for interdisciplinary dialogue, featuring authoritative voices spanning academia and industry. Xu Weilin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Party Secretary of Wuhan Textile University, anchored discussions on material innovation—an area central to fashion sustainability—while Fan Jintu (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) and Savvas Vassiliadis (University of West Attica, Greece) expanded on technological frontiers, including smart wearables and digital twin applications in sustainable production.
These addresses echoed the conference’s focus on merging technical advancement with ecological responsibility, aligning with global trends that position technology as a critical enabler of sustainable fashion .
Parallel Sessions
Three thematic parallel sessions yielded 52 academic reports, structured to explore sustainable pathways from three complementary dimensions. The first session, Cultural Inheritance, examined how intangible cultural heritage can be integrated into modern sustainable design—a topic brought to life by subsequent exhibition elements.
The second, Technological Innovation, delved into practical applications of circular economy models and low-carbon manufacturing techniques.
The third, Educational Practice, addressed the cultivation of sustainability literacy in fashion education, responding to industry calls for talent equipped with both technical and ecological awareness . All presentations adhered to rigorous academic standards, with discussions emphasizing empirical validity and industry relevance .
Exhibitions and Practical Demonstrations
Complementing academic discourse, the conference featured immersive exhibitions that translated research into tangible experience. The “Green Future” Sustainable Design Works Exhibition showcased over 80 innovations, bridging conceptual research with practical design.
Parallel displays included the 10th Anniversary Exhibition of China-Japan Fashion Education Cooperation and an enterprise sustainable product showcase, highlighting industry-academia collaboration in scaling sustainable solutions.
A standout cultural segment—an ethnic costume and dance performance from Qiandongnan, Guizhou—illustrated how traditional craftsmanship can enhance the cultural value of sustainable fashion, embodying the conference’s “integration” theme.
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Collaborative Outcomes and Industry Impact
The conference yielded concrete collaborative progress, with Wuhan Textile University signing memorandums of understanding with four institutions from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other textile-producing regions. These partnerships aim to build a transnational fashion education community focused on knowledge sharing and joint research in sustainability. Such alliances address a key industry gap like the need for coordinated global action to implement sustainable practices across diverse supply chains .
The 3rd International Conference on Fashion and Sustainability successfully integrated academic rigor, cultural perspective, and industry practicality. By centering “technology-culture co-creation,” it provided a actionable framework for the fashion industry’s green transition—moving beyond theoretical discourse to tangible collaboration and innovation. As sustainability becomes integral to fashion’s core value proposition , the conference’s outcomes offer valuable guidance for scholars, educators, and practitioners committed to building a more responsible industry.
