Conference: Urban Fashion Networks - Rotterdam, October 7 2026

July 28, 2026
Conference: Urban Fashion Networks - Rotterdam, October 7 2026

The FABRIX project's final conference titled Urban Fashion Networks: systemic design and practise will take place on Wednesday October 7, 2026 at De HER in Rotterdam. This exciting event is part of the official programme of Dutch Sustainable Fashion week, and coincides with the opening night of its events.

About the Event

Cities are pivotal arenas for transforming the textile and apparel sector from a linear consumption model into circular, regenerative systems. This FABRIX event marks the culmination of the Horizon Europe project's efforts to foster localized, resilient, and collaborative urban textile ecosystems.

Hosted at De HER in Rotterdam, a pioneering circular center and upcycling hub, this one-day conference brings together urban planners, systemic designers, policymakers, academic researchers, circular entrepreneurs, and community leaders. Through keynote presentations, methodology deep-dives, live digital tool demonstrations, and interactive roundtables, the event explores how local networks can drive systemic change across European cities and will highlight the outcomes of the three-year project.

Participants will gain key insights from comparative ecosystem mapping, discover policy integration approaches, and explore practical solutions developed by awarded SMEs in Athens and Rotterdam.

In the evening, after a snack offered by the City of Rotterdam, participants will travel to the opening event of DSFW hosted at the Fotomuseum where awarded SMEs work will be showcased.

Event Agenda Overview

The final agenda will be confirmed soon.

  • 09:00 – 09:30 | Arrival, Registration & Welcome
  • 09:30 – 11:00 | Session 1: Frameworks & Ecosystems
    • The FABRIX story in 10 key milestones
    • Keynote: Mariapaola Puglielli (PhD researcher, systemic design, Politecnico di Torino), "Visualizing textile ecosystems: A comparative network analysis of Lyon (FR) and Carpi (IT)"
    • Keynote: Sebastien Deviers (Economic Development, Lille area), "Developing a local community towards circularity"
  • 11:00 – 11:20 | Coffee Break & Case Study Video Screenings
  • 11:20 – 12:40 | Session 2: Methodologies & Policy Application
    • Deep dive: Intersecting academic, mapping, and community methodologies
    • Policy application: Integrating circular economy plans in urban contexts
  • 12:40 – 14:10 | Lunch Break & De HER Facility Visit
  • 14:15 – 15:15 | Session 3: FABRIX Digital Infrastructure
    • Live platform demonstration
    • Presentation of tools: The Impact Compass and Learning Hub
  • 15:15 – 16:45 | Session 4: Roundtables with SMEs and Facilitators
    • Roundtable 1: Circular and Sustainable Urban Business
    • Roundtable 2: Design Solutions for Urban Wellbeing
  • 16:45 – 17:00 | Concluding Remarks

How can you participate?

It is free to attend the conference and the evening event of the DSFW, but registration is required for all participants to ensure access to the entire event. A networking lunch is also included.

form forthcoming