Festival

Looking back – The FashionTEX Festival 2025 in Chemnitz

Chemnitz: European Capital of Culture Meets Digital Fashion Future

No location could have been more fitting. Chemnitz – European Capital of Culture 2025 and once world-renowned as the “Manchester of Germany” – became the stage for the next evolutionary stage of fashion with the FashionTEX Festival. Where looms once clattered and textile machines shaped the industrial revolution, digital technologies and physical materials now merge to create entirely new forms of fashion.

As a historical center steeped in European textile and mechanical engineering history, Chemnitz is a symbol of change. This is precisely where FashionTEX came in – not nostalgic, but progressive. In the former tulle factory, now “die fabrik” Chemnitz, industrial history met AI, 3D design, virtual prototypes, and smart fabrics. History wasn’t just exhibited, it was rewritten.

With around 2,000 visitors, international participation, and strong media interest, the 2025 Capital of Culture transformed itself for two days into the European hotspot for digital and phygital fashion. Designers, tech experts, students, industry representatives, politicians, and the creative scene came together to showcase how fashion is created when craftsmanship, high-tech, and cultural identity intertwine.

When fashion thinks digitally and inspires in real life

From the outset, it was clear: FashionTEX is not a typical fashion event. It wasn’t about yesterday’s trends, but about tomorrow’s workflows. Virtual collections became tangible, digital materials felt real, and avatars stood alongside models – digital and physical fashion were not separated, but united.

Talks, panels, and live demos made it clear: AI, 3D simulations, and sustainable processes are fundamentally changing design, production, and consumption. FashionTEX presented not just visions, but concrete applications – phygital instead of analog.

Weeks of work, powerful emotions, a unique runway

At the heart of the festival were 24 students from 11 European partner universities of the FashionTEX project, who, through weeks of intensive work, created a unique fashion show. The unique aspect: digital avatars and physical clothing merged into a shared experience.

Bringing together 3D design, avatars, digital materials, and real fabrics, the young designers developed hybrid collections that showcased new approaches to design. Digital silhouettes enhanced real looks, virtual layers amplified materials and forms—phygital fashion became a reality on the runway.

The show was the culmination of long nights, tests, adjustments, and creative decisions. The excitement was palpable just before the performance. For many, it was their first presentation before an international jury, a large audience, and the media. A moment that demonstrated how seriously, professionally, and future-oriented this new generation of fashion thinks.

The emotional highlight: the grand FashionTEX show, hosted by star designer Thomas Rath.

Next Generation on the runway: 24 international students from across Europe presented their collections boldly, experimentally, and with an uncompromising focus on the future. Physical looks were enhanced by digital layers, projections, and virtual elements: Runway meets Metaverse.

The European Advancement Award “Next Generation – Fashion 2025” went to Vincent Röse. With “GORE LUX,” he made a powerful statement for a new generation of fashion that seamlessly integrates technology, function, and aesthetics.

Innovation You Can Touch
The accompanying innovation exhibition made the transformation visible and tangible. Interactive avatars, smart textiles, AI-supported design processes, and virtual runways demonstrated how the industry is already operating. Strong partners from industry, startups, and research proved that the future of fashion is already a reality.

A Strong Signal from Chemnitz
FashionTEX impressively demonstrated how tradition and transformation can converge. As a European Capital of Culture and a historical center of the textile industry, Chemnitz is repositioning itself – as a laboratory for digital fashion, sustainable innovation, and cultural change.

Relive the highlights of the FashionTEX Festival, from phygital runway moments and digital avatars to the spectacular fashion show.

Watch the festival video here:

Two days, two stages – a resounding success for the future of fashion.

The FashionTEX Festival 2025 captivated audiences with visionary keynotes, top-tier panels, and a unique blend of tradition, technology, and creativity. Thousands of ideas, intensive networking, and groundbreaking innovations in AI, 3D, smart textiles, and sustainability transformed Chemnitz into the vibrant hub of the European fashion and textile industry. Inspiring shows, strong exhibitors, and the celebrated “Next Generation Fashion 2025” award crowned a festival that set new standards and had a lasting impact.

What a fantastic show! The two-day FashionTEX Festival has come to a close. Amidst significant media interest, more than 1,000 guests celebrated the promising next generation of fashion designers with star designer Thomas Rath at the fabrik Chemnitz. Among the 24 international students from eleven European fashion schools, the six-member jury selected Vincent Röse as the winner of the European Advancement Award “Next Generation – Fashion 2025.” The prize secures him an internship at the internationally operating fashion company Bruno Banani. The second prize went to Joanne-Heleene Sõrmus from the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn. She receives a one-year license for the international 3D fashion software CLO.

Our finalists:

Digital fashion and AI are among the most exciting fields of the future: They enable new creative expressions, sustainable production methods, and data-driven design processes. The winners of the European Next Generation Award are selected by an expert jury. Each member contributes their own expertise, ensuring a diverse assessment of innovative projects.