From September 1 to 13, 2025, Schneeberg became a hotspot for the fashion of the future. As part of the FashionTEX Makerspace 2025, 24 students from eleven European partner universities transformed their digitally designed collections into real fashion – using cutting-edge technology, creative courage, and a great spirit of innovation. The focus was on the connection between the digital avant-garde and Saxony’s rich textile tradition.

The Makerspace of Kulturwerk Schneeberg e.V. at Fürstenplatz 1 became a vibrant creative laboratory where ideas, craftsmanship, and technology converged. Here, fashion was not only designed but reimagined – as a dialogue between art, technology, and sustainability.

Digital tools such as CLO3D, 3D scanning, 3D printing, motion capture, laser cutting, and digital embroidery opened up entirely new forms of expression. Traditional fabrics were digitized, intricate embroidery patterns were created using laser technology, and virtual designs were transformed into physical garments of impressive precision. This created an inspiring interplay of innovation and tradition that made the future of fashion design tangible.

Fashion was created here in real time on screen – sustainable, efficient, and rich in detail. Digital simulations allowed designs to be adapted directly to virtual models, materials to be modified, and patterns to be generated instantly. This transformed fashion design into an interactive, resource-efficient, and creative process that opened up new artistic horizons.

Prof. Dorette Bárdos, head of the Fashion Design program at Zwickau University of Applied Sciences (Schneeberg Faculty of Applied Arts) and responsible for the implementation of the physical collections, was enthusiastic: “Makerspace 2025 was an extraordinary project – it demonstrated what happens when vision meets technology. Our students transformed digital ideas into real fashion with their artisanal passion. This interplay of innovation, precision, and emotion is the future of the industry – and it began here in Schneeberg.”

Using state-of-the-art 3D printing, embroidery, and knitting technologies, they created individual structures, textiles, and prototypes that combined creativity and technical sophistication.

Uwe Bodenschatz, chairman of Kulturwerk Schneeberg e.V. and responsible for the production of the 3D-printed accessories, played a key role in combining technology and design. Thanks to his expertise, numerous detailed accessories – from futuristic jewelry to structural clothing modules – were custom-made for the students’ outfits.
“3D printing opens up a whole new dimension of creative freedom for us,” emphasizes Bodenschatz. “We were able to develop accessories that are perfectly tailored to the digital designs – precise, individual, and with a lightness that would be almost unattainable with conventional processes. This technology literally gives form to creativity.”

The results will be presented at the FashionTEX festival in Chemnitz from November 6th to 7th, 2025 – both as a physical exhibition and as a digital fashion show. As an official part of the program of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, the project impressively demonstrates how traditional fashion education and craftsmanship from the respective European countries of origin combine with cutting-edge technology.

But the journey doesn’t end there: A 3D holographic fashion show at the Digital Art Center Fabrique des Lumières in Amsterdam, a renowned venue, will bring the digital collections to life in spectacular projections.

Cristiano Carciani, Director of the Amsterdam Fashion Academy and responsible for the digital staging of the holographic show, enthusiastically summarizes: “What began in Schneeberg will reach its next dimension in Amsterdam on November 20, 2025. We are bringing fashion into space – beyond fabric and the body. The holographic fashion show demonstrates how technology can convey emotions and transform fashion into a completely new experience. The makerspace was a place of departure – and we are only just beginning to understand the true potential of digital fashion.”

Stefan Schmidtke, Managing Director of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, concludes: “The FashionTEX Makerspace perfectly embodies what Chemnitz 2025 stands for: the courage to shape the future. Here, craftsmanship, innovation, and art merge into a movement that extends far beyond fashion—a powerful symbol of creativity and European cooperation.”