From 9 to 12 December 2025, the Art Academy of Latvia (AAL) hosted partners of the FashionTex project – Uwe Bodenschatz from KulturWerk Schneeberg e.V. and Ute Thomas from the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Kunstgewerbemuseum. The visit was organized in cooperation with Jānis Gailītis, Head of the AAL Development and Communication Department, with the aim of becoming familiar on site with the Academy’s study environment, students’ creative work, and technical facilities.

The visit was held alongside with the AAL Open days event, during which fashion design students presented works developed during the autumn semester 2025. The visitors of AAL Open Days had the opportunity to meet students and explore their conceptual thinking, creative approaches, and technical execution, as well as the study process and methods used in fashion design education.

Special attention was given to study courses in which fashion design students learn to work with the CLO3D digital modeling software. This software integrating the latest technologies into garment construction, visualization, and presentation. The project partners highly appreciated the students’ ability to combine traditional fashion design knowledge with digital skills, which are essential in today’s fashion industry and fully align with the objectives of the FashionTex project.

This approach closely resonates with the experience of KulturWerk Schneeberg e.V., represented by Uwe Bodenschatz, where fashion education has long emphasized that contemporary fashion students no longer work solely at the sewing machine but actively use 3D printing, laser cutting, and other digital manufacturing technologies. In the Schneeberg Makerspace environment, students experiment with innovative materials and technological solutions, creating both garment prototypes and functional as well as conceptual accessories. Discussions held during the visit highlighted significant parallels between the AAL study approach and KulturWerk Schneeberg’s practice, particularly emphasizing interdisciplinarity, sustainability, and the role of technology in the future of fashion design.

As part of the visit, several creative and technological infrastructure sites in Riga were also visited:

• AAL Riga Makerspace prototyping workshops,
• Film School at the Tabakas Fabrika premises of the Latvian Academy of Culture,
• Digital Art House,
• LED Unit film studio.

Visits to these sites made it possible to assess the opportunities Riga offers for the implementation of creative projects, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of technology in the context of fashion, textiles, and digital art. Insights gained during the visit will serve as an important foundation in preparation for the FashionTex project’s creative workshops planned for September 2026 in Riga, at the AAL Riga Makerspace, where students from partner higher education institutions will participate.

The project partners highly valued the study environment of the Art Academy of Latvia, the professional preparedness of its students, and Riga’s creative infrastructure as a whole, emphasizing its potential for implementing international educational and creative initiatives. The visit strengthened mutual cooperation and outlined concrete next steps in the development of FashionTex project activities.

Photo Credits: Jānis Gailītis