The origins of the FEA-VEE project lie in the shortage of qualified personnel in the textile and fashion industry. Indeed, the sector has lost its attractiveness for young people and textile companies find it increasingly difficult to attract new talent, especially with advanced green and digital skills.

One of the main goals of FEA-VEE is to contribute to the training of young people so that they can develop skills in sustainable fashion already during their university and vocational training.

With our project, we intend to make the European fashion industry more competitive.

However, the situation of the fashion industries in the various EU countries is not homogeneous: some are further ahead than others in the ecological transition and in providing quality training. It is therefore crucial to identify best practices at European level, as well as the shortcomings, so as to create a strategy that is tailor-made to the needs of each country.

In this initial phase of the project, the team will follow a holistic approach and investigate several aspects that concern fashion and textile industry in the partner countries. In particular, it will focus on the fashion culture, the policy, educational and business frameworks.

The results of this research will be summed up in a final research and innovation report, which will include the results from all countries and will include possible proposals for a collaborative Research Strategy.

Through this report, we aim to answer questions such as:

• How does the fashion culture look like among the partner´s countries? Are they linked to sustainability, social presence and consumer´s perspective?
• Do public authorities contribute to regulating and promoting education in fashion?
• Are there any new trends emerging in the sector?
• How is the educational system developed and how does it meet the needs of students, educators and other stakeholders?

In order to portray a complete outline we will combine desk research and carry out surveys and interviews. Through case studies and other sources, we will first investigate on the state of the art in the fashion sector, on policy, business and educational frameworks, the sector´s needs and the main stakeholders. Secondly, with the help of testimonies of experts and stakeholders in the sector, we will investigate one the concrete and practical needs in the fashion industry among the partner’s countries.

By the end of 2022, the report will be downloadable from our website.