Fabricademy — The Future of Textile Innovation

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(Left: Joselyn Ingabire, Novel Local Fiber to Accessories, Fabricademy Rwanda | Middle: Germarilis Ruiz, Bioluminescent Terrarium, Fabricademy Barcelona | Right: Erika Mirzoyan, Interactive Illustrated Book of Armenian Folklore Stories, Fabricademy Armenia)

Our friends at Fabricademy have been very busy lately, exploring the cutting edge of fashion tech and material futures. And they’ve got so much more in store for everyone who’s interested in the intersection of textiles, digital fabrication, and biology.

Class of 2024-2025

The 2024–25 cycle concluded in April, with a global cohort of innovators pushing the boundaries of soft fabrication, material research, and open innovation. Student projects covered an expansive range of topics and methodologies, including interactive art installations; open-source digital weaving looms; biomaterial experiments using human blood; the sustainable reuse of human hair; bio-based coatings; and digitally hand-crafted leather molding. The variety and quality of their work is simply stunning.

Check out an interactive feature of 40 unique final projects from the graduating class.

And take a deep dive into MagnaLiber—a fascinating experiment for magnetically reactive clothing, developed by Fatemeh Mollaie.

Bootcamp 2025

Although they’re still celebrating the success of their latest round of graduates, the team is already setting its sights on their next goal. The Fabricademy Bootcamp 2025 will be held in Brussels, May 18-24, hosted at the Green Fabric node. A week-long program, this session gives participants a chance to familiarize themselves with a variety of themes and disciplines, such as sustainability; circular and modular fashion; textile recycling; digital knitting and embroidery; biomaterials design and mycelium-based composites; e-textiles; wearables; and soft robotics. And, at the end of the week, students will showcase their projects at the international Maker Faire Brussels 2025, along with a curated selection of the final projects from the course.

FAB25 Czechia

The Fabricademy team is also gearing up for a strong presence at FAB25 Czechia this summer. Any participant who is interested in learning their methods and exploring the program’s key topics will be able follow the Fabricademy track of workshops and talks, including:

• An Open Source Circular Fashion workshop focused on laser cutting fabrics and making zero-waste modular clothes—a must for anyone interested in learning textiles digital fabrication
• A FabriXiao workshop with a custom breakout board for wearables using the Xiao, in collaboration with Fab Lab León
• A Soft Robotics workshop covering quick and easy prototyping of inflatables and understanding air flows
• A Fabricademy working group looking into the future of the program and discussing the implementation of textile and material research into Fab Lab agendas
• The 11th annual art and fashion exhibition, showcasing final projects from Fabricademy students and presenting local designers who work with digital fabrication, textiles, and biodesign—held at the Fab Festival in Prague

2025 & Beyond

Amid all the other excitement, Fabricademy has also opened enrollment for their next cycle of classes. The 2025-2026 session begins in September and will run for six months from Fab Labs all around the world, blending global insights with locally tailored, real-world problem-solving interventions. The curriculum integrates practical learning with systems thinking, helping learners address current challenges in the textile and fashion sectors through responsible and regenerative approaches.

At Fabricademy, students make groundbreaking discoveries in biodesign, circular design, electronic textiles, wearable technology, bio-based sustainable solutions, and more. The program welcomes applicants from many fields, including art, design, engineering, and science. Anyone with a strong interest in fabrication, sustainability, and emerging technologies looking to apply their perspectives to new materials, processes, and production methods is encouraged to apply today.

Participants may attend the program at any one of the active Fabricademy Nodes across the globe or from the convenience of the lab or makerspace that’s closest to them. And for those in or near Montreal, Fabricademy has just announced a wonderful scholarship opportunity through their partners at the échofab node. If interested, submit your application along with your portfolio and motivation letter before May 31!

We’re super excited to see what the Fabricademy class of 2025-2026 produces!!

(Huge thanks to Anastasia Pistofidou and Claudia Simonelli of Fabricademy for their contributions to this post!)