Beata Wilczek
FUTURE OF FASHION THROUGH THE LENS OF INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Beata Wilczek, photo by G. Turczynska
The realms of sustainability and technology, seemingly situated at opposite ends of the spectrum, converge to transform the industry and bring about profound changes that extend beyond the aesthetics. Sustainability used to be regarded as rather niche topic, reserved for the hippies. Fast forward a couple decades and it has become the new normal in fashion - a territory of innovation for brands and aspiration for consumers. We observe a comparable trend with technology, which rose from geeky to hot and today became indispensable for the fashion industry.
Surely, technology has always played a role in fashion - from the invention of synthetic fabrics to online shopping platforms. However, the current landscape demands more than just the integration of technology - it necessitates a fundamental shift to counteract the negative impacts of previous industry systems. This critical juncture has transformed fashion into a collaborative space, where experts from diverse fields such as science, engineering, manufacturing, and design come together. The idea that fashion can be a platform celebrating intellectual depth brings about hope and excitement. It challenges the preconceived notion that fashion is shallow, marked by fleeting trends and disposability. Instead, there is an increasing recognition of its potential as a fertile ground for innovative products and impactful solutions.
The collaborative endeavours that connect design with other disciplines have the potential to yield remarkable impact. A recent example of this is the finale dress in Coperni's SS23 collection, which featured the innovative spray developed by a designer-scientist Manel Torres. Furthermore, the appointment of Professor Kimberly Jenkins, a distinguished expert in Fashion History and Theory, as an educational consultant at Gucci further emphasises the invaluable contribution that scholars can make outside of academia. By directly contributing their expertise to brands, they play a pivotal role in addressing pressing issues like inclusivity and diversity in the industry.
We live in the era where styles, silhouettes and forms of expression are liberal and freeing. Hence why if anything can be considered passé at all it could perhaps be “designing for the sake of designing”. Smart, holistic and critical approach to fashion is valid now more than ever. In fact it perhaps is the sole legitimate way to approach any industry today.
Beata Wilczek’s practice overarches the realm of fashion, tech and research. Her work is guided by the pursuit of challenges, inquiries, and speculative futures, answering fashion’s most urgent questions. As an educator and strategist, working across different organisations, including brands, tech startups, universities and museums, she is an advocate for systemic change in fashion and creative industries, taking into account the interrelationships of sustainability and digital transformation. According to Beata this overlap should be recognised and addressed:
“Currently, the world is shaped by two major forces: digitisation and climate crisis.
I firmly believe that both should be discussed and analysed as connected, overlapping forces,
not as two distant topics.”
In 2021, Beata established Unfolding Strategies, a fashion consultancy and education lab. Additionally, from 2021 to 2022, she held the position of Head of Impact at The Dematerialised, a digital fashion marketplace. With a diverse academic background encompassing social psychology, curation, and fashion studies, she brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her endeavours. Having accumulated a wealth of teaching experience spanning a decade, Beata has imparted knowledge at numerous universities worldwide. Previously, she served as a Guest Professor at the University of Virginia, designing and teaching the Digital Design course with educational startup iXperience. Furthermore, she co-wrote an MA program in Social Design and Sustainable Innovation based in Berlin and Beirut. Beata has also delivered talks on fashion in various cities, including London, Warsaw, Tokyo, Mexico City, and Tel Aviv.
Beata Wilczek was born and raised in Wroclaw, Poland. Her thirst for knowledge was evident from a young age. Her mother's profession required access to databases, which allowed Beata to take her initial steps into the online world already in the 90s. She vividly remembers the excitement of using a computer for the first time. The ability to type a random word and receive a digital response left a profound impression on her:
“I am online since 1993. There were almost no websites back then. When I was seven
we received some American protein bars and I was very excited to see “www” on them.
Both Internet and protein bars are native to Bay Area so looking back, it makes sense.
Apparently, there were only 623 websites in 1993. Connecting to the internet in Poland back then
was laud, erratic and expensive.”
Beata's curiosity and diverse interests are evident in the rich variety of disciplines she ambitiously tapped into throughout her education. She dedicated five years to obtaining an MA in Social Psychology from SWPS University. Meanwhile however she actively worked as a fashion art director, trend forecaster and curator. Exposure to the prevalent disposability and fast-paced nature of the fashion process left her dissatisfied. However, instead of discouraging her, this observance ignited her problem-solver nature, fuelled eagerness to delve deeper into the industry and explore its challenges through the prism of social mechanisms.
While the academic study of fashion is often focused on historical aspects, approaching fashion from a scientific perspective holds significant relevance today. By exploring human behaviour alongside design methodologies, researchers transcend the confines of archival study and venture into new realms where fresh insights and perspectives emerge. Beata reminisces that back in 2009 however, when completing her first university degree in Social Psychology, fashion was not widely regarded as a subject worthy of a scientific thesis. “I wanted to look into political preferences and fashion choices but my professors said that fashion is not a good choice. In the end I focused on art, in the same context. Somehow fine arts were more worthy of MA thesis back then. Considering that social psychology asks questions about collective human behaviours - why people do what they do and how can we predict it, I always felt it was such a good combination. But back then it was more of historians territory.”
In 2012 Beata made a decision to enrol at Central Saint Martins at the Masters course in Culture, Curation and Criticism in Art and Design. In this way she could combine her interdisciplinary interests and at the same time be at the epicentre of fashion: “I was interested in culture, change and digital art a lot at the time I enrolled at CSM. During the program we worked a lot around the concept of archives, visiting the physical ones but also discussing the Internet as an open archive in the making.” Her time at Central Saint Martins was a fruitful period of knowledge exchange and collaboration with fellow creatives. Her master's thesis centred around the concept of "Post-Internet Bodies”, delving into digital cultures and their impact on the body. She ventured into the realm of digital art, working with other artists on film and virtual reality projects.
After her time in London, Beata relocated to Berlin, where she fully immersed herself in the city's innovation-driven environment. As time passed, it became evident that Berlin provided a fertile ground for her creative pursuits, particularly in the realm of digital fashion. However, it was not until 2019 that Beata became even more deeply engaged and occupied with extensive research on this subject.
“I started actively working with the ideas around digital art, body and fashion in 2012, firstly as an artist and curator, and later I introduced it in my teaching. I noticed that some students I was teaching at the MA sustainability programme at AMD Berlin, perceived digital fashion as this holy grail of sustainable development.” she recalls. "I wanted to challenge and explore this concept, so I included it in one of the course curricula. I'm always skeptical about 'magical potions' – a one-size-fits-all cure. The abundance of hope surrounding this intrigued me, compelling me to understand its roots. While I share in the excitement around new technologies, I firmly believe that we must maintain a well-rounded perspective. We need to be driven by data and facts – that's the academic in me speaking."
While pursuing her Ph.D. in Decentralisation and Fashion Education at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and Aalto University Beata's research led her to interview Marjorie Hernandez, one of the founders of The Dematerialised — an immersive NFT marketplace. Their insightful conversation eventually fostered a professional connection, and as a result, Beata joined the platform as the Head of Impact between 2021-2022: “It was a thrilling adventure as I was one of the first people to delve into digital sustainability and fashion. Leading the impact strategy for a tech startup and designing features and setting new standards like a digital product transparency was exciting and challenging. Above all, it felt like I was doing something that will impact fashion and creative industries, hopefully in a positive way.”
Unfolding Strategies - press materials
In 2021, she established her own venture, Unfolding Strategies, which provides an array of services including creative consultancy, product development and an educational platform. Unfolding Strategies serves as a bridge connecting companies with the realm of digital transformation, assisting them in navigating and adapting to the evolving landscape. “It has two fold offering - on one hand it supports fashion and tech clients consulting their projects in terms of metaverse, digital ethics, sustainability, diversity and digital fashion. On another it is an open education lab. We release reports, a monthly newsletter and podcast called ‘Fashion Knowledge’ as well as run courses open to all interested individuals. The aim is to nurture and share knowledge on fashion emerging futures” explains Beata.
Unfolding Strategies carefully curates its social media content, with posts covering a wide array of themes, news, and insights organised into various series. Among these series, "Big Words” focuses on the rapidly expanding vocabulary within digital fashion. It offers explanations of terms that have recently emerged or gained significant popularity, allowing followers to stay informed and up-to date with the latest terminology in the industry.
According to Beata there’s a lot of knowledge gaps to fill so demand for their services is undoubtedly going to grow. As brands undergo digital transformation, it becomes increasingly crucial for teams to fully comprehend its implications. However, education plays a key role not only for professionals but also for the general public. Without proper understanding, digital transformation may be perceived foremost as a threat rather than an opportunity. “We do a lot of workshops and training with our clients. There are so many questions that need to be addressed on different levels, from very general: What are the newest fashion tech trends? What is AI and how can we work with it? How can we anticipate emerging consumer behaviours? To very specific ones: What could be our digital product/line? How do we go about digital ethics? How is our brand storytelling and product responding to digitisation? What can we do to future- proof our strategy and gain competitive advantage?”.
“Fashion reflects the spirit of the times. Digital fashion will be as much a part of our lives as the rapid digitisation of everything else.” predicts Beata. Rather than surrendering to the forces of transformation, it is now the opportune moment for all individuals to engage in the creation of this new paradigm and actively contribute to shaping it in a manner that aligns with their needs and the greater good. "Tech and fashion have a legacy of damaging practices such as unfair labor, cultural exclusion, and contributions to the climate crisis. However, as we innovate and establish new standards, we aim to foster discussions about how to do things differently. Our goal isn't just about improving the world; it's more about causing less harm and experimenting with alternative models."
According to Beata, the emergence of new technologies such as web3, the metaverse, and AI has instilled a sense of urgency and hope, as they possess the potential to become true game-changers for the fashion industry by penetrating its deeper layers beyond the visual realm:
“With blockchain and phygitals I could sense a paradigm shift: in how we make,
consume and define what fashion actually is. But as with every technology,
we need think how it can be used and what are the best and worse use cases.
Ultra fast fashion business models are already powered by AI.”
Beata emphasises that the most powerful promises of digital fashion are accessibility and equity. Currently, the internet is monopolised by a small number of tech companies, but in the future web3 it is expected to become decentralised. This shift towards decentralisation holds the potential for a more open and inclusive digital space. Beata anticipates that it will bring forth a wealth of fresh talent from diverse global regions that were previously unseen in the fashion spotlight, also reflecting what is happening in the global economy.
“We're witnessing a significant shift, as we begin to consider digital assets as interchangeable with physical objects in our environment. Immaterial garments made of pixels already belong to the fashion vocabulary, next to silk dresses and hoodies. This development is fascinating, and I'm amazed to be witnessing it from such a near vantage point." Harnessing digital tools effectively presents an opportunity to safeguard real life tangible cultural heritage too. It means archives, collections, and physical artefacts made more accessible and preserved for future generations. “Web3 is not only about the future. It is also about preserving the past, creating inclusive spaces and giving access to people, their stories and perspectives.” says Beata.
According to Beata, today we are given an opportunity to support fashion industry with its new digital developments and build them with a sustainability and accessibility from the ground up. In digital realm we can set new standards and avoid the errors made by the industry in the past. “What if we do it right from the scratch and don’t have to decarbonise, decolonise and de-everything later on?” she says envisioning quite a compelling and hopeful perspective.
“I hope that we will go past the moment where we are hyper-excited or hyper-scared of it and we'll start thinking about how can we work with it. What can digital fashion do for us? And then how can we do it responsibly? What does it bring to the table?”
If you find the topic intriguing, I encourage you to follow Beata’s and Unfolding Strategies Instagram feed and sign up to her monthly newsletter to stay informed about the latest developments in the realm of digital fashion. And if you approach the subject with skepticism or a critical mindset, it is even more important to follow and acquaint yourself with it. The Fashion Knowledge podcast offers an excellent platform to gain a deeper understanding of the practices involved. It might expand your perspective, introduce distinctive narratives, and reveal opportunities that mainstream media may disregard.