Digital Fashion Communication: An Introduction

Course Objectives

This course will help:

• To understand digital transformation processes – “Digital Fashion” – especially when it comes to communication
• To become able to analyze fashion-related owned media, and to evaluate them
• To be aware of several implications of such processes.

Course Description

The course will provide a comprehensive overview on the digital transformation of the fashion sector, while stressing the close relationship among fashion, culture and communication. By doing so, it will introduce learners to the overall itinerary of the Master in Digital Fashion Communication, providing a map and a compass to navigate within it.

It will also present specific cases related to digital media owned by the companies themselves (websites, mobile apps, newsletters…).

Students will know current digital fashion applications, technologies, and successful practices; know how to interpret the digital transformation of fashion (especially of its communication) within long term technical and sociocultural processes; and will be aware of the crucial role played by ICTs within the fashion industry.

Learning Methods

The course is organized in formal lessons complemented by case studies and testimonials.

Evaluation procedures and Grading criteria

The assessment will be undertaken in a form of a collaborative group project (30%) and a 2-hour written exam (70%).

Attendance

Class attendance is required (unless not possible for specific reasons). 

Required Materials

1. Kalbaska, N., Sádaba, T., & Cantoni, L. (2018). Editorial: Fashion communication: Between tradition and digital transformation. Studies in Communication Sciences, 18(2), 269–285. https://doi.org/10.24434/j.scoms.2018.02.005.
2. Nobile, T.H. & Cantoni L. (2021) Digital Fashion Communication: An Explorative Study of Fashion Newsletters. In: Soares M.M., Rosenzweig E., Marcus A. (eds) Design, User Experience, and Usability: Design for Contemporary Technological Environments. HCII 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12781. Springer, Cham.
3. Nobile, T.H., Noris, A., Kalbaska, N., & Cantoni, L. (2021) A review of digital fashion research: before and beyond communication and marketing, International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, DOI: 10.1080/17543266.2021.1931476
4. Noris, A. & Cantoni, L. (2021) COVID-19 Outbreak and Fashion Communication Strategies on Instagram: A Content Analysis. In: Soares M.M., Rosenzweig E., Marcus A. (eds) Design, User Experience, and Usability: Design for Contemporary Technological Environments. HCII 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12781. Springer, Cham.
5. Noris, A., Nobile, T.H., Kalbaska, N. & Cantoni, L. (2021) Digital Fashion: A systematic literature review. A perspective on marketing and communication, Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 12:1, 32-46. DOI: 10.1080/20932685.2020.1835522.¨
6. Ornati M., Cantoni L. (2020) Fashion Touch in E-commerce: An Exploratory Study of Surface Haptic Interaction Experiences. In: Nah FH., Siau K. (eds) HCI in Business, Government and Organizations. HCII 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12204. Springer, Cham, pp. 493 - 503.
7. Permatasari, P.A., Cantoni, L. (2019). Mapping Mobile Apps on Batik: A Journey across Heritage and Fashion. In Fashion Communication in the Digital Age. FACTUM 19 Fashion Communication Conference,Ascona, Switzerland, July 21-26, 2019. Springer, pp. 166 - 178.
8. Portela Caban, C. & Cantoni, L. (2021) Omni-channel Retailing in the Fashion Industry: its Definition and Implementation. In Factum21 Conference (To be published)