Fashion and Tourism, between Culture and Digital Transformation

Fashion and Tourism share great challenges, especially connected with sustainability issues, as well as major opportunities.
Both fields have been deeply involved in the digital transformation – even disrupted by it; in particular, digital media and platforms have become the most important places where fashion trends and tourism destinations are discussed and negotiated.
Fashion and (cultural) Tourism do not only share several dimensions – for instance their belonging to the experience and creative economy –, they have also several direct interactions, which will be explored during the course in both directions: from Tourism to Fashion and vice versa.

When it comes to different levels of knowledge, by the end of the course learners will:

• know the main dimensions of Fashion and Tourism as cultural and social phenomena; know their several interactions, with a focus on digital transformation and digital communication practices;
• know how to interpret recent related trends;
• be aware of the crucial role played by digital media within the tourism and fashion sectors.

The course presents Fashion as a very relevant cultural phenomenon; while at first considered the Cinderella of museums and exhibitions, nowadays it has become their princess, attracting major attention and publics, up to the point that the most visited MET exhibition so far has been Heavenly Bodies. Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.
While mobility has been a constant in human history, Tourism has become a major social activity in the last century, offering to more than 1 billion people the opportunity to cross their country’s border to visit and encounter other places and cultures.

In presence

The course is organized in formal face-to-face lessons complemented by case studies and testimonials, collaborative group projects and tutoring sessions.

The final assessment will take into consideration a collaborative group project (30%), and a
written exam (70%). Both tests must be sufficient.