The fashion industry at mass-market level is highly specialised. Fashion designers work in teams with buyers but it is rare that they are in direct contact with for example a textile designer or an environmental officer. This paper argues that while specialisation may allow individuals to focus on and develop their particular interests and companies to operate efficiently, it may simultaneously constitute an obstacle to innovation that a more open and varied knowledge ecology might support.

The wider context of this paper is an exploration into how a futures perspective may empower environmental improvement in the fashion industry at mass-market level.

As part of this PhD project (to be completed in spring 2007) a series of creative workshops with mixed stakeholder groups from the fashion industry took place in the UK and Sweden during spring 2006. The workshops generated scenarios for mass-market fashion in year 2026 and explored aspects such as user experience, retail outlets, and products and services made possible by new technology.

This paper presents some of the findings from these workshops. It shows how a mixed stakeholder working group can enable idea generation into new and rich territories and be empowering for professionals. An example of the more interesting concepts that emerged was how the participants used popular computer programs, such as I-tunes, and websites, such as My Space, as metaphors for new systems in fashion. Drawing upon these virtual spaces enabled new thinking and conversations, and concrete design ideas about what fashion might be in the future.