Emerging Technologies and the Apparel Industry: Bridging Virtual and Physical Fashion Realms

The digitization of the apparel industry is increasingly shaped by the integration of digital technologies and advances in computer science, making fashion a hybrid field that merges virtual and physical elements. Tools such as 3D body scanning and computer vision have introduced new levels of precision concerning sizing accuracy and consumer interactivity, offering remote customers vivid shopping experiences. VR and XR technologies are transforming consumer engagement and enriching fashion education by presenting immersive retail settings and digital classroom environments. Additionally, CAD and apparel simulation systems facilitate garment visualization and prototyping, improving communication between manufacturers and consumers, and reducing reliance on physical samples and material waste. Finally, the incorporation of data-driven approaches, digital twins, and human-computer interaction strategies expands further possibilities across design, supply chain management, and education.

While digital advancements have gained momentum in recent years, the apparel industry remains largely dependent on labor-intensive processes. Thus, it highlights the need to bridge computer knowledge with practical fashion applications. The primary aim of this Research Topic is to strengthen the global apparel industry’s capacity to embrace and implement the cutting-edge technologies emerging within the fashion practice landscape.

This Research Topic seeks the latest contributions on the transformative impact of emerging technologies in advancing accuracy, inclusivity, sustainability, and innovation, covering a broad scope within fashion. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Digital technology–driven apparel design and development.
- Fashion consumers’ cognitive and affective responses to digital platforms.
- Data analytics for improved sizing and fit systems.
- Digital platforms in apparel supply chains.
- Applications in apparel and fashion education.

Authors are invited to contribute empirical studies, theoretical or conceptual papers, methodological frameworks, case analyses, and systematic reviews.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: 3D Body Scanning, Computer Vision, Virtual and Extended Reality (VR/XR), Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Digital Twins, Fashion Technology Innovation

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.