Europe's fashion sector knows AI matters. It just doesn't yet know how to use it.

What 200+ textile and fashion professionals across six countries told us — and what we're building next.

By Luca Leonardi – 20 Août 2026

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping how clothes are designed, made, and sold. But how ready is the fashion and textile sector to actually put it to work — and to do so in a way that serves sustainability rather than just speed?

That is the question at the heart of TechStyle – AI-Driven Circular and Regenerative Fashion in VET Education, a project co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme (KA220-VET Cooperation Partnerships in Vocational Education and Training). TechStyle brings together partners from six countries to equip the textile and fashion workforce — with a particular focus on women — with the AI and digital skills needed for a more circular, sustainable industry.

A milestone: our needs assessment is complete

We're glad to share that TechStyle has just closed a foundational phase of the project. After an initial round of desk research, our consortium carried out primary research across all partner countries and is now finalizing its Consolidated Analysis of Needs Assessment Survey of AI Implementation in the Fashion and Textile Sector — the project's Initial Strategic Survey, intended as its strategic reference for training development and policy reflection.

The purpose of this document is simple but essential: before designing any training, understand where the sector actually stands. It measures AI maturity, familiarity, and daily use; maps which operations along the value chain are already touched by AI and which are not; and — most importantly — surfaces the real skills gaps and training priorities of the people who will use these tools.

How we did it, and who did it

The research design was led by the Aegean Apparel Exporters' Association (EHKIB, Türkiye), which developed the methodology and refined it together with all partners. It combined two complementary lenses:

• a quantitative survey of 203 participants, structured around three core target groups — textile workers, entrepreneurs and owners, and students — and distributed both online and offline; and
• 30 qualitative, semi-structured interviews with apparel workers, entrepreneurs, fashion experts, VET trainers, and industry representatives.
• 
  

The fieldwork ran from March to April 2026 and was analysed in May, with each partner conducting the research on the ground in France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Türkiye — giving the findings a genuinely pan-European base. The consortium brings together six organisations across these countries: CEDECS-TCBL, CFP Zanardelli, the Aegean Apparel Exporters' Association (EIB), TEXFOR, IRIS, and YET.

The first key takeaway

If one message rises above the rest, it is this: the sector is highly aware of AI's strategic importance, but that awareness has not yet translated into operational use.

Almost half of participants report engaging with AI regularly — yet routine application is still concentrated almost entirely in fashion design and 3D visualization. The back-end operations where AI could make the biggest sustainability difference — material traceability, predictive maintenance, quality control — remain largely experimental. Behind that gap sits a clear cause: 40% of participants have received no AI training at all, and the technology has barely entered academic curricula.

The appetite to close that gap, however, is striking. Professionals across all six countries told us they want practical, application-oriented training — and they want it in their own languages.

What comes next

These findings are not an endpoint; they are a brief. In the next phase (WP3), TechStyle will translate this evidence base into a concrete set of training modules built around what the sector actually asked for — from the foundations of AI and its ethical and regulatory framework, to hands-on tracks on forecasting, production, quality, traceability, and sustainable, circular design.

We'll be sharing the full report and the emerging curriculum in the coming weeks. Follow along as we build AI skills for a more circular fashion industry.