EXTENDED DEADLINE: This is the Call for Submissions for the 25th Annual Conference of the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI) to be hosted by Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand, 3rd to 6th April 2023.

Kaupapa / Theme: Ara Honohono / Connecting Pathways

The kaupapa (theme or philosophy) of the 25th Annual IFFTI conference is Ara Honohono / Connecting Pathways. 

• Te Ara is a Māori word that means path or route but can also refer to a line of traditional Māori weaving. 
• Honohono means to link, to join, to splice, to add and to join together. 
• Kaupapa also refers to the main body of a kākahu (traditional Māori cloak).

Ara Honohono / Connecting Pathways is a call to fashion researchers, practitioners, and educators to reflect on connections, patterns, pathways and threads that bind us to our past and link us to our future, to culture, to people, to place, to practice.

Mātauraka Māori (Māori knowledge and wisdom) is central to the conference theme and Māori tikaka and kawa (Māori protocols and local knowledge) will be integrated into conference activities.

We acknowledge the guidance and protection of local Māori - Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha - who are mana whenua, meaning they have the mana (authority) over the land (whenua). Kai Tahu dialect is used throughout.

Kaupapa āpiti /Sub-themes

1. Lines to the Past, Present, Future
   He tāoka tuku iho: The treasures passed down to us from the ancestors, those tried and true wisdoms of old.
   What and who grounds us in our practice?
   How does the past inform the future in the context of the fashion industry?
   How can technology ensure that fashion remains relevant in the future?
2. Diversity of Voice
   Kahikatea tū i te uru: Strength in numbers
   Fashion as voice and an agent – for indigenous peoples, for the under-represented, for change, for power and influence.
   How can we be open to different voices and learn from each other?
3. Accountability, Responsibility, Courage
   He manawa tītī; A person with great endurance
   What are our responsibilities as designers, makers, influencers, educators and consumers within the wider fashion eco-system?
   How do we advocate for a sustainable fashion future?

Important to consider:
 What can our ākonga/learners bring to these conversations?
 How can both practice and/or theory successfully address these sub-themes?

Conference Format

The conference will be held in real life (IRL) in Dunedin, New Zealand and with the option to present and attend online.

We welcome submissions in the following categories:
1. Text-based full papers
2. Text-based developmental papers
3. Creative practice as image, film, artefact, or performance
4. Poster: to be presented digitally at the conference
5. Workshop: this year, we invite colleagues to propose workshops that will be incorporated into the
conference program. They will involve participants working together on a subject or skill that is relevant to one of the conference themes. There should be at least two organisers to facilitate the workshop, and one of the organisers must be from an IFFTI institution.

• Visit the conference website here.
• Contact the organisers by email.

Abstracts

Abstracts are required for all submissions and the deadline has been extended to 17 October 2022. In order to facilitate evaluation, authors are requested to indicate which subtheme(s) their abstract addresses and identify themselves as senior faculty, early career researcher or doctoral researcher. Please be aware that full papers will be due by 11 December 2022.

Download the full details here, including:

• Abstract guidelines
• Review process
• General requirements for full and developmental papers, practice-based submissions, workshops and posters
• IFFTI Initiative Awards
• Key Dates

Copyright

All papers presented at the Conference will be published. At the time of submission of full papers, authors are required to undertake a copyright agreement with IFFTI and the host institution. The text of this agreement will be available at the IFFTI2023 Conference website.

Scope Journal

Selected submissions from IFFTI 2023 will be invited to publish in Scope: Contemporary Research Topics (Art & Design) Fashion special issue Te Ara Honohono, to be published in November 2023. 

Deadline for Authors to Register to Attend

At least one author from each accepted submission must register to attend the IFFTI 2023 Conference by 1st March 2023. Accepted papers without at least one registered author will be withdrawn and will not be included in the conference proceedings. After this point withdrawn submissions will not be reinstated.

Photograph credit: Amber Bridgman. All rights reserved.