Second round for the Fab-Bus project, which on March 26-27 hosted an exchange visit in Sofia, Bulgaria, marking a significant milestone in fostering cross-cluster collaboration in the textiles, fashion, and design sectors across Italy, Morocco, and Bulgaria.
After the first exchange visit in Casablanca in November 2025, hosted by the Moroccan Denim and Fashion Cluster, which laid the groundwork for identifying collaboration opportunities, the second exchange visit, hosted by CreaTech Bulgaria, proved to be a pivotal moment for consolidating partnerships. On March 26, the clusters visited Capasca, a Bulgarian smart production company, to explore their work management software and observe how technological innovations enhance competitive advantage in textile production. The delegation then toured the Arts and Design Faculty at New Bulgarian University to discuss talent development, industry–education linkages, and prospects for future collaboration. The day continued at Sofia Tech Park, Bulgaria’s first science and technology park, which supports SMEs as an incubator and accelerator through expertise, networking, and access to advanced technologies, and concluded with an immersive experience at Videnie.space, where creativity and technology converge.
On March 27, the workshop titled “Co-Creating Innovation: Product Design and Sales Channels” brought together representatives from BY FAR, a luxury Bulgarian brand, who shared their go-to-market and expansion strategies, sparking discussions on innovative sales channels that could support collaboration among the three clusters. The workshop also featured a presentation by Ms. Radina Bankova from BAATPE, on the Bulgarian textile, fashion, and creative sector ecosystem. Following these presentations, the clusters explored how to combine their national expertise, design patterns, and specialized know-how to develop concept product proposals as a core deliverable of the project. These product ideas not only reflect a shared commitment to innovation and sustainability in the fashion industry but also highlight potential new sales channels for bringing these creations to market.
In the coming months, the Fab-Bus project will focus on finalizing product designs and sales channels, further strengthening cross-cluster collaboration, and preparing to present its achievements in Italy, at Turin Fashion Week, from 27 June to 3 July.
Source: Fab-Bus, INSME
