Abstract:

The digital transformation within the fashion industry is fundamentally redefining the dynamics of business-product-consumer interactions, creating fluid environments where knowledge, information, and interactions are seamlessly exchanged. This paradigm shift from traditional to digital models results in an integrated context where virtual and non-virtual elements coexist harmoniously. Digital environments, which were once linear spaces focused on product display, have evolved into multidimensional, experiential, collaborative, and inclusive domains. These dynamic digital spaces offer fashion brands substantial opportunities to innovate and merge their identities with new, unexplored territories, fostering deep engagement and creativity. Consequently, storytelling processes are expanding into transmedia systems, wherein essential story components are disseminated across multiple platforms to generate a cohesive and coordinated narrative experience.

Therefore, the transformation of the fashion industry requires the development of advanced skills among fashion communication professionals, requiring a nuanced combination of technical expertise and strategic insight. This paradigm shift emphasises the need for expertise in narrative management processes and efficient channel management to navigate the complexities of transmedia storytelling.

This paper presents the teaching toolkit and the results of the teaching experiment conducted within the MFI Master in Fashion Brand & Business Management. This programme, characterised by its multidisciplinary approach, integrates business, design and humanities (sociology and communication) to offer a holistic educational experience and attracts a diverse group of international students from different academic fields, including economics, business, marketing, law and design. Within the programme, the Transmedia Storytelling teaching module adopts a project-based teaching approach by engaging students in designing transmedia storytelling processes within the product-fashion industry and working collaboratively to manage fragmented brand narratives.

This paper presents the comprehensive teaching toolkit to guide students in creating transmedia experiences and storytelling strategies. Furthermore, it illustrates the results and lessons learnt from this innovative pedagogical approach, providing insights into the strategies adopted in the design phase of the toolkit – integrated from different disciplinary domains (business, marketing, user experience design and game design) – and in the phases of student use.

Keywords:

Transmedia Storytelling, Transdisciplinary Toolkit, Project-based Learning, Fashion System.