Live Seminar 2026 - Sydney

Morning time slot:

Tuesday, December 15, 2026

10:00–12:45

New venue:

City of Sydney Creative Studios

119 Bathurst Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wq5otAKkDTnnuiy16

Tickets:

AUD $300 per person 

Early Bird rate: AUD $240 per person (available until October 11) 

Bookings of 4+: AUD $240 per person

Programme: 

9:30 Doors open

10:00 The Glass Age: S/S 2028 Colours

Glass is a hybrid known for fragility while hiding its solidity and can be considered a liquid because of its fluid nature. These contradictory qualities make it one of the most magical and versatile materials of all time. Hovering between two states of matter, it is an amorphous solid, which also perfectly describes the current state of fashion which is amorphous; a period without clearly defined shapes, allowing various silhouettes to co-exist in one collection, on one body. Therefore, fascinating as a cultural inspiration and a reflection of our times, glass is the material of the moment in both fashion and design, set to influence the years to come with a multitude of colour harmonies, textiles, garments and forms.

10:30 Venice Rejuvenated: S/S 2028 Fashion & Textiles

Although Venice has been the greatest place for decades, it becomes especially prominent and important again. With the world on the verge of collapse and our civilisation threatened, this small but amazing city is a testament to the past and a steppingstone for the future, its resilience legendary. Its location, artisan skills and particular status made it one of the wealthiest bastions in past centuries, and its dedication to art and architecture made it a meeting point for the cultural world through in recent decades. Today, creative spirits have chosen Venice as their home to share collections and collaborations, unique pieces, and carefully curated exhibitions, all throughout the year. Once the culmination point of the Silk Route, Venice holds most of the world’s aesthetic essence, accumulating multiple references for new fashions, colours and textiles. We therefore embrace Venice as an inspiration to experience and remember. Learning to never let go of the genius of humanity. This presentation concludes with Trend Union’s renowned audiovisual set to music.

11:10 Inner Child: Playing with Design 

Reconnecting with our inner child is a contemporary coping mechanism to survive today's climate of conflict and aggression, helping us find ways to sustain the soul and rekindle the spirit; favouring a kinder, more empathetic way of life. Now, design and art reflect a return to analogue techniques and the satisfaction gained when making things by hand; a philosophy for modern times that resists artificial technologies while benefiting our emotional health and sense of self. From building worlds out of colourful toy blocks to the safety of thinking inside the box or the comfort of being enveloped by plush textiles, a whole range of endearing items reach out with open arms to cuddle us in our time of need. This presentation and its accompanying publication take shape through 8 thematic trend chapters that celebrate joyful optimism, naïve simplicity and pure imagination.

11:30 Tea break

11:45 The Art of Living: 2028 Home & Interiors 

Recently the language of art and design has become similar; two domains proposing similar points of view of our current chaotic and fearful lives. Both are concerned with the planet and its people, its fluidity and diversity, its romantic brutalism, and its ruins to be picked up as valuable resources for creation. Both insist on telling stories but also try to seek refuge in the abstraction of modernism. Making sense of the present while opening up to possible futures. The art of living becomes the new goal, profiting from personal choices and indulging in strange combinations, exalting in unique finds, mixing old and new, making the most of all moments. A common ground for a culture that seeks to appease and ground people, healing as a prerequisite for a better existence, creating a safer place. A fascination with aesthetics as a moral medication that allows us to design and communicate, transforming consumers into collectors, and raising awareness about the benefit of beauty.

12:45 Approximate end

Philip Fimmano is an Australian-born Paris-based analyst and consultant at Trend Union, working in research and strategy for international companies in fashion, textiles, interiors and lifestyle. As a curator, he has produced exhibitions for prominent museums and cultural institutions, including the Arnhem Fashion Biennale, Lille Métropole 2020 International Design Capital, 21_21 Design SIGHT in Tokyo and Artipelag in Stockholm. In 2011, Philip co-founded Talking Textiles with Li Edelkoort; an ongoing initiative to promote awareness and innovation in textiles through touring exhibitions, an annual publication, a design prize and free educational programmes. He is the co-author of the books A Labour of Love (2020) and Inner Child: Playing with Design (2026). He is also the co-founder of the World Hope Forum, an online platform for creative community building and sustainable practice. Philip serves on the boards of New York Textile Month, F.I.T.’s Textile Department, the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, the Xtant festival in Mallorca and the Rupa Foundation in Mumbai. 

@philipfimmano
@worldhopeforum