In a European fashion landscape increasingly focused on systemic change, the Laboratory of Sustainable Fashion (LUMó) in Trenčín offers a practical example of how sustainability can be translated into everyday practice.

Rather than positioning sustainability as a purely technological or industrial transition, the initiative works as a living laboratory where designers, citizens, students and local communities explore how garments are made, used, repaired and reimagined. Activities combine education, experimentation and cultural programming, creating a space where fashion is understood as a system rather than a product.
At the core of the project is the LUMó Hub, an open environment dedicated to workshops, upcycling activities and public engagement. Participants are invited to experiment directly with materials, understand the environmental implications of textile choices and rediscover repair and craftsmanship skills. The approach promotes longer garment lifecycles and more conscious consumption behaviours through hands-on experience rather than theoretical messaging. 

Exhibitions such as Trace & Trash of Fashion further explore the contrast between fast-fashion production models and slower, locally rooted creative processes, highlighting waste generation alongside responsible design practices. 

What makes the initiative particularly relevant for the European textiles ecosystem is its ecosystem logic: sustainability is addressed simultaneously through design experimentation, community knowledge, heritage craft and behavioural change. Workshops on zero-waste pattern making and upcycling demonstrate how circular design principles can be tested at small scale while remaining replicable. 
As the sector searches for scalable transition models, projects like LUMó suggest that innovation may also emerge from local experimentation, where education, culture and production reconnect to reshape how fashion is valued and used.