Search Results (74)

Background/Objectives: Double-J stents (DJS) cause clinically significant lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in 58–80% of patients following ureteroscopy (URS). The distal vesical coil is regarded as the primary anatomical source of trigonal irritation and detrusor instability. The single-J stent (SJS) eliminates this element while preserving the proximal renal pigtail for anti-migration anchorage. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and patient-reported symptom outcomes of a modified SJS compared with standard DJS following elective URS for ureteric stone disease. Methods: A prospective, single-arm, within-patient feasibility study was conducted in 28 adults undergoing elective URS at Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia (Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC)/25658/Austin-2025; NCT07535580). A modified SJS was fashioned from a commercially available 7Fr Bander™ ureteral diversion stent (Cook Medical, G14780) by trimming the shaft to 28 cm and affixing a 7 cm Prolene retrieval suture (Ethicon NW807) to the blunt distal end. The primary outcome was a cystoscopically confirmed SJS migration rate at removal (pre-specified feasibility threshold ≤5%). Secondary outcomes included change in Ureteral Stent Discomfort Test (USDT) total and domain scores (paired analysis, n = 24), adverse events, and patient preference. Results: The clinically significant migration rate was 0% (0/28); 27/28 stent tips were freely floating within the bladder, with one asymptomatic tip at the ureteric orifice at the scheduled removal visit. Mean total USDT score decreased from 39.92 ± 2.00 (DJS) to 30.42 ± 1.73 (SJS)—a mean absolute reduction of 9.50 points (23.8%; p < 0.001), a magnitude consistent with clinically relevant change, although a USDT-specific minimum clinically important difference has not been independently validated. All six USDT domains improved significantly (all p ≤ 0.014). No adverse events were recorded. All 28 patients (100%) reported they would choose the SJS again. Conclusions: The modified SJS demonstrated a favourable safety profile and was associated with lower patient-reported symptom scores than the preceding DJS across all USDT domains in this uncontrolled within-patient comparison. Because stent design, stone burden, and dwell time differed between the two assessment phases, these differences should be regarded as hypothesis-generating and provide a feasibility basis for a prospective randomised controlled trial evaluating the SJS following URS. Full article

This study investigated the implications of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into fashion design education and their relationship with supporting sustainable design practices. A descriptive–analytical approach was adopted, and an online questionnaire was administered to a sample of 404 female students and graduates specializing in fashion design in Saudi Arabia. The study examined the perceived usefulness of AI technologies in supporting sustainable design, the level of sustainable design self-efficacy, the relationship between these two variables, and differences associated with selected demographic variables. In addition, two optional open-ended questions provided complementary qualitative insights into participants’ perceptions of AI in sustainable fashion design. The findings revealed a high level of perceived usefulness of AI technologies in supporting sustainable design practices, as well as a high level of sustainable design self-efficacy among the participants. Statistically significant differences were found in perceived usefulness according to participants’ level of experience with AI tools and frequency of use, in favor of those with greater experience and more frequent use. The results also showed a strong positive relationship between perceived usefulness and sustainable design self-efficacy, along with statistically significant differences according to academic status, educational level, and geographic region. The qualitative findings further highlighted the role of AI in enhancing creativity, improving design efficiency, and reducing waste, while also pointing to challenges related to AI literacy, intellectual property, and ethical use. The study contributes empirical evidence from fashion design education in Saudi Arabia, a context that remains underrepresented in previous research, and emphasizes the importance of integrating AI technologies into fashion design education through educational and ethical frameworks that promote responsible AI use and sustainability-oriented design competencies. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the global fashion industry, yet its adoption within the Australian market (a geographically isolated, SME-dominated sector) remains under-researched. This study explores the current state of AI implementation, the principal barriers, and the perceived opportunities in Australian fashion businesses, with particular attention to sustainability. Using a qualitative, exploratory design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with nine professionals spanning fashion-technology start-ups, sustainable manufacturing, textile recycling, ethical certification, and global retail planning, and analyzed them thematically through the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework. The findings indicate that AI adoption is nascent and fragmented, typically entering firms through vendor-embedded features rather than deliberate strategy. Contrary to international studies that foreground cost and data infrastructure as primary barriers, participants in this sample identified a risk-averse organizational culture and limited perceived need as the dominant constraints. Sustainability emerged as the most significant yet largely unrealized opportunity, spanning reduced overproduction, fewer size-related returns, and improved textile recycling. These exploratory insights offer a context-specific reading of the TOE framework, suggesting that organizational culture may weigh more heavily than technological capability in isolated, SME-dominated markets, and that cultural change, supported by tiered education and industry-specific value propositions, is needed to realize AI’s sustainability potential. Full article

The study of sobriety in fashion can be understood as a form of spiritual exercise within a Christian ecological framework. This article argues that sobriety, understood as a virtue that shapes desire and moderates consumption, offers a theological response to the environmental and social consequences of contemporary fashion. Drawing on biblical sources, patristic and medieval theology, and early modern reflections, it traces the evolution of sobriety from a principle of bodily moderation to a broader philosophy of life. Through a theological analysis of fashion consumption, the article shows how sobriety can function as an ethical and spiritual practice capable of resisting hyperconsumerism and fostering ecological responsibility. The shift from modesty to sobriety thus provides a renewed framework for linking Christian virtue ethics, fashion consumption, and care for the planet. Full article

In recent decades, the fashion industry has attracted mounting attention due to its considerable social, environmental, and cultural impacts. A substantial corpus of academic research has examined these issues, employing terms such as “ethical,” “sustainable,” and “responsible fashion” to describe models that transcend a solely profit-driven logic. These labels, however, are not inherently fixed in meaning and are subject to continuous evolution through public and professional discourse. What, then, do these terms mean? To address this question, the study examines how responsible fashion is defined and framed, drawing on 34 qualitative biographical interviews with Italian fashion communicators. The findings indicate that they ascribe divergent meanings to the concepts of “sustainable” and “responsible” fashion. Sustainability is commonly depicted as an unattainable or utopian objective, whereas responsibility is characterized as more pragmatic and achievable. It is linked to reflexivity and gradual enhancement rather than comprehensive transformation. Even though certain critical viewpoints have called into question the compatibility of fashion with responsibility in itself, the analysis indicates that communicators predominantly construct and negotiate responsibility through specific discursive repertoires. In this regard, responsibility is framed as a compromise, that is, a way of resolving competing demands. Full article

The objectives of this study are to examine the direct relationships among perceived ethics, perceived sustainability, customer trust, customer engagement, and customer loyalty; and to investigate the mediating roles of customer trust and customer engagement in explaining the relationship between ethical and sustainability perceptions and customer loyalty. Using the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as theoretical foundations, this research examines how ethical and sustainability perceptions within social commerce environments influence customers’ psychological states and behavioral responses. A quantitative approach was used, involving data collection from 360 Thai consumers who had previously bought sustainable fashion items through social media. The proposed model was then evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results suggest that consumers’ evaluations of seller ethics significantly enhance their perceptions of product sustainability, customer trust, and engagement. Furthermore, perceived sustainability of fashion products affects both trust and engagement. Customer trust subsequently promotes both engagement and loyalty; however, customer engagement exhibits the most substantial direct effect on customer loyalty. Mediation analysis confirms the essential functions of trust and engagement in mediating the impacts of ethical and sustainability perceptions on loyalty. These findings highlight the importance of ethical transparency and proactive customer engagement in fostering trust and long-term customer loyalty within social media-based sustainable fashion commerce. Therefore. This study provides both theoretical and practical insights for sustainable fashion enterprises functioning within digital contexts. Full article

This article examines the ethical and aesthetic stakes of cultural borrowing in fashion through the case of Yves Saint Laurent’s sustained engagement with Moroccan visual and material traditions. Drawing on postcolonial theory, fashion studies, and aesthetic philosophy and supported by visual analysis and qualitative research, this study interrogates the tension between cultural appreciation and appropriation that structures Saint Laurent’s legacy. His designs amplified global visibility for Moroccan craftsmanship, yet this visibility was mediated through Western systems of authorship that privileged the couturier while obscuring the cultural, spiritual, and artisanal labor underpinning the motifs he reinterpreted. Saint Laurent’s own positionality, born within the colonial milieu of French Algeria, further complicates this dynamic, enabling both cultural intimacy and the exercise of hierarchical distance from the traditions he transformed for Parisian haute couture. This discussion also requires acknowledging that Moroccan cultural heritage, shaped by the intertwined influences of Amazigh, Arab, Islamic, and Jewish traditions, embodies religious meanings that extend beyond the purely aesthetic. By considering the religious, symbolic, and communal values embedded within Moroccan aesthetic forms, this article foregrounds the ethical dilemmas that arise when culturally and spiritually situated practices are reframed within Western fashion. This study ultimately contends that acts of borrowing can serve both as homage and erasure, suggesting that the relationship between appropriation and appreciation is better understood as a flexible spectrum rather than a rigid binary. Full article

Nacer Khemir’s Bab’Aziz (2005) treats the dervish cloak (khirqa) as more than costume: a site where ascetic practice contests fashion’s novelty-driven logic. Focusing on the narrative shift from the Prince’s conspicuous consumption of silk to the dervish’s adoption of rough wool, this article argues that the film visualizes an “anti-fashion” stance rooted in Sufi discourses. In this cinematic setting, the khirqa functions as a kind of haptic archive—a tactile record of transmission and wear—through which spiritual lineage, authority, and continuity become legible. Bringing Ibn ʿArabī into dialogue with film theory’s concept of haptic visuality, the study shows how the cloak operates as a primary cinematic signifier of sartorial regulation, where disciplined appearance is figured as ethical formation rather than fashion trend. Bridging history, sociology, and material culture studies, the article suggests that the khirqa endures as a transhistorical emblem mediating spiritual identity across changing spatiotemporal contexts. Full article

This article advances a critical rethinking of digital transformation in craft-based and socially embedded production systems by examining ateliers of social integration as community-led solidarity spaces where sewing and embroidery practices intersect with relational, care-oriented, and collective dimensions. Existing debates on digitalisation remain largely centred on automation, scale, and efficiency, overlooking how technology operates within care-based and territorially embedded economies. To address this gap, the article develops an alternative analytical framework grounded in relational economies and the ethics of care. While the phenomenon is transnational, the empirical analysis focuses on the Italian context and draws on data from CreAbility, an ongoing action-research project aimed at building a digital community of micro and small fashion enterprises, associations, and designers characterized by social and cultural impact. Against dominant, scale-oriented models of innovation, the article conceptualises ateliers of social integration as relational ecosystems in which value is co-produced through social ties, inclusion practices, and localized knowledge. From this perspective, digital technologies serve as situated mediators that extend and amplify proximity-based relations. This reframing challenges linear and growth-centred accounts of digital innovation, instead proposing a non-linear, care-centred, and place-based model of digital transformation. Methodologically, the study adopts a mixed-methods design combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. Data were collected between June and July 2025 through an online questionnaire distributed to a broader population of Italian ateliers of social integration and were complemented by participatory focus groups involving organisational representatives. The findings show that these ateliers operate as infrastructures of proximity in which production, care, and community are co-constitutive, and where digital practices support forms of extended embeddedness rather than substitution. In doing so, the article contributes to debates on digitalisation, social innovation, and the care economy by showing how alternative, relational, and non-scalable models of production can reshape the meaning and the trajectories of innovation. Full article

This study examines how Saudi consumers evaluate the commodification of cultural symbols in fashion amid intensified heritage branding and symbolic market expansion. It addresses a gap in the literature on internal cultural commodification, where tensions surrounding authenticity, legitimacy, and commercialization emerge within the same cultural community rather than across clearly separate cultural groups. Drawing on a culturally grounded application of the Theory of Planned Behavior and related literature on consumer ethnocentrism and moral evaluation, the study investigates how perceived authenticity, perceived cultural appropriation, ethical sense, and consumer ethnocentrism shape attitudes toward cultural commodification and purchase intention in the Saudi fashion context. Data were collected through an Arabic-language questionnaire-based survey of Saudi consumers (N = 552) using a non-probability purposive sampling approach. The measurement model employed reflective scales adapted from prior literature and was assessed for reliability and validity. To strengthen methodological rigor, the analysis also considered common method bias diagnostics. The proposed relationships were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with bootstrapping. The findings indicate that perceived authenticity is positively associated with attitudes toward cultural commodification and relates to purchase intention primarily through attitudes. Perceived cultural appropriation is negatively associated with both attitudes and purchase intention, suggesting both a direct deterrent effect and an indirect pathway via attitudes. Consumer ethnocentrism shows a negative association with purchase intention and a weaker negative association with attitudes, while its moderating role appears statistically significant but limited in magnitude. Ethical sense displays a more complex pattern, combining negative indirect effects through evaluative pathways with a positive direct association with intention, consistent with qualified rather than purely restrictive participation in symbolic consumption. The study contributes to the literature by clarifying how consumer responses to heritage-based fashion commercialization are shaped by representational, ethical, and normative evaluations in a non-Western setting. Practically, it suggests that fashion brands operating in Saudi heritage markets should manage authenticity claims, symbolic legitimacy, and appropriation risk with greater cultural and ethical sensitivity. Full article

Background: The outbreak and spreading of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in a very short time has made most of the old-fashioned antibiotics ineffective, and thus new therapeutic substances have to be developed. The traditional methods of antibiotics discovery are defined by long periods of time, high levels of expenditure, and high rates of failure, which contributes to the necessity of new approaches. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a disruptive technology that can be used to accelerate and optimize various steps of antibiotic discovery, such as target detection and virtual screening, new molecular design, and early-stage testing. Methods: This review provides an in-depth discussion of the role of AI methodologies in the form of machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and generative models in the discovery of small-molecule antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The major areas that are discussed include virtual screening, pharmacokinetics optimization, resistance mechanism prediction, and AMPs design, which is accompanied by relevant case studies, including the AI-based discovery of Abaucin. Results: The article highlights how AI can be used in a synergistic relationship with synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and multi-omics data as a core component in the next generation of antimicrobial approaches, such as personalized therapy and predictive stewardship. The existing issues, i.e., the lack of data, bias in algorithms, and the translational divide between research and clinical use, are addressed, as well as suggested measures of responsible, collaborative, and ethical AI use. Conclusions: The combination of computational innovation with experimentation validation, AI-driven antibiotic discovery paves the way for a potent and scalable approach in addressing the rising threat of AMR. Full article

This study investigates how Australian Zennials (born 1993–1999) navigate slow fashion consumption in a market dominated by fast fashion and affordability challenges. Using semi-structured interviews with 20 participants, it explores their motivations, barriers, and adaptive strategies. Findings reveal that Zennials are driven by ethical values, environmental awareness, and a preference for quality design, yet face constraints such as cost, limited access to sustainable brands, and skepticism toward greenwashing. Rather than a simple value–action gap, participants demonstrate creative solutions, most notably, strategic engagement with the second-hand market. This enables them to practice slow fashion ideals of durability, longevity, and mindful consumption in a cost-effective way. The study reframes the attitude–behavior gap by identifying Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) as a key enabler, supported by knowledge, repair skills, and peer norms. These insights offer practical implications for brands, designers, and policymakers, positioning the second-hand economy as the central mechanism that operationalizes Zennial engagement with sustainable fashion. Full article

As the fashion industry accelerates its digital and sustainable transformation, the European Union’s policy development on Digital Product Passports (DPPs) has attracted growing attention. However, there is still a lack of systematic research into whether consumers, particularly those outside Europe, are willing to adopt this emerging technology for greater transparency. To address this, this study develops an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by integrating three individual-level consumer variables, Ethical–Sustainability Orientation (ESO), Circular Value Orientation (CVO), and Technological Awareness (TA), to examine how these factors work in concert to shape consumers’ intentions to accept Digital Product Passports (DPPs). Data were collected from US consumers through an online survey, yielding 425 valid responses. Participants were recruited from a professional consumer panel managed by a market research firm. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the proposed research model and hypotheses. The results reveal that Perceived Usefulness (PU) emerges as the most influential determinant of consumers’ acceptance of Digital Product Passports. Both Ethical–Sustainability Orientation (ESO) and Circular Value Orientation (CVO) demonstrate significant direct effects on adoption intention and indirect impacts through PU. Technological Awareness (TA) exhibits only a modest direct effect, suggesting that its role in shaping adoption behavior is comparatively limited. This study broadens the geographic and cultural scope of existing research on Digital Product Passports (DPPs) by providing empirical evidence on consumer acceptance in a non-European context. The findings advance the theoretical understanding of DPP adoption while offering practical implications for fashion brands and policymakers seeking to facilitate the global implementation of DPP systems within the fashion industry. Full article

Smart textiles are emerging as transformative modern textiles in which sensing, actuation, and communication are directly embedded into textiles, extending their role far beyond passive wearables. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the convergence between smart textiles, the Internet of Things (IoT), and human-centric design, with sustainability as a guiding principle. We examine recent advances in conductive fibers, textile-based sensors, and communication protocols, while emphasizing user comfort, unobtrusiveness, and ecological responsibility. Key breakthroughs, such as silk fibroin ionic touch screens (SFITS), illustrate the potential of biodegradable and high-performance interfaces that reduce electronic waste and enable seamless human–computer interaction. The paper highlights cross-sector applications ranging from healthcare and sports to defense, fashion, and robotics, where IoT-enabled textiles deliver real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and adaptive feedback. The review also focuses on sustainability challenges, including energy-intensive manufacturing and e-waste generation, and reviews ongoing strategies such as biodegradable polymers, modular architectures, and design-for-disassembly approaches. Furthermore, to identify future research priorities in AI-integrated “textile brains,” self-healing materials, bio-integrated systems, and standardized safety and ethical frameworks are also visited. Taken together, this review emphasizes the pivotal role of smart textiles as a cornerstone of next-generation wearable technology, with the potential to enhance human well-being while advancing global sustainability goals. Full article

The fashion industry, despite its global economic importance, is a major contributor to environmental degradation and social inequality. In response, sustainable fashion has emerged as a growing movement advocating ethical, ecological, and socially responsible practices. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 1134 peer-reviewed journal articles on sustainable fashion indexed in Scopus from 1986 to 2025. Results show an exponential rise in research output after 2015, with interdisciplinary contributions from social sciences, business, environmental science, and engineering. By applying performance analysis and science mapping techniques, the study identifies five major research themes: “Consumer Behavior,” “Design Ethics,” “Circular Economy,” “Innovation,” and “Digital Media.” The geographic distribution reveals strong outputs from both developed and emerging economies. This study provides an integrative overview of the intellectual landscape of sustainable fashion and serves as a roadmap for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who are interested in the development of sustainable fashion. Full article