This paper aims to describe the scenario of the contemporary footwear sector, giving a perspective to the product design methodological approaches in the context of the so called 4.0 Industry standards. To do this the text proposes the description of practical experimentations carried out focusing on cad-cam design and cnc production methods. The digital design and manufacturing processes (from the 3d scanning of the foot to the shoe last definition, from the style concept to the virtual parametric prototype of the shoes, from the definition of all the components to the final production) address from the one hand the advanced production methods supported by the enabling technology, from the other hand the renew of the traditional hand made production for the small and custom made series. Tradition and innovation aims to enable new cultural approaches to the made in Italy standards and new competitiveness keys for the footwear industry.

The present paper focuses on the cultural value of making, identifying the methods for sharing the knowledge and the technical skills, particularly, in the context of digital design and fabrication. Starting from the renewed interest in manufacturing processes directly linked to creativity, sustainability, mass customization, practical innovation and experimentation, enhanced by the so called makers’ revolution and by the new arts and crafts movements, the paper explores the on going transformations in the manufacturing places focusing on the Fab Lab sites as new hubs for sharing knowledge and skills. The dissertation is supported by a practical experimentation, carried out by the authors, based on a co-design workshop and a proactive interdisciplinary activity addressed to identify the processes of social innovation involving both expert and not expert designers in the context of digital design and fabrication processes. As a result Bright Light, a small lamp, has been produced in order to finalize the co-design processes with a smart artefact.

The excessive use of materials that are generally difficult to discard, such as stone materials, has caused growing ecological concern. Among these, marble is extracted from quarries, but when the raw material is exhausted, these places are deserted. For this reason, several measures have been adopted in recent years to requalify these areas. In addition, recent technological developments involve the creation of innovative green materials that privilege the circular economy and waste recycling. This research presents the development of innovative, sustainable filaments for the fused filament fabrication (FFF) printing technique from recycled marble waste (MW) and biocompostable and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) matrix. MW was added to the polymer in concentrations of 10 wt.%, 20 wt.%, and 30 wt.%, and the blends were extruded to develop innovative green filaments. The chemical/structural properties of the raw materials and the thermal and mechanical features of the new composites were investigated. Composites containing 10 and 20 wt.% of MW showed good printability. In contrast, extrusion and printing difficulties were observed with 30 wt.% of MW. Finally, this paper proposes a project to renaturalize and requalify a disused marble quarry located in Trani (Apulia, Italy) with 3D printing devices using the newly produced eco-filaments, which have better features. The main purpose of this article is to propose a concrete, economic, and sustainable application of 3D printing involving processes such as waste and by-product recycling and renaturalization of disused quarries, with both economic and environmental benefits.

The digital transition towards the Metaverse deeply permeated by digital technologies is the core of current debates. In this shift, fashion emerges as a relevant context for analyzing the implications of the Metaverse, with fashion companies being among the first industries to implement projects in this persistent virtual space. Today, with fashion being such a relevant global business, but one of the most polluting industries, its transition towards "hybrid" experience modes can produce significant impacts in terms of more efficient and sustainable modes of production. Also, in the existing spectrum of digital technologies, Virtual Reality (VR) represents an opportunity and a tool from which the fashion industry can benefit. However, although VR has proven its effectiveness in fashion retail, the scientific literature still presents limited studies; yet there is plenty of scope for its potential use in the fashion industry. Also, there is a lack of studies comparing Immersive VR (IVR) to non-immersive shopping experiences, such as Desktop Virtual Reality (DVR). Therefore, researchers must identify the differences between IVR and DVR systems since they may affect users during their evaluation. For this reason, further research is needed to assess how VR technology can improve the shopping experience towards the Metaverse. The aim of the research is to compare the experience of buying an accessory (i.e., a luxury handbag) on a desktop computer, DVR, with that in IVR, assessing the impact in terms of system usability. To test the differences in terms of usability, we developed two versions of the application. The first is developed as a traditional desktop application and the second is developed for the IVR Head-Mounted Display (Oculus Quest 2). We hypothesized that IVR modes can be more easily used and accessed by the user. To this aim, we conducted a within-subject experiment with 60 participants by administering the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire to compare the DVR and IVR applications. Thus, the paper shows that display, interaction, and locomotion in the design of shopping experiences can generate different feedback on the system usability, and therefore IVR could be a more suitable tool for novel shopping modes in the fashion industry towards the Metaverse.