Designing the Digital Transition: Tools and Approaches for Italian Textile Heritage Virtualization

In the context of the digital transition of the Italian textile industry, this paper explores how design can act as a mediator between emerging technologies, sustainable practices, and sector-specific knowledge. The research adopts the perspective of the Transitional Industrial Designer (TID), a figure capable of integrating vertical technical expertise, adaptability to change, interdisciplinary collaboration, and systemic thinking. Through a practice-based experimentation on the virtualization of textile materials, the project investigates the role of design in enabling accessible, scalable, and collaborative processes. The focus is not on technological solutions alone, but on the design practices that mediate complexity and facilitate the adoption of immersive and digital tools across different stakeholders. Structured as an interconnected system rather than a linear workflow, the experimentation combines acquisition, interaction, and archiving of virtual materials to support sustainable, distributed design practices. The outcomes highlight the potential of anticipatory design approaches in activating new modes of interaction with materiality and in supporting the circular transition of Made in Italy industries. Ultimately, the study offers a methodological reflection on how designers can responsibly navigate digital complexity.