In this episode the “Theory” category is inaugurated. Professor Patrizia Calefato gives a perspective on the academic landscape regarding the textile-clothing sector. The "theory of fashion" is a rather recent discipline that was born in the Anglo-Saxon world and has found in Italy one of the greatest interpreters, because of tradition and culture. At the center of the current academic debate there are studies of the old colonies of Africa, the Far East and South America, unfortunately still deeply exploited. However, fashion theory with its potential for creativity and strong link with the world of art, as well as providing an interpretation of each society and the language it is intended to transmit, will always be a vital resource both for an academic point of view and for an economic-productive one.