Textile Futures Research Unit

The Textile Futures Research Group comprises of researchers from Chelsea College of Arts and Design, Central Saint Martins College of Arts and design, and the London College of Fashion

Textile design and production have played a pivotal role in economic, social, educational and cultural development worldwide. It is a key global industry. World changes in political power, economic balance and cultural values demand a reshaping of the design, production and uses of textiles, how we define them, and how we educate those who create and consume them whether scientists, technologists, engineers, designers or makers. This together with the velocity of scientific developments (in the digital, nano, material etc. domains) requires designers, makers and academics to develop new research relationships and methods to realise the potential of textiles? aesthetics, production, function, application and cultural capital.

The remit of the Centre will be to undertake a clearly focused range of textile related research that facilitates technology translation and convergence, improving the interface between science and design, the exploration of sustainability, the expansion of the textile product applications for, and the redefinition of cultural and aesthetic norms.

Using a variety of research methods and partnerships it will bring together staff working in different colleges of this University, other national and international academic, research and cultural institutions, industry and commerce. It will build on staff and student work in the areas of textiles, product, fashion, environment, architecture, medicine/wellbeing as well as history and theory. The research issues will feed back into current and future graduate and postgraduate programmes and through its activities and outputs (products, publications, patents, conferences etc) it will also provide a creative profile that constructively counterbalances the proliferation of technology driven textile research.

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Weblink:

• http://www.tfrg.org.uk/

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Textile Futures Salon and Launch Party, ICA, March 2007

The first in a series of seminars and workshops asked the question, "What is the Future For Textiles?". Fashion designer, Katherine Hamnett; founder of the Future Laboratory, Martin Raymond; architect, Ian Ritchie; textiles author and curator, Sarah E.Braddock Clarke; and interaction & textile designer, Rachel Wingfield presented cross-disciplinary work and compelling arguments about the currents within this field.

Textile Future Salon 2: What Future for eco-textiles?, ICA, October 2007

Session One: International Conversations

International Conversations introduces participants from the Textile Futures Research Group (TFRG) who are innovators in ecological and sustainable textiles globally. In discussion with some of the leading researchers and practitioners in TFRG, several influential guests in the field of Eco Fashion and Textile Design will unfold critical perspectives on the role of the designer. Conversations will be held between Mo Tomaney (TFRG) and Elaine Jones (Ethical and Fair Trade Consultant, UK), Rebecca Earley (TFRG) and Natalie Chanin (Alabama Chanin, USA), Carole Collet (TFRG) and Maja Kuzmanovic (founder of FOAM, Belgium) and Sandy Black (TFRG) with Christoph Bergmann (Clariant, Switzerland).

Session Two: Question Time

Question Time is formulated after the popular BBC programme, by the same name. This session will be chaired by Carole Collet and will feature six panelists: Clare Brass (Design Council, UK), Tamsin Blanchard (Telegraph Magazine), Lynda Grose (California College of Art, USA), Rebecca Earley (TFRG), Kate Goldsworthy (TFRG) and Kindley Walsh Lawlor (Gap, Inc.). Questions pertaining to the role of the designer in determining the future of eco fashion and textile design will be chosen from an audience of experts, students in the field, and the interested public. The panelists will engage with the questions and the audience may be asked to respond.

Speakers

Christoph Bergmann currently works as a Marketing Manager for the Apparel & Fashion segment of the Textiles division of Clariant, a global chemical products company, one of the leading suppliers of dyes and chemicals for textiles processing.

Sandy Black is Professor of Fashion & Textiles Design & Technology at the London College of Fashion, and Associate Director of the Textile Futures Research Group.

Tamsin Blanchard is a journalist who writes about fashion and design. She has always been interested in fashion and grew up making her own clothes, and shopping at Chelsea Girl, jumble sales and Liverpool's best vintage clothing shop, 69A.

Clare Brass ran a product design consultancy in Milan for 17 years, working with clients such as Alessi, Guzzini and TVS in the houseware and tableware sector.

Carole Collet is Associate Director of the Textile Futures Research Group. She is also Course Director for the MA Textile Futures course and a researcher at Central Saint Martins College.

Natalie "Alabama" Chanin creates projects that reflect a wide range of disciplines, from sustainable clothing and home furnishings to a limited edition jewelry line.

Rebecca Earley, Associate Director of the Textile Futures Research Group, is a Reader in Textile Environmental Design (TED) at Chelsea College of Art and Design.

Kate Goldsworthy designs multi-media textiles, from recycled materials, employing both hand-crafted and digital techniques. An interest in sustainable design and a desire to override pre-conceptions surrounding recycling, underpins her work and has encouraged an original response to choices of materials and processes.

Lynda Grose has been in the fashion industry for 25 years. For most of her career, she has been actively engaged in designing and researching socially and environmentally advanced clothing and textiles.

Elaine Jones is an independent consultant in Ethical and Fair Trade. She works together with Mo Tomaney as part of a two person team on a Commonwealth Secretariat supported project in developing market access with rural women textile producers in Pakistan.

Maja Kuzmanovic is a generalist interested in inciting small miracles in everyday life. She received her BA in Design Forecasting (HKU) in 1996 and MA in Interactive Multimedia (University of Portsmouth) in 1997.

Kindley Walsh Lawlor is the Senior Director of Gap Inc. for Social Responsibility. In her current role Kindley is responsible for the Strategic Planning team (public reporting, external stakeholder relationship management, etc) and the Environmental Affairs team (and their focus on energy, waste and sustainable design).

Mo Tomaney is currently a Research Fellow in Ethical Issues and Fair Trade at Central Saint Martins and runs the MA in Ethical Fashion at University College for the Creative Arts at Epsom.

Sponsored by GAP, Inc.