There it is, the first project of third year textiles, complete.

Researching the properties and benefits of a circular economy has opened my eyes to the positive societal impact we, as designers, can have by simply rethinking and redesigning. As a Textiles student, sustainability and ethics have always been of concern to me. However, this project provided me with an opportunity to fully dive into what it could mean to be zero/minimal waste and truly sustainable.

I was able to explore a technique that I had been wanting to try for a while: natural dyes. In line with the Circular Economy Design Guide, I extended the technique further by using my own food waste (with help from my flatmates, of course), products that otherwise were going into the bin i.e. never to be seen again.

In fitting with the Circular Economy concepts and project brief, my concept of a textile record sleeve can be taken apart and customised into other products such as a tote bag, cushion, or decoration on a jacket. This is a product designed to be transformed and shown off, not one to sit and collect dust in someone’s attic. Similarly, the hand dyed fabric and free-machine embroidery have a level of craftmanship to add value to the product – making the customer less likely to simply throw the product away.

Overall, I was able to design a product that not only fitted multiple of the concepts mentioned in the Circular Economy Design Guide but also one that interested me and fuelled my borderline obsession with music.

Thank you for reading my random ramblings. Stay tuned for more…maybe
– H

FEW THOUGHTS ON PROJECT 1 / Hope Holmes Textiles by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0