Sustainable design
The core focus of this project was sustainability, and how we can integrate this into our practice as textile designers. In 2010, the TEDs Ten sustainable design strategies were devised by Rebecca Early and Kay Politowicz at UAL to provide some clarity around the complex subject of sustainability, and prompt more practical and achievable ways to design 'better'.
No. 6 : Design that takes models from nature and history
Looking into TEDs Ten sustainable design strategies, no.6 stood out in particular as there are so many processes within nature that showcase self-healing and repairing. Most often in the natural world when living organisms become damaged, they do not just give up and wait to die, as evolution has resulted in some of the most extraordinary mechanisms of repairing and regeneration to preserve and maintain life. The reptilia class of the animal kingdom is a notable example of this. It is common knowledge that many lizards are capable of growing their tails back should they get cut, or rather bitten off, yet research led me to discover the extent to which reptiles can repair themselves. Numerous species of reptiles can replace their scales, tails and other limbs (including young american alligators, as the largest known species to regenerate severed limbs), however, astonishingly the axolotl is able to regrow major organs including the spinal cord, eyes and even it's heart and parts of the brain.
Using colourful stitch-work inspired by sashiko, these whimsical collages promote the concept of rejoining, and repairing. These were also designed to inspire us to think more inventively about repairing textiles—as well as restoring function, how can we create visual interest or even alter the function, not just by mending but also by introducing other found/recycled materials?
After experimenting in mixed media, I produced a series of woven pieces using research into reptiles as visual inspiration as well as informing my colour palette. I chose to use silk in both the warp and weft due to the lustrous quality which reminded me of the smooth sheen of scales, in a selection of rich greens, blues and bright orange; the whole collection of samples were therefore mono-material, which is another way to practice sustainability by facilitating recycling as the fibres do not need to be separated. Using an extra warp and a point draft on both warps (irregular points on the turquoise warp), I explored patterns and formations seen in lizards as well as using colour and placement to introduce the concept of rejoining and the connecting of two different, contrasting elements.
The realisation of my research and experimentation led me to develop woven 'patches' that would be designed to use to repair holes in garments. The idea would be to produce the patches in a range of sizes and colour-ways (either bright, or more subtle/similar to garment colour such as denim blues). There would be two options for securing, either a small amount of thread and stitching instructions would be provided, or an eco-friendly adhesive interfacing which is comprised of natural materials and is biodegradable. (current source: offset warehouse)
