Design Thinking for Textiles: let’s make it meaningful

Abstract

The values underpinning the global textile industry are continuing to transform because of globalisation, sustainability and technological progress. This is enabled by the changes within the discipline of design itself, through the impact of design thinking on business management and leadership (Cooper et al, 2015), a move towards co-creation rather than individual authorship (Sanders, 2013; Sanders and Stappers, 2014), smart technologies (Taylor and Robertson, 2014), and greater attention to how we meet today's social needs through design (Thackera, 2013; Manzini, 2015). This paper is concerned with the impact of transformation upon the role of the textile designer and design educator. Discussion draws on recent design research in Smart Textiles, E-Co Textiles and the sustainability agenda, future craft and designer's thinking, revealing a set of values underpinning the contemporary craft of textile design, facilitating a conversation as to how they relate to the active concept of authenticity.

How fashion can achieve sustainable development through a circular economy and stakeholder engagement: A systematic literature review

“…• Reducing fabric waste with more efficient cutting patterns 18 (19.1%) Al Faruque et al, 2019;Bloomfield & Borstrock, 2018;Earley, 2017;Fraga et al, 2018;Haslinger et al, 2019;Holtström et al, 2019;Hussain, 2018;Khan & Rundle-Thiele, 2019;Koszewska, 2018;Moorhouse & Moorhouse, 2017;Pal et al, 2019;Pessôa et al, 2019;Raebild & Bang, 2017;Smith et al, 2017;Todeschini et al, 2017;Tunn et al, 2019;Valentine et al, 2017 Total 94 (100%)…”

“…In "internal barriers," only one cluster management barrier (14, 12.8%) was identified. In the management barriers cluster, lack of transparency for managing material circularity, management's decisions that prioritize profit growth over sustainability, management's lack of power to influence other fashion stakeholders to participate in their CF missions, and the decentralization of fashion designers in Bloomfield & Borstrock, 2018;Bocken et al, 2017;Bukhari et al, 2018;Cattermole, 2018;Daddi et al, 2019;do Amaral et al, 2018;Franco, 2017;Holtström et al, 2019;Hussain, 2018;Karell & Niinimäki, 2019;Kjaer et al, 2019;Koszewska, 2018;Leal Filho et al, 2019;Norris, 2019b;Pal et al, 2019;Peirson-Smith & Evans, 2017;Piribauer & Bartl, 2019;Popescu, 2018;Sandvik & Stubbs, 2019;Singh et al, 2019;Smith et al, 2017;Valentine et al, 2017;Weber...…”

“…• More attractive alternatives exist than CE offerings in terms of product value and/or profitability 23 (21.1%) Bocken et al, 2017;Bukhari et al, 2018;Camacho-Otero et al, 2019;Diddi & Yan, 2019;Fischer & Pascucci, 2017;Franco, 2017;Holtström et al, 2019;Hussain, 2018;Hvass & Pedersen, 2019;Kjaer et al, 2019;Leal Filho et al, 2019;Moorhouse & Moorhouse, 2017;Norris, 2019a;Norris, 2019b;Pal et al, 2019;Sandvik & Stubbs, 2019;Singh et al, 2019;Stål & Corvellec, 2018;Valentine et al, 2017;Vehmas et al, 2018;Wanassi et al, 2018;Weber, 2019 Knowledge barriers Lack of knowledge and awareness about the concept and principles of CE from both internal and external fashion stakeholders, and a lack of skills and know-how in exercising CE in business, were mentioned as another key challenges for creating CF…”

The Cross-section of a Multi-disciplinary Project in View of Smart Textile Design Practice

“…Increasingly, however textile designers are undertaking research into technical areas with creative intentions, utilising artistic modes of inquiry (Cassim et al 2017;Morgan 2017;Paine et al 2017), exploiting scientific research for artistic intentions (Mat-thews and Nimkulrat 2017), or challenging the perception of technical and functional research in textiles to be conducted solely within the domain of scientific methodologies and engineering practice (Glazzard 2014). The boundaries of creative practice within the discipline of tex-tiles, are also being exploited as a value bought through collaborative practice (Valentine, Ballie, Bletcher, Robertson and Stevenson 2017), e.g. Walker and Piper (2017).…”

Hand Puppet as Means for eTextile Synthesis

“…The textile design process and the role of textile designer have been evolving throughout recent years. Traditionally, the textile design process has been a lone journey with a focus on mastering a singular methodology, but recently that approach has been broadened by new technologies, sustainability agenda and participatory practices [16]. In the field of smart textiles, the recent advances have resulted in creating fabrics with computational, sensorial and actuating properties (for an overview see [2,14]).…”