S02 Episode 101 | BECKY EARLEY + CIRCULAR DESIGN
In episode 101, Kestrel welcomes trailblazing print textile designer Becky Earley to the show. A designer, researcher, educator and facilitator for circular textiles, Becky is also a key part of the research consortium work for Mistra Future Fashion, as well as the UE Horizon 2020 project Trash2Cash.
"The job and role of the designer is changing radically - you're not just bringing a product to the shop floor anymore - you have to know so much more now about what will happen next."
-Becky Earley, Circular Design Expert
CIRCULAR DESIGN
In this episode, Becky takes us back to some of the history and evolution of her work, including her early "upcycling" projects before the word had even been established. She highlights how she believes the designer plays a unique role moving into the future and how circular design concepts are part of that shift.
Additionally, Becky shares thoughts on how moving forward, she anticipates that the user will have more control and knowledge around the speed of the things in their wardrobe. So, not only will brands ask people to bring things back to the store when they're sick of them, but products will actually be created to move at different speeds in your wardrobe. As Becky says, there will be a need for fast and slow fashion.
The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat:
TED (Textiles, Environment, Design): group at Chelsea University that became the origins of what is now considered, the Centre for Circular Design
Centre For Circular Design, website coming soon
Trash2Cash, the EU Horizon 2020 project
Mistra Future Fashion, research for systemic change in fashion
Filippa K, a brand that Becky is working on a project for through Mistra Future Fashion
Textile Toolbox, TED’s web platform project for MISTRA Future Fashion
Dutch Design Week, where Becky's team for Trash2Cash will be presenting their final prototypes
Innovations in recycling waste paper into new cellulosic fiber at Aalto University in Finland
Suggested Read From The Show Intro
Click through to read the full article.
“Are we complicit in the shift away from fashion as a craft towards fashion as a commercial entity? Do our desires for the patina of style, for convenience, and immediacy contribute to a system that pressures designers away from the time-honored process of slow creation that stitches in meaning, to the speedy splash of a logo, that spells it out for all to see?”
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