Fashion and Textiles research

Working across three interconnecting research groups and drawing on an array of creative, technical and theoretical expertise, researchers within the Fashion and Textile Research Centre generate new understandings of past, present and future fashion and textile systems.

• The Cultures & Heritage group studies the values, meanings and associations carried by fashion and textiles in the past and the present, as well as the senses and media we use to engage with them. The group addresses the significance of specific fashion objects, aesthetics, behaviours, education and industries as well as broader forms of inclusion, exclusion, distinction, consumption and making, generating knowledge that informs personal, local, regional and global identities and the development of more sustainable ways of life. Through archives – including NTU’s own Lace Archive and FashionMap – researchers in this group develop a critical relationship with our heritage, exploring how design, education, and industry inform and create vital insights for the future.

• The Sustainable Transitions group investigates diverse pathways toward sustainable fashion and textile systems, from industry-facing initiatives to practice-based design research and speculative explorations. Researchers in this group are driven by an awareness of the social and environmental impacts of the fashion and textile industry and the urgency of the climate and ecological emergency. They work in collaboration with manufacturers, retailers and brands, with academic partners, and with communities in local and global settings. Across varied lines of enquiry, the group creates opportunities to foster meaningful real-world change.

• The Advanced Textiles Research Group (ATRG) undertakes world-leading research in advanced textiles, with activities spanning textile technology, flexural composites, electronic textiles, electronic yarns, material engineering, sustainable textiles and smart composites. Their cutting-edge work spans a number of sectors, including fashion, medical, sports, defence and communication applications, and has generated several patents and commercial products. The group works with consideration for human wellbeing and sustainability, addressing pressing issues through technical ingenuity and design-led exploration.

The Impact Case Studies related to this Subject Area include:

• Using Ethnography to Improve the Lives of Textile Artisan Communities in Rural India and Sustain South Asian Intangible Cultural Heritage
• Using Advanced Textiles to Enhance UK-based Technology and Manufacturing Capability in the US Dominated Space Satellite Telecommunication Industry