Emma Gall

Dissertation Project:

"Transition Design in Fashion and Textiles Manufacture"

The research is situated within the field of Transition Design (TD) and focuses on how designers,
among other stakeholders, can act as facilitators of systemic change in the UK Textile and
Fashion Manufacturing sector, with a particular emphasis on wool production. The aim is to
drive transformations towards new best practices, promoting sustainability in the European
Textile Industry through experimental and participatory forms of ethnographic enquiry. The
research will examine how participatory interventions are already being used within textile
manufacturing, how they are integrated, and what outcomes they have produced so far. It will
also explore how these existing practices can be built upon to inform broader transitions across
the sector.

Heritage provides a key focus, given the deep cultural and economic importance of textiles in the
UK. By engaging with cultural communities and heritage-based practices, the research will
consider how learning from traditional knowledge and skills can create meaningful change.

Supervisors: Dr Britta Kalkreuter & Prof Susan Krumdieck