Design-ability in the Circular Economy of Textiles

This paper explores and discusses how and under what circumstances designers can give increased value to the resources with which they work. Specifically, we will focus on the resources available in a local, situated context, to better understand the connection between design and sustainability. Contributing to Theme 10, Materials and Longevity, the paper examines the extent to which the skills, competencies, and role of the designer has an actual impact on longevity, and what is required to unlock the potential currently constrained by structural and contextual barriers. The empirical insights presented in this paper derives from [Project X], in which a consortium of knowledge institutions and industry partners are identifying opportunity spaces for recovery of textiles, through material-led experiments with recycled textile fibers further processed in a local R&D factory set-up. The paper demonstrates that the challenges of recycling extend beyond design approaches and material experiments, also encompassing cultural perceptions and opportunity spaces available for designers. The paper concludes by highlighting how a variety of barriers hinder designers’ ability to propel longevity, particularly as they are currently positioned within business logics that are embedded in wider systemic structures that are born linear.