Associate Dean Enterprise and Innovation, Professor of Design and Innovation
University of Portsmouth
Associate Dean Enterprise and Innovation, Professor of Design and Innovation
University of Portsmouth
Talk: Design Thinking and Transdisciplinarity: Methods for Innovation
Joan is Professor of Design and Innovation, whose principle and co-investigator roles have included European and United Kingdom applied research-funded projects where research and development innovations include wellbeing for the body and the environment. In 2000 her PhD was one of the first in sustainable fashion textile global supply chain analysis, using cradle-to-cradle modelling of wool fibre production. Farrer has been College member, advisor, co-author and co-investigator for the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Innovate United Kingdom and INTERREG funded projects. She reviews and writes for various trade and academic publications and holds 5 international journal advisory board posts.
Farrer is a designer who has worked with global brands, Government and Non-Governmental Organisations for decades, this has informed her transdisciplinary research, which stems from deep practical commercial knowledge of the industrial retail sector, in fashion, textiles, fibre, materials, product design research and development and brand development. Her sustainable, 'smart' materials innovative research includes Art and Design collaborations with Physical and Biomedical science, Computing, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering.
Senior Contributor and Analysyt at WhichPLM
Talk: The Digital Transformation of Design
Ben served as Editorial Director at WhichPLM for about six years, before stepping back from that full-time role a couple of years ago and starting up a written content agency focused on fashion technology and other industries. Since then, Ben has stayed on as an advisor and analyst for WhichPLM: working behind the scenes putting together their print publications, and then in front of crowds around the world presenting the results of their analysis.
Assistant Professor at Cornell University, Principal Sabin Design Lab
Keynote: Matter Design Computation: Biosynthesis and New Paradigms of Making
Jenny E. Sabin is an architectural designer whose work is at the forefront of a new direction for 21st century architectural practice — one that investigates the intersections of architecture and science, and applies insights and theories from biology and mathematics to the design of material structures.
Sabin is the Arthur L. and Isabel B. Wiesenberger Associate Professor in the area of Design and Emerging Technologies and the newly appointed Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Architecture at Cornell University where she established a new advanced research degree in Architectural Science with concentration in Matter Design Computation. She is principal of Jenny Sabin Studio, an experimental architectural design studio based in Ithaca and Director of the Sabin Design Lab at Cornell AAP, a trans-disciplinary design research lab with specialization in computational design, data visualization and digital fabrication. In 2006, she co-founded the Sabin+Jones LabStudio, a hybrid research and design unit, together with biologist, Peter Lloyd Jones.
Sabin is also a founding member of the Nonlinear Systems Organization (NSO), a research group started by Cecil Balmond at PennDesign, where she was Senior Researcher and Director of Research. Sabin’s collaborative research including bioinspired adaptive materials and 3D geometric assemblies has been funded substantially by the National Science Foundation with applied projects commissioned by diverse clients including Nike Inc., Autodesk, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the American Philosophical Society Museum, the Museum of Craft and Design, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and the Exploratorium.
Sabin holds degrees in ceramics and interdisciplinary visual art from the University of Washington and a master of architecture from the University of Pennsylvania where she was awarded the AIA Henry Adams first prize medal and the Arthur Spayd Brooke gold medal for distinguished work in architectural design, 2005. Sabin was awarded a Pew Fellowship in the Arts 2010 and was named a USA Knight Fellow in Architecture, 1 of 50 artists and designers awarded nationally by US Artists. In 2014, she was awarded the prestigious Architectural League Prize for Young Architects and was named the 2015 national IVY Innovator in design. Recently, Architectural Record’s national Women in Architecture Awards selected her for the 2016 Innovator in design. She has exhibited nationally and internationally including in the acclaimed 9th ArchiLab titled Naturalizing Architecture at FRAC Centre, Orleans, France and most recently as part of Beauty, the 5th Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial. Currently, her work is on view in the exhibition, Imprimer Le Monde at the Centre Pompidou. Her work has been published extensively including in the NY Times, The Architectural Review, Azure, A+U, Metropolis, Mark Magazine, 306090, American Journal of Pathology, Science and Wired Magazine. She co-authored Meander, Variegating Architecture with Ferda Kolatan, 2010. Her book titled LabStudio: Design Research Between Architecture and Biology co-authored with Peter Lloyd Jones was published in July 2017. This year, Sabin won the internationally acclaimed MoMA & MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program with her submission, Lumen.
Senior Teaching Fellow
University of Leeds
Founders and Creative Directors
Rasa Weber
Technical Director
MMT
Freelance Trend Consultant,
Design Writer
Director of Studies for the Department of Design and Senior Lecturer
Manchester Metropolitan University
Retail and Consumer UK Manager
PTC
Research Associate and Master's Student
Manchester Metropolitan University
Senior Sales & Channel Development Manager
EFI Optitex
Editor - Industry Digitalisation
WTiN
Junior Consultant and Researcher
Prospex Institute
Designer: Specialist in Materials & Colour Trend Development
Páramo
CEO
Ecofoot
Director
Re-think Solutions
Lecturer
Bolton University
Design and Development Manager
Camira Fabrics
CEO
Flexciton
President and CEO
MTiX
VP Product and Marketing
Twine Solutions Ltd
Knowledge Transfer Manager - Advanced Materials for Functional Systems
Knowledge Transfer Network
Senior Academic Curriculum Consultant and Senior Lecturer
The University of Chichester and Northampton University
Associate Professor
Kent state University
Lecturer and Chairperson Fashion Design and Marketing
Kenyatta University
Assistant Professor and Associate Professor
Louisiana State University and Oregon State University
Research, Textile and Concept Design
NEFFA
Research Officer
PDR
Founder
Biomimicry UK
Senior Lecturer (Textile Technology)
Manchester Metropolitan University
Freelance Trend Consultant and Design Writer
Talk: Mindful Materials: trends in surfaces, textures and finishes - focusing on health and wellbeing
Sally Angharad Booth is a freelance trend consultant and design writer, with a Masters in Textiles from the University of Huddersfield. She is also a Senior Lecturer in BA Fashion at Leeds Beckett University. Having previously worked as a Colour Trend consultant at Global Color Research and as a Features Editor for MIX Magazine, she has a background in identifying and analysing design trends from concept to creation. She now works as a freelance consultant to brands and businesses, providing research into the latest design directions and developments through trend reports, presentations and editorial content. Sally also speaks at trade shows and events sharing insight into colour, materials and trend forecasting.
CEO Flexciton
Talk: Industry 4.0: How Artificial Intelligence can optimise Planning and Scheduling
Jamie is the CEO & Co-founder of Flexciton, a company which uses state-of-the-art A.I. technology to optimise planning and scheduling for manufacturers. Flexciton have case studies across Textiles, Food, Automotive and Semiconductor which show that their technology can achieve staggering performance benefits. Jamie is heavily involved in the development of the A.I. technology which builds on his background as a Mathematics and Statistics graduate from Oxford. He also leads client projects at Flexciton and has spent the last 5 years building and delivering industrial software
VP Product and Marketing at Twine Solutions Ltd
Talk: Innovation start from the basics
Yariv has over 15 years of experience in product management, marketing and business development roles of multi-disciplinary, high-tech products from both startups and global corporation. Yariv has held positions as Head of Product Management at Siemens (Solar energy); Senior Product Line Manager at Scodix (Digital printing); Product Marketing at Applied Materials (Semiconductors) B.Sc. in Electronic Engineering from HIT and MBA with major in Marketing from Bar-Ilan University
Twine is a technology start-up developing a proprietary and revolutionary digital thread dyeing system, and a digital dye to match colour application. Twine’s DST™ (Digital Selective Treatment) technology, enables thread dyeing on-demand and ready to use within seconds at the highest industry standards, in a unique, waterless, eco-friendly process. Twine Solutions represented Israel at the Global Cleantech Open Competition finals in Los Angeles in January 2018 and won first place competing in the Growth Track.
Founders and Creative Directors of Rasa Weber
Talk: Material Design Strategies: How to create narrative through material research?
In her works she creates a link between the creative industries, research and marketing. She works across the disciplines of interior design / product design / fashion. Her design concepts are driven by a strong narrative approach and innovative material research. As creative director she is currently developing 'Urban Terrazzo' as a new sustainable material-brand for architecture and design.
Technical Director at MMT
Talk: Towards systematic biometric textile: a case study in technology transfer from biology to man-made textiles
Veronika is a Reader in Material Technology and Design at LCF where she is developing novel biomimetic approaches to design and innovation within the textile industry that intersect biology, material engineering and textile design. Veronika is an LCF graduate who was awarded a PhD scholarship to study engineering design at Bath University. Her practice intersects academic and manufacturing sectors both within her role as Reader and as co-director of MMT Textiles Limited and inventor of INOTEK TM (an award winning biomimetic textile platform that draws on ambient moisture to trigger reversible mechanical changes in the fabric structure, typically for advanced moisture and insulation management).
Veronika is a bestselling author in industrial design and works extensively with private and public organizations on an international scale.
MMT holds the IP and patent right to an innovative new Textile technology inspired by the natural response of pinecones to humidity in the climate. INOTEK™ bi-component fibres are designed to react when exposed to elevated levels of relative humidity in a micro-climate. INOTEK™ fibres “close” when conditions in the micro-climate are damp & “open” when conditions are dry, known as “the pine cone effect”. INOTEK™ fibres are formed into INOTEK™ yarns and textiles utilising standard spinning, knitting and weaving production processes.
Winner, Innovator of the Year 2014, Future Textile Awards
Research, Textile and Concept Design at NEFFA
Talk: Why do we still make clothes that last for 40 years if we only wear them 1 or 2 years max?
After she completed Fashion Design at the Utrecht School of Arts (1999), Aniela Hoitink worked for various fashion companies (i.a. Tommy Hilfiger, Gaastra) gaining a wealth of experience in developing artworks and all-over patterns as well as in designing entire collections. She launched NEFFA in 2004, as a way to better express her creativeness and to give her the opportunity to turn her original ideas into surprising products and concepts. The name NEFFA means “net effe anders” in Dutch, wanting to do things just that bit differently. Aniela Hoitink believes that distinctiveness and individuality in people and materials are the elements that make the world an interesting place.
Aniela Hoitink is looking into changing material and production techniques, instead of changing human behaviour. She believes this is easier than changing our consumption behaviour, as this behaviour is older than our production techniques. Her solutions are on the crossover with technology and microbiology industries. She is re-thinking the Future of Fashion and develops personalised fashion and textile products based on newly developed material and production techniques. She also researches old materials, dying and production techniques to combine those with current technologies. Her aim is to develop future concepts for the ultimate sustainable wearable fashion based on personalisation. And with MycoTEX she creates the Fashion Company of the Future.
Aniela Hoitink helps companies, research institutes and universities with the integration of (bio) technology into textile prototypes and designs to make them more appealing for a specific target group or a wider audience. Her extensive background in the commercial fashion industry helps in translating (bio) technology onto the market. She is available for brainstorming, consultation, research, (material) development and prototyping.
She also initiates her own projects and gives inspiring presentations to a very diverse range of audiences from fashion to creative industries and science. Her work is featured in TV programs like Groen Licht, Een vandaag and NOS dag van de duurzaamheid, various magazines and websites such as Discovery, Dezeen, Huffington Post and Daily mail and printed publications like National Geographic, New scientist, Metro and Surface Design Journal.
MycoTEX is a 100% biodegradable material based on mycelium, the root of mushrooms. This fabric is not only 100% biodegradable, but can also serve as a breeding ground for other plants when you put it in the ground; mimicking our biological life cycle. Aniela started by combining mycelium with textiles, in order to create flexible composite products. This project is currently part of the WEARsustain project. MycoTEX has been part of the first batch of the accelerator program Plug and Play – Fashion for good for disrupting the fashion industry.
Retail and Consumer UK Manager at PTC
Talk: PTC and next generation of smart connectivity in textile manufacture
PTC helps Retailers around the world reinvent the way they design, manufacture, operate, and service things in and for a smart, connected world. In 1986 we revolutionized digital 3D design, and in 1998 were first to market with Internet-based product lifecycle management. Today, our leading industrial innovation platform and field-proven solutions enable you to unlock value at the convergence of the physical and digital worlds. With PTC, Retailers, Brands and manufacturers assisted by an ecosystem of partners and developers can capitalize on the promise of the Internet of Things and augmented reality technology today and drive the future of innovation.
Mark Lyness is responsible for delivering this vision to UK retailers and has been working in the UK marketplace for over 20 years delivering technology and solutions to many fashion companies, retailers and manufacturers.
CEO Ecofoot
Talk: Sustainability of the textile dyeing and finishing industry by micro/nano encapsulation of products and complexing of dyes with polymers
Jaime Rocha Gomes is a Professor at the Textile Department of University of Minho in Portugal. He graduated at Leeds University in Textile Chemistry in 1974 and took his MSc and then PhD in 1983, at the Colour Chemistry Department of Leeds University. He is an expert in Dyes and Dyeing of Textiles, microcapsules, nanoparticles and polymers for application on textiles.
He has 30 scientific papers, 40 proceedings in international conferences, 10 international patents. In Portugal, he has extensive collaboration with the textile industry, mainly through R&D projects with the textile industry in the field of dyeing and finishing. He was the founder of Micropolis in 2003, a spin-off company that used his patented technology of reactive microcapsules which has been mainly successful for PCM microcapsules, which now is part of Devan Chemical group of companies. He was founder of Ecoticket in 2008, a spin-off company that does R&D research in non-toxic insect repellent and antimicrobial products. After initiating research with nanoparticles at the university of Minho on nanopigments, which earned him the BES National Innovation Prize (Portugal) in 2011, and the category for the Green Tech also, he founded the spin-off company Ecofoot, in 2012, a company dedicated to sustainable solutions for dyeing and printing. After extensive research into dyes and pigments, it developed reactive nanopigments for cellulosic fibres, for more ecological processes for indigo dyeing and wearing out on denim, and for similar processes of wearing out with other colours also on denim and other textile materials, including knitwear. Recently, at Ecofoot, it has dedicated himself to products that complex with reactive dyes, protecting them from hydrolysis and leaving less hydrolysed dye to be removed at the end of the dyeing process, making the removal of the hydrolysed dye easier. It is now past the stage of a proof-of-concept, and commercialization has been initiated wit results in the order of 50% savings in water and energy and time The concept has also been proven in printing, with batch or continuous washing-off. In 2017 Ecofoot was invited by Fashion for Goods, an Association founded by C&A Foundation, as an example of a sustainable company with an innovative process for the dyeing and printing of cellulosic fibres.
Ecofoot was founded as a University spin-off in 2012, by members of a Textile Chemistry research group, with the goal of bringing H2COLOR technology to the market, focusing on a more ecological and sustainable textile industry. Ecofoot developed processes that use a lot less water and less energy and time than standard processes. Ecofoot participate in Fashion-for-Good events to promote more sustainable process for dyeing and printing. They are currently working within the Portuguese textile sector in collaboration with Mundo Têxtil, (largest towel company in Europe), and with TMG finishing and are currently moving into a new concept of digital printing.
Director Re-think Solutions
Talk: Rethinking Textiles for the Circular Economy
Re-think Solutions helps ‘make sense of sustainability’ for businesses, exploring risks and value opportunities. Catherine’s book, ‘A Circular Economy Handbook for Business and Supply Chains: Repair, Remake, Redesign, and Rethink’ that explores the drivers and benefits of the circular economy in detail, with wide-ranging examples for fashion, food, consumer and industrial products. The circular economy creates and captures new value for businesses, and adds extra dimensions to supply chains. In this presentation, Catherine will show how the circular economy helps organisations become more productive, resilient and competitive, and suggests easy ways that your organisation can get started.
Junior Consultant and Researcher at Prospex Institute
Talk: Joint effort: mobilising stakeholders and consumers in the collection of textile waste
Valérie Julie Boiten is a researcher and consultant at Prospex Institute (Belgium), where she runs stakeholder engagement processes in the H2020-funded project “Resyntex - A new circular economy concept”. Resyntex develops and demonstrates an industrial symbiosis between textile waste suppliers and the chemical, biotechnological and pulp & paper industries.
Valérie maps and analyses the textile waste chain and its key stakeholders. She brings them together in participatory workshops to collaboratively design a circular value chain for textile fibres. By gathering stakeholder and industry insights, Valérie supports the development of market-based strategies and smart business models for textile waste recycling. In doing so, she works closely with researchers Sara Li-Chou Han and Nicholas Hall from the Manchester Fashion Institute. Valérie also organises interactive Citizen Labs with young consumers across Europe, analysing consumer behaviour and citizen awareness on textile consumption and disposal.
Research Officer at PDR
Talk: Thinking beyond the product: how design methods can support the development of innovative business models
Katie is a Senior Research Officer and Head of Ecodesign Centre, Wales, a Welsh Government Centre of Excellence based within PDR, the International Centre for Product, Design and Research at Cardiff Metropolitan University. She has over ten years of experience in eco and sustainable design, research, education and practice.
A chemist by background, Katie entered the world of ecodesign through her interest in sustainable textile chemistry. She joined the University of Leeds in 2004 as a Lecturer in Textile Technology and as her passion for sustainable design began to emerge she became responsible for embedding sustainable design into the undergraduate curriculum. On leaving Leeds in 2011, she was employed by the University of Huddersfield on a three year project investigating sustainable supply chains for second-hand clothing.
Since joining Ecodesign Centre, Wales in 2014, Katie has worked with companies across a range of sectors within and beyond Wales helping to implement circular economy, resource efficiency and ecodesign initiatives. For example, she worked with leading contract furniture manufacturer Orangebox on the development of a refurbishment and manufacturing service, with ultra-efficient hydrogen fuelled vehicle company Riversimple to explore the feasibility of implementing a fully circular value network and develop performance metrics for the value network based on the 'Wellbeing of Future Generations' national indicators for Wales, and with hydrogen fuel cell producers Bramble Energy applying a user-centred design process to identify potential markets for their low-power, portable hydrogen fuel cell. Katie has also undertaken a number of cross-sectoral initiatives to promote ecodesign, eco-innovation and the circular economy. She has hosted ecodesign and eco-innovation interactive workshops and policy briefings on behalf of Welsh Government and, funded by EPSRC, undertaken design-led workshops with manufacturing SMEs to assess the barriers to the uptake of redistributed (including circular) business models and additive manufacturing technologies. She also advises organisations on the relationship between circular economy and critical raw materials and recently provided recommendations for the Welsh construction sector on evaluating the risks to their businesses arising from critical raw materials for the Welsh Government's construction delivery body, Constructing Excellence, Wales.
Katie sits on the steering group for Welsh Government's Interreg Europe project, CESME (Circular Economy for SMEs) and is a member of the European Network of Ecodesign Centres. She has published a number of academic papers on sustainability, ecodesign and circular economy and acts as a reviewer for a broad range of publications addressing sustainability themes including the Journal of Fashion Management and Marketing, The Journal of Sustainable Design, The Journal of the Textile Industry and the International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation.
Editor - Industry Digitalisation at WTiN
Talk: Turning disruption into innovation - uniting the supply chain
Tansy is Editor for the b2b print publications IoTex magazine, which focuses on the digitalisation of the textile value chain, and Digital Textile magazine, which reports on the digital textile print sector. Tansy also provides content for the online Effects channel and is responsible for developing multimedia content for wtin.com. In addition, Tansy acted as Desk Editor for the ITMA Asia Show Daily newspaper, India ITME newspaper, and the IndoIntertex newspapers in 2016. Tansy has a Master’s degree in Literature from the University of Leeds, UK.
Senior Sales & Channel Development Manager at EFI Optitex
Talk: From Design to Production: Digitizing the textile industry workflow
Jamie is leading the Sales and Channel Development of Optitex’s production solutions across Europe. Before joining EFI Optitex, he held channel development positions in engineering CAD/CAM markets across Asia, as well as direct sales for the fashion and apparel markets . He graduated with a degree in Product Design and Engineering from Brunel University London.
Optitex
EFI Optitex is the world’s leading provider of an integrated 2D/3D software platform that enables customers to quickly create true-to-life 3D digital garments. EFI Optitex empowers apparel and soft goods companies to revolutionize the way they develop, produce, and market their products. Brands, retailers, and manufacturers can now view their collections in all styles and colors months earlier, and leverage digital garments to collaborate, market, and sell better than ever before. Since its founding in 1988, EFI Optitex has worked to keep thousands of companies and tens of thousands of users at the forefront of technology, enabling them to greatly reduce their time to market and costs, and increase their competitive advantage.
Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Leeds
Talk: How to Programme a Textile: Biomimicry and the Design of Environmentally Responsive Knitted Fabrics
Jane is a UK based designer and academic whose work is located at the intersection of biomimicry, programmable materials, textile design and technology. As a knit specialist her research challenges the established understanding of smart materials; applying principles derived from plant biology to the development of programmable and environmentally responsive textile systems composed of natural and sustainable materials.
Jane is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the School of Design at The University of Leeds. She holds a PhD from The University of the Arts, London, and has recently taken up the role of visiting research fellow in Biomimetic Textiles at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Through teaching and design practice her work interrogates the transformational role of knitted fabrics as environmentally responsive architectures. In collaboration with her colleague Elizabeth Gaston, Jane has designed a series of site specific architectural installations including, most recently, Inflection (2017) in The Hall of Steel at The Royal Armouries.
Her work has been presented internationally at both conferences and exhibitions, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Make/Shift (Craft Council), the Microsoft Research Centre, and The London Design Festival. In 2016 she received the Autodesk ACADIA Emerging Research Award (projects category) for her work Programmable Knitting.
Founder
Talk: Nature as the New Normal
Richard has a background in real estate finance and development from Heriot-Watt University, where graduated top of the entire Faculty of the Built Environment and was awarded the prestigious Watt Club Medal for distinction in the final academic year, and one of the top 18 graduates from the entire university.
In addition, Richard holds a Masters in Urban Design (distinction) from the Leeds School of Architecture and recognised with design awards from both Gillespies and a national design award from the Urban Design Group. He has a focus on asset management, behavioural economics, design and water innovation that has seen him work with a large variety of industries around the globe. Richard doesn't work in one specific field but translates his skills from one sector to the next.
Richard has given talks and workshops around the world, from Milan Design Week to Montenegro and India. His work ranges from superyacht designers through to innovation in multi-national companies. This key links in all of this are behavioural change and system-thinking. Looking to nature for potential solutions is not possible without undertaking these crucial steps first.
Alongside his work in biomimicry, Richard is the CEO of a tech company focusing on equine health, Smart Stable Limited, and a design consultancy focusing on nature-based city innovation, Inspired by Nature. He lives in York with his growing family and enjoys running and trying to play basketball.
Lecturer in Textiles and Fashion at University of Bolton
Talk: Practice/Process/Place: A Study of the Walking Practices of Women and the Process of Narrative Cartography
Faye Power is a lecturer in Textiles and Surface Design at the University of Bolton. A love of pattern and the process of creating pattern through drawing, printmaking and stitch is at the heart of her work, which aims to celebrate the process of making over the production of an outcome or product. Having recently completing her Masters Faye is now undertaking her PhD which intends to explore the relationship between a process based creative practice and mental health, wellbeing and happiness.
Director of Studies for the Department of Design Manchester Metropolitan University
Talk: New Behaviours in Material Form
Dr Annie Shaw lives and works in Manchester and is Director of Studies for Design at Manchester School of Art and Design Research Hub Leader for Manchester School of Art Research Centre. The Design Department is one of the largest in the UK and encompasses programmes in Graphics, Fashion, Fashion Art Direction, Textiles, Interiors, Illustration and 3D design at both Undergraduate and Post Graduate levels.
Annie’s background is in Fashion. She studied at Nottingham Trent (BA (Hons) Fashion and MA Knitwear and Knitted fabric Design. This was followed by a period working as a menswear and knitwear designer for independent branded labels based the UK with the overseeing of production in Europe and the Far East.
She joined the academic staff at Manchester school of Art in 1991 and worked with students on BA (Hons) & MA Fashion, Textiles in Practice, Textile Design for Fashion and Fashion Art Direction. She holds several external examiner posts and has been involved with numerous course reviews and validations.
Annie’s has several research degree completions and is currently supervising a group of research students whose specialisms are Textiles/New Technology and Architecture.
Her PhD Crafting the Technological: Ganseys and Wholegarment© Knitting (2009) was concerned with the traditional fisher-wear seamless garments from the North Eastern seaboard of Britain and advanced seamless knitting technology.
Her research interests are focussed on Knitting, Seamlessness (broadly) and Archi-textiles. She is fascinated by the spaces we inhabit from garments to rooms and buildings and exploring them through materiality, form and scale. She has exhibited, presented and published on these subjects globally.
Annie is currently researching and making with architect Matt Ault and Textile Designer Mark Beecroft (AKA ‘The Knitterati’) who are exploring new fabrications for knitted structures at architectural scale.
Founder and CEO of MTiX
Talk: Multiplexed laser surface enhancement (MLSE®) technology for synthesis of novel material compositions and surface modification for a range of textile applications
Pravin Mistry is the Founder, President and CEO of MTIX Limited. Since establishing the company in 2006, Pravin Mistry brought MLSE® technology to the textile world, revolutionizing the creation of technical textiles. Mistry developed Multiplexed Laser Surface Enhancement (MLSE®), as President of QQC, Inc. His discoveries revolutionized diamond synthesis technology, combining UV and infrared lasers to synthesize diamond coatings on metals, polymers and other substrates. Pravin Mistry’s career also includes 23 previous years in the packaging industry, where he developed and introduced advanced engineering ceramics and novel coatings for the packaging industry. Pravin’s innovations and accomplishments have resulted in numerous worldwide patents for advanced materials, products and processes. Pravin’s other interests include historical metallurgy, music and media.
Senior Lecturer (Textile Technology) at Manchester Metropolitan University
Talk: Bacterial Cellulose: A New Material for Millinery
Jane Wood is a senior lecturer and PhD student at the Manchester Metropolitan University. After 20 years in the textile and garment industry in a variety of technical roles (including roles overseas), Jane joined MMU to teach textile technology across taught undergraduate and post graduate research programmes, specialising in smart fabrics and wearable electronics.
Jane’s PhD research focusses on bacterial cellulose and it uses as a technical textile. Beyond her PhD studies, she is also interested in the role of bacterial cellulose as a sustainable textile and its impact on the garment industry.
Knowledge Transfer Manager - Advanced Materials for Functional Systems at Knowledge Transfer Network
Talk: Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN): Funding for Innovation
Brian has responsibility for advanced materials, textiles, packaging and consumer goods at KTN. He holds Fellowships of the Royal Society of Biology, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and of the Textile Institute. He has edited book titles on textile hygiene and disease control and on polymer protective technical textiles and has over 70 scientific publications. He has extensive R&D experience in the Textile Industry; working with commercial organisations and government departments, as well as at Heriot-Watt University and the university of Manchester (Senior Research Fellow). He served as Director of TechniTex Faraday and began his career as Group Manager – Science at WIRA (Leeds, UK).
Lecturer and Chairperson Fashion Design and Marketing at Kenyatta University
Talk: Deconstructing Inscriptions in the Lesso as a Heritage Item of Wear for Kenyan People
Mercy Wanduara has a training and career background in clothing, textiles and education. Her educational career started with B.Ed in home economics from Kenyatta University, followed by an MSc in textile materials from China Textile University and a PhD in fashion merchandising from the University of Huddersfield. Mercy has worked for over 15 years as a teacher, lecturer, curriculum developer and researcher at various levels of the Kenya educational system, from high school, diploma technical teachers' college and currently at the university. Mercy is a lecturer for both undergraduate and postgraduate students and the current chairperson of the department on fashion design and marketing of Kenyatta University, Kenya. Her research interests centre on micro and small businesses, textile crafts and indeginous textiles.
Research Associate and Master's Student at Manchester Metropolitan University
Talk: Avatar Morphing for Virtual Fashion Prototyping
Dr Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem is a Fellow of the Textile Institute [CText FTI ] and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy England. He is CSC (Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK) alumnus and a DAAD (German Academic Exchange) fellow.
He obtained his PhD on Fashion Technology from the University of Manchester in 2012. He gained a MSc. in Textile and Clothing Engineering from the Dresden University of Technology in Germany. His first degree, obtained in 1999, was in Textiles from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh.
His present role at the Manchester Fashion Institute (MFI) includes: conducting research works; teaching at undergraduate (BA Fashion Courses) and postgraduate (MA Fashion Innovation) courses; supervising UG and PG research projects including PhD projects; contributing to the RKE (research and knowledge exchange) projects with industry partners; mentoring MFI academic staff (2 lecturers and 2 senior lectures); and representing MFI at the faculty research ethics and governance committee (FERGC).
Before joining MMU, he worked as an Associate Professor in the textile department and as the Head of the Centre of Scientific Research and Innovation (CSRI) of the Southeast University Bangladesh. He led the textile department of the World University of Bangladesh as the Head of the department from October 2012 to February 2014. He worked as an Assistant Professor in the textile department of the Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology from 2006 to 2012.
At present, he is simultaneously working in one independent research project and three joint research projects. His ongoing works focus on body-scanning, virtual clothing prototyping and functional textiles and textile based engineered design materials. He is a member of two cross-faculty research groups (sport engineering and wearable technology) at MMU.
Jenipriya Sebastian comes from Tamilnadu, India. She obtained a first class BSc. Degree in Apparel and Fashion Design (2014-2017) from PSG College of Technology. Currently she is a master student in the MA Fashion Innovation programme at the Manchester Fashion Institute (MFI), Manchester Metropolitan University.
Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at Louisiana State University and Oregon State University
Talk: Materials in the craft design process: Two theoretical models
Casey Stannard is an assistant professor in the Department of Textiles, Apparel Design, and Merchandising at Louisiana State University. She earned her PhD at Oregon State University in apparel design. Her research interests include: craft in postmodern society, design theory, locally grown fiber, and wearable art.
Kathy Mullet is an associate professor in the College of Business at Oregon State University, Corvallis, Orgeon. She teaches apparel design courses including: flat pattern, draping, grading and collection development. Her major research areas include understanding design processes, design theory and specialised product design.
Senior Academic Curriculum Consultant and Senior Lecturer Fashion Marketing at The University of Chichester and Northampton University
Talk: PLM second life and more: PLM in Fashion Education and the UK Market
Dorota is an established Fashion practitioner, Author and Academic Manager with over 25 years experience, notably Head of Fashion & Textiles at The University of East London and Subject Leader Fashion at Ravensbourne. Her career has included working for Chelsea Girl, RiverIsland, Warehouse, Nasty Clothing, Lectra Systems, and freelance work for suppliers and department stores as well as dance costumes.
An experienced External Examiner and Chief Award Board Examiner extensive validation experience and academic review experience in the UK and Internationally. She has presented at conferences both nationally and internationally, Beijing, North Carolina, New Delhi and Tokyo.
Research areas include “Political influences: the Polish Diaspora Post WWII – Fashion in Exile”and ‘skills for employability for fashion/ textiles students within an International context’.
Iain has an extensive background in photography, advertising, fashion promotion and fashion marketing. Currently Iain’s teaching includes delivery of fashion marketing modules on UG and PG courses.
Iain ran the successful Fashion Promotion course at Ravensbourne, where he combined creativity and business theories into his teaching. Currently Iain is the external examiner the promotion course at Norwich University.
His industrial experience includes fashion photography, events management and editorial work. His work has been purchased by the National Portrait Gallery.
Research interests include the promotion of sustainable and ethical fashion. Other key interests include selling fashion to the global consumer and fashion targeted at the third age.
Associate Professor at Kent State University
Talk: US Knit Education: How can we catch up?
Linda grew up in Orebro, Sweden and has worked with textiles since a young age. She had her first solo exhibition right after graduating college with a B.Ed. from Uppsala University in Sweden. Since then Linda has earned an MFA in Fashion Design from University of North Texas and the title of Professor at the Fashion School at Kent State University where she is the faculty director of the TechStyleLAB and teaches design and knitting. She is eagerly looking for new challenges in design, patternmaking, construction and knit technology. Linda’s design work has been shown in solo exhibitions and juried exhibitions around the world and has received national and international awards.
Designer: Specialist in Materials & Colour Trend Development at Páramo
Talk: 2020 Vision - Páramo's Journey towards Circularity
Esther studied BSc in Biological Imaging at University of Derby, where she created a fashion collection of environmentally-considered biomimetic garments, together with a photographic exhibition of the ecology behind the label. During this time, she was commissioned to undertake some electron microscopy of performance fabrics - and was hooked. She went on to work in practical conservation work and environmental education, all the while continuing to design sustainable fashion.
One day at work earning the nickname ‘poly-ester the yogurt weaver’ sparked the realisation that sustainable clothing was the direction for the future, prompting her back to study MA Performance Sportswear Design at University of Derby and, while there, to create the ‘Wild’ collection - a range of environmentally-friendly performance clothing for outdoor photographers. From there, Esther went to work for Páramo.
Páramo is known for producing the most breathable, directional waterproof outdoor apparel out there, using the biomimetic Nikwax Analogy waterproof fabric system treated with renewable Nikwax waterproofing.
Founded by Nick Brown, Páramo aims to be Europe’s most sustainable performance outdoor brand with garments that enhance the wildest adventures, offering a lifetime guarantee, repair service, and a recycling programme that pays customers to recycle their old gear. Garments in the recycling programme may be renewed or repaired for new owners and more adventures, or collected for chemical recycling, to become new raw polyester monomers of the highest quality.
Páramo was the first outdoor company to sign up to the Greenpeace Detox commitment, and has eliminated PFCs (Perfluorinated chemicals) from their entire range since 2016.
For over 25 years, Páramo has worked with an ethical partner factory in Colombia, which helps at risk women learn the sewing trade, empowering them and providing practical support for them and their families. Always run on ethical principles, the Miquelina Foundation achieved Fair Trade status and full membership of WFTO in January 2017.
Within Páramo’s design team, Esther specialises on the aspects of colour, sustainable design and materials development, working collaboratively to forge new sustainable performance materials from waste. Adopting a cradle to cradle approach, the focus is on creating both performance and longevity, and ultimately to achieve closed loop recycling or biodegradability without trace, with a view to complete circularity of materials by 2025.
Esther’s research interests can be found “wherever garment design & ecology collide”, in sustainable fashion design, microfibres, biomimetics, biopolymers and technology for ecology.
Design and Development Manager at Camira Fabrics
Talk: Making a Material Difference
I have been with Camira Fabrics for 23 years and have worked in a number of different design disciplines throughout that time, including managing the Contract Design team for 10 years.
I’ve been lucky enough to travel worldwide visiting customers, exhibitions and seminars to gain a global overview about the direction in which commercial interior markets are heading. My team carries out extensive research, tracking trends in fashion, interiors, colour, science, technology, popular culture, demographics and sustainable practices to build a comprehensive picture of key trend directions which inspire Camira’s design and development work to create our extensive portfolio of sustainable fabrics. I have delivered papers at UK, US and European industry events about colour trends in textiles.
I love travelling, but home is definitely where the heart is and to relax I enjoy spending time in nature with my two rescue dogs, restoring classic vehicles with my husband and making sterling silver jewellery.
