Technical Textiles Research Students

Ashleigh Naysmith

PhD

Supervisors: Dr Sohel Rana and Dr Naeem Mian

My passion is in the application of environmentally friendly materials, and the development and use of them in a sustainable manner. I am fascinated by behavioural science, design thinking within research and how this can add a new perspective to the way we create.

The focus of my research is the development of low-cost and environmentally friendly electronic textiles (e-textiles) for applications in thermoregulation.

In this project, we are optimising conductive nanomaterials to develop a functionalised e-textile with sensing and energy harvesting properties.

We are evaluating different plant fibres as the textile substrate and will be using application methods with low-environmental impact.

The aspiration is to develop an eco-friendly e-textile with a scalable method so that the thermoregulation technology can become more commonplace. The use of this technology can contribute to three core purposes:

• To increase sustainable behaviour in the general population
• To deliver comfort to those with hindered personal thermal management (e.g. dementia patients)
• To decrease the effects of fuel poverty

 

Twitter: @ashnaysmith

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ashleighnaysmith

Marwa Chaanbi

PhD

Supervisor: Prof Parik Goswami and Dr Andrew Hewitt

Fashion Sustainability and Ethics; The Unethical Practices in The Fashion Industries, Focused on Exploitative Labour in The Fashion Supply Chains.

Fashion industry has globalized into an international market in which fashion designers, clothing manufacturers, fashion merchandisers and retailers come together from all the corners of the world to create new styles and trends of clothes, shoes and accessories aimed to attract consumers of different ages and races, but “there is no beauty in the finest clothes if it makes hunger and unhappiness” says Mahtam Ghandi and here is a different angle for the ugly side of fashion that impact environmentalism and social responsibilities. The goal is to create a system which can support indefinitely in both concerned term environmentalism and social responsibilities. To dominate the high street fashion business, mass production, consumer demand the unethical practices is increasing each year. The research is based on collects, investigate then evaluate the operated problematic with the fashion industries from exploitative labour, environmental damages, the use of chemicals waste and animal cruelty. The focus is on exploitative labour in the fashion production lifecycle, labour of fashion industry is facing different crisis and most of the companies are not fulfilling the ethical practices along with a carless government, an investigation of this practices and alternative models. Various objective defined, to inspect the consequences of the exploitation of labour. To analysis the policies transparency & traceability, auditing & supplier relationships, work empowerment along with assessing the legal and political aspects within the fashion supply chains. To determine previous principle and metrics along with innovating new ones along with implementation to agree upon in order to condense and moderate the unethical practices and maintain a productive fashion supply chains within the ethical trading initiative(ETI) for worker’s right and for a prospect sustainable fashion business.

Stephanie De La Cruz Mercado

PhD

Supervisors: Prof Parik Goswami and Dr Andrew Hebden

My research project is centred around my country, Mexico and aims to address two main problems in Mexico; food waste and water pollution via textiles. By reframing the problem and embracing the limitations of natural dyes it is hoped that this work can improve textile sustainability both within Mexico and hopefully elsewhere in the longer term.