Practice-led integration of fashion and e-textile design informed by costume archives

The College of Art and Design is developing an exciting strategy for the diffusion of its research into e-textiles, through closer integration with fashion (and textile) design, informed by historical costume archives. This PhD project builds on internationally recognized research excellence in e-textiles, fashion and smart textiles, established by the Advanced Textile (ATRG) and Digital Craft and Embodied Knowledge research groups, in partnership with the Nottingham Castle and City Galleries Costume and Textile Collections (based at Newstead Abbey), to inform the development of wearable technologies. The aim of the project is to synthesize research practice in fashion and e-textiles by researching historical garments to inform new wearable connections between technically functional, aesthetic garments/ accessories and the body.

The successful applicant will have an interest in historical and contemporary fashion (and textile) design and the ability to identify and select particular garments and/or accessories from the Newstead archive, to inform the conceptualization and fabrication of wearable garment prototypes. The applicant will be required to undertake historical and contemporary design research into costume design and construction techniques and supporting narratives linked to wearing practices from the past and present. Through analysis of historical objects selected from the archive, the researcher will identify spaces between and within the constructed layers and boundaries (seams, edges, details) of the costumes as potential new contexts for integrating technical functionality into future fashions. Many functional clothing details and partial garments have been designed out of the more streamlined fashionable silhouette, but provide a rich, untapped source of inspiration for smart fashion (and textile) researchers. Required skills include fashion (textile) design, pattern cutting, garment (textile) construction, and current knowledge of trends in e-textiles and wearables design. Digital crafting/ CAD skills and knowledge of basic programming and physical computing using common platforms such as Arduino, Processing, or Grasshopper would be advantageous.

Based on the archival research, the candidate will combine fashion design and e-textile approaches to generate concepts and create wearable garment-accessory prototypes, by considering the ergonomic and emotional experience of the wearer. Technically enhanced garment (and textile) functionality may be achieved through the strategic integration of electronic capability into products using fashion/ textile design and construction skills, such as stitch, knit and weave.

The project compliments ongoing research within the College into design for personalization (Internet of Soft Things) fashion and ageing (Emotional Fit) and wearables design informed by archives (Electric Corset and Other Future Histories) which support of the University’s strategy to enhance public Health and Wellbeing. The supervisory team are particularly keen that the candidate develop some form of participatory or collaborative design approach, and that the research advances the understanding of human-centred design for e-textile and wearable fashion systems.

This project is closely related to the PhD studentship being offered in the Human-Centred Interaction Design for e-Textiles and Modular Wearable Systems and the College is looking for candidates able to work closely together, sharing complementary technical and theoretical knowledge. It is possible that the outcomes of these doctoral programmes will result in the implementation of a series of collaboratively realised design outcomes, and candidates should be prepared to negotiate unfamiliar modes of authorship, and be able to identify their own research questions within shared practice. Both PhD candidates will be expected to take advantage of, and contribute to, the growing capacity for these themes at NTU by consulting with Research Fellows, Business Development Managers and Research Groups across the Colleges. Supervisory teams will be multidisciplinary to reflect these aims, and candidates will be encouraged to build alliances across disciplines and teams.

Entry Criteria
MA/MSc in Fashion, Smart Fashion/Textiles, Textile, Accessory Design, Interaction Design, Physical Computing, or similar; with a BA/BSc in a complementary subject as above, or in Games Design, Computer Systems and Programming, Product Design, Costume Design or the Social Sciences.