MA Design (Textiles)

MA Design (Textiles) immerses you in the research, application and production of textiles within the fashion design, interior design and craft industries. You will have the opportunity to focus on either structured or printed textiles, including both traditional techniques as well as emerging techniques using bio-based materials, non-extractive methods and digital 3D printing technologies.

The course builds upon your existing study or industry experience to teach you a research-led, studio-based investigation of the current production methods and creative approaches to the art and science of textiles, equipping you with the historical and practical knowledge to work within a creative sector that interfaces with a large variety of contemporary industries. Whether you are a small-scale studio designer or have the ambition to disrupt the existing textile industries through the development of innovative manufacturing protocols or material processes, the course curriculum will encourage you to uncover your personal objectives, and allow you to tailor your research within a broad range of options.

Working within the context of a rich programme of visiting specialists and local and international entrepreneurs, you will gain critical understanding of how contemporary textile design and manufacture are bridging ancient techniques and emerging technologies to create novel cross-disciplinary careers. The challenge for textile designers to find more sustainable solutions to textile waste and toxicity toward an ethos of a more a circular and ethical design process, is supported through your access to the university’s Natural Dye Lab and Biomaterials Lab, which offer an opportunity to develop new skills and understanding of the structure, chemistry and fabrication of textiles. You will be encouraged to develop original expertise and thorough knowledge of the fibre behaviour and to explore the design potential of a range of textile materials, from industry standard to planet-conscious alternatives that are equally beautiful.

Your MA study of textile design will benefit from the opportunity to participate in the university’s Making Futures Research Group (MFRG), which examines how traditional cultures of making might exist in future contexts through the use of emerging practices, materials and technologies. The MFRG is a coalition of postgraduate students and academic faculty linked to Making Futures®, our international research platform which seeks to situate material cultures and material knowledge at the centre of the many critical issues facing global consumer society, including how we might move beyond mass consumption towards an inclusive, regenerative economy capable of supporting social well-being and enabling more resilient communities.

Through the course you will have access to wide range a state of the art facilities and resources to develop your work, including our Materials Lab, Sew Lab, Embroidery Studio, Tufting Studio, Knitting Machines, CAD Lab, and FabLab, which was the first of its kind in the UK and now part of a network of over 2700 Fab Labs around the world.

We are committed to developing ethical, sustainable design practices as outlined in our Strategic Vision and this ethos is embedded in all MA courses.