The Centre for Circular Design team focuses on using practice research approaches to originate, steer and support circular technologies, economies and communities around the globe.
Design has been an important element of the resource-intensive production and consumption systems of the 20th Century. It continues to play a significant role in the damaging impacts on natural systems and human populations throughout the textile supply chain. By bringing together academic and industry research CCD explores design for circular contexts with approaches ranging from emerging technology, systems design, materials, tools, user behaviour and social innovation. Design has a pivotal role to play in traditionally STEM contexts; bridging transdisciplinary barriers, offering a view beyond current practices and co-designing with stakeholders from around the value chain. We have seen the value in this approach through multiple successful collaborations during the course of our research.
The Centre brings together UAL research staff, PhD students, national and international academic researchers, cultural institutions, industry and commerce to create new connections to support people and planet.
Whilst the Centre for Circular Design was launched in 2017, the team’s research journey began in 1996 as the Textiles Environment Design (TED) cluster at Chelsea, and evolved through participation in the Textile Futures Research Centre (TFRC) with Central Saint Martins (2010-2017).
Projects
CCD are currently working on The Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT) Creative R&D Partnership which focuses on delivering knowledge transfer through a set of industry-led challenges. CCD researchers are working on a ‘Roadmap for Circular Synthetics’, ‘Future Manufacturing’ and a set of industry pilot projects delivered in residence with selected SME partners.
- Find our more about Circular Design previous projects
Members
Lead researchers
- Prof Rebecca Earley, Co-Director
- Dr Kate Goldsworthy, Co-Director
- Professor Kay Politowicz
Post-Doc researchers
- Dr Rosie Hornbuckle
- Dr Helen Paine
Internal associate researchers
- Bridget Harvey
- David Cross
- Dr Maiko Tsutsumi
External associate lecturers
- Professor Lucy Norris Phd, Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, Germany
- Dr Clara Vuletich, Consultant, Sydney, Australia
- Dr Marion Real, La Chaire BALI, France; FabLab Barcelona, Spain
- Phil Hadridge, iDenk Consultancy, Cambridge, UK
Support Staff
- Research Centre Administrator: Clare Lowther, c.lowther@arts.ac.uk
Current PhD Students
Laetitia Forst, CCW | Cathryn Hall, CCW | Emmeline Child, Northampton University | Loula Mercedes, CSM