No Ordinary Cloth: Intersection of textiles, emerging technology, craft and sustainability

Join us on this episode of No Ordinary Cloth as we welcome Madison Maxey, the visionary founder and CEO of Loomia, a pioneering company in e-textiles. Host Mili Tharakan sits down with Maddy to explore her incredible journey from fashion design at Parsons to creating cutting-edge, soft and flexible electronics that are now making way into the automotive and robotics industries.

In this episode, Maddy shares her story of resilience, innovation, and the highs and lows of building a business in a challenging industry. Loomia’s breakthrough LEL (Loomia Electronic Layer) technology is helping redefine how we think about integrating electronics with textiles for better electro-mechanical properties but the road hasn’t been easy. With limited funding and market interest in e-textiles, Maddy has successfully built a revenue-generating e-textile startup.

For many listeners working in emerging textile technologies, this conversation will resonate deeply. As you work to find that elusive product-market fit, early adopters, and the right market, Maddy’s insights offer a beacon of hope and practical strategies for navigating this complex journey.

We dive into the real challenges of turning prototypes into products, and Maddy highlights the role of perseverance and customer obsession in creating a successful business. She also shares career advice for aspiring e-textilers and her vision for the future of this rapidly evolving field. Discover the fascinating intersections of textile, electronics and engineering — and gain invaluable insights on what it takes to make an impact in e-textiles.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation packed with insights, strategies, mindsets for textile entrepreneurs.

Loomia:   Website   I   Samples   I   Linkedin

Mili Tharakan:   Linkedin   I   Instagram   I   Buy me a coffee

Contact me: No Ordinary Cloth

Recommended listening:

Ep 9. Disobebient Fabrics: A Journey in Smart Textiles with Linda Worbin

Ep 3. Knitting Mathematics and Musical Textiles with Sophie Skach

Ep 1. Light and Lace with Sara Robertson

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth, I sit down with Nina and Amanda, the brilliant minds behind the Future Fabrics Expo, to dive deep into how they’re revolutionising the textile and fashion industries through an expo that drives sustainability and innovation. The Future Fabrics Expo has become a key platform in the industry, showcasing thousands of sustainable materials and driving discussions around environmental responsibility, circularity, and collaboration across disciplines to drive the change we want to see in the Fashion and Textile industry.

We explore the growing need for materials that have a positive impact on both the planet and the people working in the supply chain, and discuss how interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to scaling these innovations. Additionally, we take a hard look at the issue of overproduction and how brands need to rethink their business models to prioritise circularity and reduce waste.

Whether you’re a designer, innovator, or sustainability advocate, this episode is packed with insights about the future of sustainable fabrics and why the Future Fabrics Expo is a must-attend event for anyone in the fashion, textile, home and interiors industry.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Future Fabrics Expo is not just about showcasing eco-friendly materials—it’s about finding materials that have a net-positive impact on the environment and communities.
2. Cross-industry collaboration is vital for the future of fashion. Partnerships between designers, scientists, and manufacturers are driving textile innovations forward.
3. The fashion industry must address overproduction and overconsumption by adopting circular business models and focusing on sustainable growth.

Highlights:

• The origins of the Future Fabrics Expo and how it grew into one of the most anticipated events in the sustainable fashion calendar.
• Why materials with regenerative qualities are crucial for the future of the textile industry.
• The role of collaboration between fashion designers, material scientists, and sustainability experts in creating scalable solutions.
• The challenges and opportunities that come with shifting toward more sustainable practices in fashion, including circularity and on-demand manufacturing.
• A preview of what to expect at the Future Fabrics Expo in New York, happening on November 19th and 20th, 2024.
• Hear from attendees and exhibitors about their experience at the Future Fabrics Expo London 2024

Join me on my journey to craft the future of this podcast. I would love to hear your feedback and ideas for the podcast. Get in touch with me here: Contact me 

The Sustainable Angle:  Website   I   Linkedin   I   Instagram

Future Fabrics Expo NYC Edition, November 19 - 20th, 2024. Register here

Seminar Series 2024: Listen here

No Ordinary Cloth:   Website   I   Linkedin   I   Instagram   I   Buy me a coffee

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

In this episode of the 'No Ordinary Cloth Podcast', we have Brett Cotten, co-founder of Arda Biomaterials, in discussion about their innovative leather alternative, New Grain made from the spent grain waste from breweries. Brett shares the establishment journey of Arda, from its founding in 2022, its recognition among Forbes 30 Under 30 and H&M's Global Change Award, to entering the competitive market with a sustainable solution.

He elaborates on his motivations for starting Arda, his educational background, and the concept of turning pain points into purposes, as described in his book 'Gene Trepeneur'.

The conversation extends to the complex challenges faced in the traditional leather industry, the innovative process behind New Grain, collaborative efforts with breweries, and insights from various accelerator programs.

Key highlights include:

1. Turning a pain point into purpose and highlights from his book Gene-trepreneur
2. The animal and plastic leather industry’s impact on the environment
3. New grain technology and process to turn spent grain into bio-leather
4. Challenges of material durability, scaling production of biomaterials, and the promising future of biomaterials in replacing conventional leather and beyond
5. Investor relations and challenges
6. Arda’s future material roadmap

Grab a cold beer, or your favourite drink, and get comfortable to learn all about taking waste from the craft beer industry and making it into gorgeous leather.

This is the third in a series of 6 episodes in collaboration with Fashion District, who are creating a hub for fashion innovation in east London. They connect fashion, technology, business and education to provide an ecosystem of support for fashion and textile startups that includes innovation networks, affordable space, business support and investment.

Accelerator resources: Entrepreneur First    I   Tech Nation   I   Carbon13   I   Creative Destruction Lab

Connect with Arda Biomaterials: Website   I   Linkedin   I   Instagram 

Book: Gene-treprenuer: Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Mindset in STEM to Impact Sutainaibility 

Connect with Fashion District: Website   I   Instagram

Connect with Mili Tharakan: Website   I   Linkedin   I   Instagram   I   Buy me a coffee

Email: [email protected]

Podcast survey

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, we chat with David Prior Hope (CTO) and Idan Gal-Shohet (CEO), founders of Fibe, a pioneering company converting potato harvest waste into sustainable cotton-like textile fibres. 

Fibe was born out of  a final year Masters project at Imperial College, London, aiming to turn agricultural waste into usable materials. Their innovative approach focuses on creating fibres from potato stems, which mimic cotton's feel and function while being more sustainable and cost-effective. 

Here, they share about collaborating with agricultural institutes and industry giants like Grimme and McCain, to build a promising startup in just two years that has secured funding from the likes of Patagonia’s Tin Shed Ventures, emphasising their impactful vision to develop a solution that can truly impact the textile industry. They enthusiastically share about their feedstock agnostic technology and the power of storytelling in building a startup.

It wasn't an easy journey, they reflect on their early days working out of a shipping container and how thrilled they were to get just GBP3000 to get their university project off the ground.

The conversation is inspiring and reflects their ambitions for the company to scale up by 2027, and integrate their fibres into existing textile manufacturing processes seamlessly. David and Idan encourage brands and stakeholders to support early-stage innovations, highlighting the transformative potential of such collaborations. 

Listen to them share about how they overcame challenges faced in finding funding to continue their R&D and scale their technology, their partnerships with potato farmers and fashion brands, the secret powers of being a student and how they manage a work-life balance while building an early stage startup.

Fibe is the winner of the Fashion District Manufacturing Futures Award for Innovation in 2024.

Get ready to gain a whole new level of respect for potatoes after this episode!

This is the second in a series of 6 episodes in collaboration with Fashion District, who are creating a hub for fashion innovation in east London. They connect fashion, technology, business and education to provide an ecosystem of support for fashion and textile startups that includes innovation networks, affordable space, business support and investment.

Connect with Fibe: website   I   Instagram   I   Linkedin

Connect with Fashion District: website   I   Instagram

Connect with Mili Tharakan:   website   I Instagram   I   Linkedin   I   Buy me a coffee

[email protected]

Podcast survey link

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, Beth Esponnette, the co-founder of Unspun, shares her groundbreaking innovation in 3D weaving technology that creates garments in a single, seamless piece, revolutionising fashion manufacturing and disrupting the current supply chain. Beth discusses her journey from an assistant professor to a pioneer and founder of Unspun, her challenges in scaling micro factories, and the leadership lessons she learned while captaining Cornell’s Nordic Ski team.

She emphasises the importance of transitioning from linear to circular life cycles to address sustainability, reduce overproduction, and the environmental impact of materials like polyester. Beth draws inspiration from influential thinkers and delves deep into the technical aspects, showcasing a visionary approach to rethinking the supply chain in the textile industry. Listen in to discover how creativity and cutting-edge technology can reshape fashion manufacturing for a more sustainable future.

Beth is fascinated by science and art, especially where they intersect: design. She earned her MFA in Design from Stanford University before serving as Assistant Professor of Product Design at the University of Oregon.

Beth has been recognised for her work by Vogue Business 100 Innovators, MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35, and Adweek Sustainability Stars. Unspun has been recognized by TIME with a Best Invention award twice.

Connect with Unspun

Unspun website   I   Shop for custom fit jeans   I   Instagram

Resources

Edward O Wilson   I   Books

Neri Oxman

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari

Connect with Mili Tharakan

[email protected]   I   LinkedIn   I   Instagram   I   Podcast survey link

Your support means the world to me! If you enjoyed this episode, consider buying me a coffee

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

This is the first in a series of 6 episodes in collaboration with Fashion District, who are creating a hub for fashion innovation in east London. They connect fashion, technology, business and education to provide an ecosystem of support for fashion and textile startups that includes innovation networks, affordable space, business support and investment.

In this episode, Jim Ajioka (Colorifix), Helene Steiner (OpenCell), and Brooke Roberts-Islam (Techstyler) share their unique journeys and insights about navigating the intersections of science, fashion, and innovation. They discuss the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, the challenges of transitioning from different fields, the necessity of understanding your industry's demand, and the crucial role of marketing and customer discovery. The conversation also covers the significance of personal well-being for founders, highlighting self-care as a critical, yet often overlooked aspect of sustaining a startup. The episode wraps up with valuable insights into the resources and strategies that help startups thrive.

Brooke Roberts-Islam is the founder of Techstyler, a consultancy that focuses on providing intelligence to guide sustainability decision-making in the fashion and textile industries. She is also a senior sustainability contributor at Forbes, where she provides in-depth analysis and reporting on sustainable fashion initiatives. She is an award winning knitwear designer and has extensive experience in product development with various brands, including QASIMI, LVMH, and Solace London.

Helene Steiner is a design engineer that works at the intersection of technology and science. She co-founded Open Cell, providing affordable lab space for biotech startups. She has supported over 100 startups since 2018 and has a rich background in research at Microsoft and MIT Media Lab. She has received numerous awards and her work has been exhibited globally including at the Centre Pompidou, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.

Jim Ajioka is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and along with Orr Yarkoni co-founded Colorifix, a startup revolutionizing textile dyeing with sustainable processes. The use microbes to produce, deposit and fix pigments on fabrics, eliminating the need for harmful chemicals and reducing water usage during dyeing. Colorifix has collaborated with major fashion brands like H&M, Pangaia, and Stella McCartney. They have raised a Series B round and is moving towards scaling up their solution.

Mili Tharakan: Linkedin I Survey

Other resources: Fashion District I Fashion for Good I The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel Limited (HKRITA) I The Mills Fabrica I  Steve Blank’s resources

Your support means the world to me! If you enjoyed this episode, consider buying me a coffee

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash I Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth Podcast, we speak with Vibeke Vestby, the inventor of the first-ever digital jacquard handloom.

She share about her passion for weaving as a child, her impatience with traditional looms and a trip to Italy that was pivotal in reimagining the 200 year old jacquard loom. Vibeke recounts her early inspiration, the technical evolution of the loom, and the collaborative process with the engineering company Tronrud, to bring her vision to life. Her persistence and determination results in the remarkable TC2 Digital Jacquard handloom.

Join us as Vibeke goes from teaching prisoners weaving to wanting to weave clouds and peonies and  making a loom that will enable her and others to use the jacquard loom like a sketch book to quickly translate ideas and be a catalyst for creativity.

Vibeke also discusses her personal life, including how she became a trained pilot, and the importance of teamwork and curiosity in her groundbreaking work.

Tune in to learn how the TC2 digital loom, a symbol of potential, is revolutionising and democratising hand weaving, driving forward the ever-evolving ingenuity in textile weaving.

Connect with Vibeke Vestby and her team

Digital Weaving Norway

Insta:  @digitalweavingnorway

Connect with Mili Tharakan

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjtharakan/

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

Podcast survey link

Timestamp:

00:00:04: Introduction to the episode

00:00:28: Introduction to the main topic - The Loom

00:00:59: Introduction of the guest - Vibeke Vestby

00:04:49: Vibeke's passion for weaving and her early career

00:10:08: Vibeke's teaching experience in Norway's only prison for females

00:11:26: Vibeke's career at the College of Art and Design

00:11:36: Development of the first Weave Planner programme

00:12:12: Vibeke's learnings and experience at Silk Art Foundation in Lisio, Florence

00:15:04: The history of the Jacquard loom and its evolution

00:19:12: How the Jacquard loom revolutionised weaving

00:22:42: Vibeke's journey to creating the digital Jacquard handloom

00:23:13: Initial Challenges and Realisation

00:24:33: Funding and the First Prototype

00:28:29: The Difficulties of Bringing the Loom to Market

00:31:15: The Loom and its Scaleability

00:33:56: Market Adaptation and Customer Response

00:44:42: The Loom as a Tool for Generating Ideas

00:46:27: Vibeke's Background

00:49:05: Discussion on Traditional Norwegian Costumes

00:52:04: Vibeke's Interest in Flying and Pilot Training

00:57:56: Outlook on the Future of Creative Weaving

00:59:00: Current Projects and Interests

01:03:01: Host's Reflections and Takeaways from the Conversation

Welcome to the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, where we stitch together a tapestry of textile innovations one episode at a time. Today, we're joined by Linda Worbin, a pioneer in Smart Textiles. Join us as we explore the past, present, and future of this dynamic industry.

Linda Worbin, a Material and Innovation Developer based in Sweden, brings a wealth of experience to our conversation. With her background as a former professor at the Swedish School of Textiles and a visionary in the industry, Linda's journey spans over two decades of exploration and development in Smart Textiles, and offers valuable insights into the evolution of Smart Textiles.

In this episode, Linda reflects on her journey from academia to industry, sharing insights that have shaped the field and inspired many to follow in her footsteps. From dynamic textile patterns to the importance of collaborations, Linda's perspective provides a roadmap for future advancements.

Smart textiles, or e-textiles, offer intriguing functionalities that vastly differ from conventional textiles. Imagine fabrics that respond to environmental changes, altering colour or texture in real-time, or clothing that monitors vital signs and alerts you to potential risks. These innovations not only redefine our wardrobes but also revolutionise our everyday lives.

Episode Highlights:

• Linda's journey from academia to industry.
• Insights into dynamic textile patterns and collaborations.
• Equipping the next generation of textile makers
• The mindset of a pioneer in Smart Textiles.
• Linda’s life and influences

Join us as we follow the footsteps of someone who envisions the future of fabrics —a future where innovation knows no bounds and an ordinary cloth becomes a canvas for extraordinary possibilities. This is the No Ordinary Cloth podcast.

Connect with Mili Tharakan

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjtharakan/

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

Welcome to the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, where we stitch together a tapestry of textile innovations one episode at a time. Today, we're joined by Linda Worbin, a pioneer in Smart Textiles. Join us as we explore the past, present, and future of this dynamic industry.

Linda Worbin, a Material and Innovation Developer based in Sweden, brings a wealth of experience to our conversation. With her background as a former professor at the Swedish School of Textiles and a visionary in the industry, Linda's journey spans over two decades of exploration and development in Smart Textiles, and offers valuable insights into the evolution of Smart Textiles.

In this episode, Linda reflects on her journey from academia to industry, sharing insights that have shaped the field and inspired many to follow in her footsteps. From dynamic textile patterns to the importance of collaborations, Linda's perspective provides a roadmap for future advancements.

Smart textiles, or e-textiles, offer intriguing functionalities that vastly differ from conventional textiles. Imagine fabrics that respond to environmental changes, altering colour or texture in real-time, or clothing that monitors vital signs and alerts you to potential risks. These innovations not only redefine our wardrobes but also revolutionise our everyday lives.

Join us as we follow the footsteps of someone who envisions the future of fabrics.

Episode Highlights:

• Linda's journey from academia to industry
• Insights into dynamic textile patterns and the need for collaborations
• Preparing the next generation of textile makers
• The mindset of a pioneer in Smart Textiles
• Linda’s life and influences

Join us as we weave the future together—a future where innovation knows no bounds and an ordinary cloth becomes a canvas for extraordinary possibilities. This is the No Ordinary Cloth podcast.

Connect with Mili Tharakan

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjtharakan/

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

🎉  In this episode as we celebrate Women’s Day in March 2024, we have a very special guest - Prof. Sohini Kar-Narayan, a leading material scientist and nanotechnology expert from the University of Cambridge, sharing with us about her passion for science and her work with nano materials for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing technology, and it’s potential for smart textiles and wearables.

🧪 This is also the story about a young girl who wanted to invent something and went on to become, among many things, one of the Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering in 2021. She was the recipient of the World Economic Forum Young Scientist Award in 2015, the Peter Day Award in 2023 and many other prestigious awards over the years. You can find out more about this on her Wiki page.

👩🏽‍🔬  Here, Sohini shares some of the challenges she faced as a woman navigating a career in academia in Science. From her position of leadership today, she is keen to encourage more people to explore science and gives valuable insights for others, especially women, who might be considering a career in these areas.

📍 Sohini not only invented many thing but is using one of her invention to transform the effectiveness of hip surgeries with the force-sensing technology in her startup ArtioSense so learn more about this here as well. She also candidly shares about navigating the world of start ups, the new skills she has had to pick up compared to her life as an academic researcher. I have been there and I know this is a difficult transition so if you are in a similar place, do join us to learn more from Sohini.

If you are interested to learn more about Sohini's research and startup, please check out the links below:

University of Cambridge - Research

Research Lab

Artiosense - force sensing technology startup

Connect with Mili Tharakan

⭐️ Podcast survey link

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjtharakan/

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

Welcome to this special mini episode of the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, where we explore the fascinating world of textiles and fashion and the innovative minds shaping its future. Today, we're spotlighting the Manufacturing Futures 2024 - Innovation Challenge, a pivotal event for UK-based startups and SMEs in the fashion industry. 

There is some exciting news to share, do listen in to the end of the episode.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

Details about the Manufacturing Futures Innovation Challenge 2024 competition and what the winner can expect as prize money and support

You will also get some insights from the judges themselves - what is important to them, what they are looking for in the applications, tips. This will give you hopefully help prepare your application.

Jen Keane from Modern Synthesis, winners of a previous Manufacturing Futures competition, will be sharing about her startup that makes biomaterials and about their collaborating with GANNI to develop the Bou bag using nano cellulose materials made by bacteria.

This episode not only highlights the Manufacturing Futures Innovation Challenge but also serves as a reminder of the power of innovation and the importance of community in shaping the future of fashion. Whether you're directly involved in the fashion industry or simply passionate about innovation and sustainability, this challenge represents a fantastic opportunity to contribute to meaningful change.

Manufacturing Futures 2024  - find out all the details about the challenge here

Fashion District

Instagram: @fd_ldn 

Twitter/X: @fd_ldn 

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/fdldn

Modern Synthesis

Link to survey  - would deeply appreciate your feedback, it will only take a couple of minutes

Connect with Mili Tharakan

[email protected]

Instagram: @noordinarycloth

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjtharakan/

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

On this episode of the 'No Ordinary Cloth' podcast, we welcome Gilberto Loureiro, the co-founder and CEO of Smartex, an innovative startup leveraging AI and machine learning to transform the textile industry and modernise it's factories.

Gilberto draws upon his life experiences, growing up in a family where everyone worked in the textile business and witnessing the substantial wastage and outdated practices in factories. This became his motivation to set up Smartex - a company building an eco-system of solutions to bring textile factories into the 21st century, eliminate waste, and enhance traceability and sustainability. They are truly revolutionising and shaping the future of textile factories.

He talks about the challenges faced by startups and shares lots of valuable resources and advice for others who might be building a startup. He highlights the importance of mentors, being humble and enjoying the work that you do to be successful.

Furthermore, Gilberto elaborates on the sector's future, identifying technology, shorter orders, increased automation, and reduced human dependence as primary factors leading the charge. Our discussion unpacks the enormous potential AI and machine learning hold for not just improving efficiencies but also for combating the significant sustainability issues within the textile industry.

Smartex

Modern Textile Factory report

Connect with Mili Tharakan

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth

Podcast survey link

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

In this episode of The No Ordinary Cloth Podcast, we hear from Mika Satomi - an exceptional artist and maker whose artistic approach transcends mediums. She skilfully blends traditional and modern, digital and manual techniques and materials to convey powerful narratives. She is as proficient in weaving and crocheting as she is in programming and electronics and so many other techniques. Here she shares about her approach to learning new skills and deepening her existing ones.

She is known as a pioneer in the E-textiles community and most people would know her through Kobakant - How to get what you want - a resource for e-textile materials and techniques, that she and Hannah Perner-Wilson built. But Today, Mika joins us to discuss her latest project, Indigo Hyphae, a reflection on the topic of human migration. She explores traditional Japanese katazome techniques along with indigo dyeing techniques, going totally analogue this time, marking a shift from her usual e-textiles work.

Mika shares about her experience of teaching at art universities, her collaboration with Hannah Perner-Wilson, and their project Kobakant. She also touches on the role and responsibility we have as makers and the impact it has on the world. This discussion will leave you contemplative of your own practise and skills.

Join us as we explore the journey of this pioneering, deeply creative and thought provoking artist. 

Podcast feedback survey

Mika Satomi's works

Mika Satomi website

Indigo Hyphea project

Indigo Hyphae map

Zeug Farberai - Indigo dyeing studio

Kobakant - How to get what you want

Connect with Mili Tharakan

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth

Time stamp of episode:

• 00:19 Getting to Know Mika Satomi
• 05:17 Introduction to the Indigo Hyphae Project
• 07:31 The Concept and Inspiration Behind Indigo Hyphae
• 10:05 The Process and Techniques of Indigo Hyphae
• 20:26 Reflections on Craftsmanship and Skill Acquisition
• 34:43 Exploring E-Textiles
• 36:05 The Impact of Collaboration and Kobakant
• 43:40 The Responsibility of Designers
• 48:17 The Impact of Teaching on Personal Growth
• 01:02:14 Reflections on the Interview

Whether you are a textile designer, biologist, engineer, architect, fashion designer, material scientist or a curious maker - we all need to come together to innovate and solve challenges the world is facing today.

On this episode our guest speaker Anastasia Pistofidou has done just that - she has created an ecosystem that brings together diverse expertise to explore textiles and solve some of these challenges.

Trained as an architect, Anastasia meanders into the world of textiles through soft architecture, where she began to take knowledge and tools from her architectural background and apply them to the textile field to create new materials and ideas. She is a passionate educator and maker at heart. Anastasia's story is about the merging of creativity, sustainability, and technological advancement inspiring a new wave of textile education and industry practices.

With a mission to make science more accessible to everyone, she co-founded the open-source educational program, Fabricademy, where students from diverse walks of life (and aged anywhere between 16-65) come together to learn and innovate at the intersection of textiles, biology and digital fabrication. All are welcome to this program that fosters community engagement, promote peer-to-peer learning and collaborations worldwide. What you learn here is beyond conventional fashion education, it breeds new knowledge, equipping learners to challenge the fast-fashion industry's status quo.

Listen in as Anastasia highlights the 3 key skills she hopes her students would take away to drive an innovative and sustainable career, and sheds light on the future of education and what she would do if she had a magic wand.

Anastasia also discusses her views on AI, it’s role in creating and collaborating, as well as her current projects and provides a range of resources on emerging textiles for further learning and inspiration. Find the links below to some of these fabulous resources.

If you would like to get your hands messy and explore emerging textile fields such as e-textiles, bio-fabrication of materials, soft robotics, digital fabrication, wearables, skin electronics, check out  Fabricademy program and start exploring today.

Fabricademy website

Program - course info

Insta - @fabricademy

Resources:

Entangled Life book

Why Materials Matter book

Biofabrication: From Fungi to Fashion podcast

Next Generation Material podcast

Abstract: The Art of Design Netflix series

Life in Colour Netflix series

Ellen McArthur Foundation - Circular Economy

Connect with Mili Tharakan:

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth

Whether you love or hate mathematics, you are going to enjoy listening to this episode.

In this interview, Sophie Skach, a fashion designer and researcher, discusses her passion for interweaving the world of textiles with mathematics and technology, and her unique approach to creating catwalk collections and PhD research projects. She shares her journey on how she uses textiles as a medium to demystify mathematics and communicate complex mathematical concepts through her textile and fashion pieces.

Dive into Sophie’s world to learn about mathematical fashion and uncover the complex yet whimsical projects she shares with us. Get behind the scene insights about projects such as “No Input Textiles” (where textiles are used as musical interfaces), “Talking Jumpers” and “Whistling Jacket”.

Sophie explains the human-centric computing approach she adopted during her PhD, through the creation of sensor-equipped garments, and the relationship between fashion and social computing.

She challenges us, the listener, to embrace curiosity in a cross-disciplinary approach to design and learning. Listen in and find out how her curiosity about a mathematician, who shared the same birthday as her, influenced and shaped her career.

Resources:

Designing with Smart Textiles

Smart Textiles for Designers

Kobakant

Sixty Symbols: videos

Connect with Mili Tharakan:

[email protected]

https://instagram.com/noordinarycloth/

Connect with Sophie Skach:

Website: www.sophieskach.com

Youtube videos of No Input Textiles and other works

Instagram: @SophieSkach

Twitter: @SophieSkach

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wPQ5wvwAAAAJ

Who doesn’t love a beautiful leather jacket or bag. Sadly, the leather industry’s high water and chemical waste from the tanning process is extremely polluting. And faux leather is made from polyurethane and plastics. So can we ever use leather products without feeling guilty?

Join me as I find out from Daniela Rondinone, the Business and Operations Manager at Biophilica, all about alternative leather that is plastic free and recyclable. Learn about how autumn leaves are transformed into leather that seems to bring the best of both natural and faux leather industries together into one perfect solution.

Daniela also highlights the qualities and skills you need to be a textile researcher and innovator. 

Find out more here

TreeKind at Biophilica:

https://www.biophilica.co.uk/treekind

Daniela Rondinone:

https://daniela.rondinone.info/

[email protected]

Connect with Mili Tharakan:

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth

Sara Robertson is a smart textile maker and researcher who has been exploring different ways to translate concepts of change and movement in nature through her beautiful textile creation over the last 20 years. 

Join me as I speak with Sara about her journey from a young artist to a leading smart textiles researcher. Learn about how she is making lace with light - these are absolutely exquisite textiles, and what has influenced her creative process. Find out her plans for the future and what it takes to be a researcher at the cutting edge of the industry.

Connect with Sara Robertson and check out her latest work:

www.smarttextile.design

Insta: @smarttextiledesign

Twitter: @saraplussarah

Connect with Mili Tharakan:

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth

The future of Textile awaits and we are stitching it together one episode at a time....

Join me in this podcast  series to learn and be inspired by all the incredible textiles that is radically changing the very landscape of fabrics as we know it. 

Whether you are an expert in the field or just curious about textiles and fashion, this podcast will capture your imagination and give you a glimpse into the future of Textiles.

Please subscribe to this podcast and listen in as I bring you the best and brightest minds from the industry and shed light into their world and works. 

Connect with Mili Tharakan:

[email protected]

Insta: @noordinarycloth