How would you use textiles to address a social problem or issue in society?

•Identify up to 3 methods you might use to explore your research topic. How might you use them?

•Does your idea link with any of your examples from a history of social engagement?

•Does you idea link with themes within your own studio practice such as drawing and textile sampling?

My research topic I have chosen to research is textiles ecology. I could use textiles in different ways to address this social problem/issue. Firstly I could make it noticeable in my own practice to be more eco-friendly by not creating wasted fabric when sampling, only mixing enough pigment in the print room for the amount I need as it is better to have not enough and mix more pigment than to have too much and through it away and I could also wash my samples at 30 degrees to save energy use. Another way I could use textiles to address textiles ecology is to make a protest banner, To make this environmentally friendly I could use old scraps of fabric or unwanted clothing to create this banner as this would be up-cycling which prevents unwanted clothing going to landfill. The last idea could be to create a communal project which would engage many people and try to convince them to donate their unwanted clothing to homeless and less fortunate people or to simply swap their unwanted clothing with someone else.

The idea of creating a protest banner links in with a section from my last blog post where I was researching protest banners and how it involves the slow textiles movement enabling you to sit down and create your banner using textile techniques such as embroidery or print whilst you think about why you are creating the banner and your thoughts on it. 

My idea of creating less waste in the print room defiantly links in with my own studio practice. I try to be more environmentally friendly in the print room as a consumer and a designer I know the importance of textiles ecology and how every part of the design cycle and the consumers use has waste from raw materials, workers bad health and poor conditions, printing and sampling, contaminating water, energy use from machines to transportation and shipping to consumer use washing, drying and ironing. I personally think that being more environmentally friendly in the fashion and textiles industry should be more advertised for consumers to realise that the responsibility of being eco-friendly once buying a garment or product is theirs and that is what I shall make a focus point on for my essay for my theory module.