International conference to support Scotland's textile sector - Knitting Industry

Textile designers and manufacture experts from crossed Scotland volition travel unneurotic to clasp caller technologies astatine an planetary league connected augmented manner hosted by Robert Gordon University (RGU) from Wednesday 16 until Friday 18 November.

The league is being organised by a multi-disciplinary squad who are starring an planetary task called ‘Augmented Fashion’, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UKRI. The squad includes researchers successful Computing, Fashion and Textiles and Creative and Cultural Business from RGU and Donghua University, Shanghai China who are moving unneurotic to span skills gaps and to promote innovative and sustainable practices successful the originative industries crossed the UK and China.

ICAF 22 launches astatine midday connected Wednesday 16 November astatine the Sir Ian Wood Building astatine RGU with a driblet successful accumulation that’s escaped to sojourn and disposable to presumption passim the conference. The pursuing 2 days of the league volition beryllium unrecorded streamed for the remainder of the lawsuit with escaped entree for all.

Visitors to the accumulation volition person the accidental to research a virtual mill circuit of Harris Tweed Hebrides, led by Glasgow-based plan collective, Lateral North. There volition besides beryllium networking opportunities and immersive exertion demonstrations from starring figures successful Scotland’s textile and manner assemblage who volition showcase the relation integer skills, machine coding and caller technologies are playing successful trade practices.

RGU academics, Dr Karen Cross from the School of Creative and Cultural Business, Dr Yang Jiang, Lecturer successful Digital Media from the School of Computing and Josie Steed, a elder plan lecturer astatine Gray’s and the archetypal pistillate subordinate of the Aberdeen Tailor’s Incorporation, volition besides big an interactive presumption entitled ‘Connected Threads: Telling Tales of Engagement”, to item the relation immersive technologies connection for Scotland’s practice fashion.

Josie Steed explains more: “There are lone a fistful of remaining accepted moving mills successful Scotland, nevertheless determination is an planetary resurgence of involvement successful Scottish made textiles. It is breathtaking to spot practice brands specified arsenic Johnstons of Elgin, Montrose Rope and Sail and Harris Tweed Hebrides unneurotic with much caller concern ventures specified arsenic Prickly Thistle doing truthful good wrong the planetary marketplace. It is truthful captious that we proceed to enactment unneurotic with the manufacture successful Scotland to enactment their aspirations for innovation and sustainable moving practices.

“Over the past 4 years, RGU has worked with a scope of companies crossed Scotland including Harris Tweed Hebrides and the Montrose Rope & Sail institution done Knowledge Partnership Initiatives to research opportunities to heighten their brands done strategical innovation.

“The pandemic and the alarming clime alteration has refocussed attraction connected the request to marque the textile assemblage much sustainable and determination are immense opportunities successful the North East to harness caller technologies. Immersive Technologies are progressively being utilized arsenic almighty integer tools to make interactive user experiences and it is captious that we bespeak connected their imaginable and the opportunities they connection to the sustainable planetary manner and textile industry. “

Gray’s alumni and victor of the RGU Principal’s Award for Design 2022, Beth Davidson, and creator of the award-winning covering range, ‘Outer Shell’, volition besides big a objection astatine the lawsuit to item however augmented world technologies tin heighten the lawsuit acquisition and to showcase her postulation of virtual ‘wearables’, that alteration customers to effort products connected from the comfortableness of their homes.

Gray’s alumni and Edinburgh based, Beth Davidson, said: “The ICAF is an breathtaking measurement for the manner manufacture successful Scotland and beyond, it is simply a large accidental to perceive from experts successful their tract and larn however a multidisciplinary attack could payment the industry. Studying astatine Gray’s gave maine the accidental to experimentation with antithetic techniques and processes wherever I learnt to deliberation astir manner plan successful caller ways from a sustainability position and wherever accepted methods of visualising manner could beryllium challenged.

“The discourse of the plan is truthful important for user engagement successful a product. The much connected a user feels to that point of covering the much apt they are to admit it and the sustainable practises down its creation. A consumer’s expectations of brands are changing, the ethically acrophobic user values authenticity and transparency, conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic aesthetic appeal. New integer technologies specified arsenic augmented world and virtual world could truly assistance span that spread betwixt user and designer, successful realising the meaning and communicative of a garment successful a overmuch much interactive and immersive mode than was imaginable before.”

The remainder of the league volition beryllium unrecorded streamed online and includes sheet discussions from manufacture peers, experts and consumers arsenic they research the opportunities that immersive technologies bring for Scotland’s practice manner and textile industry.

Registration is required to be the event. For much accusation click here.

www.rgu.ac.uk