Design

The gap between recyclable components and a recoverable product has long defined the limits of sustainable apparel. The Peak Performance R&D Helium Loop Anorak, built in collaboration with four specialist partners, was designed to close that gap—by treating end-of-life disassembly not as an afterthought but as the primary constraint governing every construction and material decision.

Textile development is increasingly shaped by digital systems that promise faster iteration, reduced waste, and new material possibilities. Within this shift, Bethany Meuleners, Apparel and Textile Design and Venture Lead at Variloom, discusses how programmable weaving alters development workflows, the limits imposed by existing apparel structures, and the broader implications for how materials are conceived, produced, and integrated into product design.

School uniforms are among the most visible features of institutional education, yet their psychological consequences have received limited empirical attention. A new study finds that the visual design logic of a uniform — whether it signals individuality, shared values or physical comfort — shapes students' hope, resilience and confidence in distinct and measurable ways. The research, conducted across China with 210 participants, uses structural modelling to map how each aesthetic orientation produces its effects.

Virtual fitting rooms promise easier clothing choices for people with physical disabilities, yet adaptation depends on more than technical access. Evidence from a large study shows that confidence, convenience, and enjoyment shape willingness to use these systems, reframing inclusive digital fashion as a question of experience, not novelty.

Sustainable fashion is increasingly shaped not only by how garments are made, but by how they are sold, used, and cared for. A recent study argues that, as pressure mounts to reduce environmental and social harm, retailers are turning to service-based models that prioritise longevity, transparency, and engagement over volume, repositioning retail as a critical driver of sustainability.

IIT Roorkee has developed a new artificial intelligence framework that enables the translation of detailed textual descriptions into professional-quality fashion sketches. Built around the FLORA dataset and the NeRA adapter, the research addresses limitations in existing AI tools and supports more precise, expressive and sustainable design workflows across fashion, retail and allied creative industries.

The conversation around denim is shifting from surface aesthetics to systemic responsibility. In this changing landscape, Carme Santacruz, Creative Director and Senior Denim Designer at Jeanologia, discusses how designers can balance creativity, technology, and emotion while pursuing sustainable transformation, ensuring that new processes respect heritage, enable experimentation, and keep the human essence of denim alive in a digital future.

Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and Adobe have created Refashion, a software system that lets users design garments that can be disassembled and reassembled into different clothing items. The tool demonstrates how digital design and modular construction can reduce waste and enable sustainable fashion through reconfigurable patterns and smart interfaces.

A new era of textile innovation is unfolding, driven by digital tools, material transparency, and collaborative thinking. At the heart of this transformation is Mijke van Ballegooijen, CEO of Byborre, whose platform challenges conventional production and design systems. She explains how empowering creators and rethinking supply chains can reshape the industry’s creative and environmental future.

Where does design fit in the textile-fashion hierarchy? The warp in crafts and livelihood, and the missing weft of innovation. Why has Indian design fallen short of its promise on the global platform? Dr Mihir Bholey, former Principal Faculty, Interdisciplinary Design Studies, Science and Liberal Arts at the National Institute of Design (NID), discusses it all and more in this freewheeling conversation.