Hosted online by the Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center, this free roundtable on November 6–7 brings together a global panel of scholars, designers, and cultural practitioners to explore future-oriented approaches to textile production and consumption. Through the lens of both traditional practices and cutting-edge technologies, conversations will highlight pathways toward more responsible fashion and the preservation of textile heritage.
The Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum is home to one of the world’s most significant textile study collections. Assembled by the late Lloyd Cotsen, it consists of some 4,000 fragments created around the globe dating from antiquity to the present.
The colloquium is free and open to the public.
To learn more and register, visit museum.gwu.edu/textile-futures.
Thursday, November 6, 10am–1 pm
Panel 1: Old Methods, New Applications
- Source Material: Lessons in Responsible Fashion
(Katrina Orsini, programs associate for academic engagement)Â
- Kumihimo Braiding: From Traditional to High-Tech
(Makiko Tada, artist and expert in braiding, Japan)Â Â
- Strip Cloth Reimagined with Upcycled DenimÂ
(Nkwo Onwuka, designer and founder of NKWO Design, Nigeria)Â Â
Panel 2: New Materials and Technologies
- Rejuvenated Fibers from Textile Waste and Renewable Energy in TextilesÂ
(Abhishek Bansal, head of sustainability at Arvind Limited, India)Â
- E-TextilesÂ
(Stephen Beeby, professor of Electronic Systems & Device at the University of Southampton, England)
- The Viability of Bio Materials for Fashion ProjectsÂ
(Charlotte McCurdy, designer, researcher, and educator at Stanford University, California)
Friday, November 7, 10am–12pm
Panel 1: Traditions and Transitions
- Embroidery, Craft Heritage and Women’s Autonomy
(Karishma Swali, creative director of Chanakya International, founder and chairperson of the Chanakya School of Craft, India)
- Conscious Velvet: Tiziano Guardini and Bevilacqua Reimagine Tradition
(Tiziano Guardini, conscious creative director, designer and co-founder of Guardini Ciuffreda Studio, Italy ) Â
- Timeless: Textile Traditions, New Ideas and Experiments
(Hector Manuel Meneses Lozano, director of the Textile Museum of Oaxaca, Mexico)
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