Dr Kate Goldsworthy
Title
Reader
College
Chelsea College of Arts
Email address
Tags
Researcher Research
Biography
Kate is Reader in Circular Textile Design and Co-Director of the Centre for Circular Design at Chelsea and has been based at UAL since 2008. Her core research interests are sustainability, the Circular Economy, new finishing and production technologies and material innovation. Her approach is practice-based, always placing making at the centre of her research, and collaborative, often across disciplines in both industry and scientific fields.Her practice-based PhD entitled Laser finishing: a new process for designing recyclability in synthetic textiles (2012), re-imagined the way we could manufacture textiles and resulted in the development of a model for ‘Design for Cyclability’, in tandem with the design work. This approach enables the designer to embed continuous cycles of future recycling in their products.
Laser Line 2D is a body of work which continues to explore the potential of laser-technologies through a series of research artefacts Mono Garments (2010), Zero Waste Dress (2014), SeamsDress (2014) which have been shown internationally including; at the Science Museum (London), the Audax Textile Museum (Tilburg) and the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York).
As Theme Leader in the second phase of Mistra Future Fashion (2015-2019) and a Lead Researcher in the EU funded Trash-2-Cash (2015-2018), Kate continues to explore the potential of design to engage a more circular fashion and materials economy.
Since 1998 Kate has been developing strategies for reducing textile waste and environmental impacts through design-led research. Her practice-based PhD entitled ‘Laser finishing: a new process for designing recyclability in synthetic textiles’, re-imagined the way we could manufacture and re-manufacture textiles with a focus on ‘industrial ecology’ and 'life-cycle design', enabling continuous cycles of future recycling. Her current work continues to explore these themes, proposing more sustainable production systems for the textile industry, and pioneering design solutions for the recycling and reuse of polyesters.
Grants and awards
(Figures indicate amount awarded to UAL)
- European Commission H2020, Trash 2 Cash, £750,050.00, (2015-2019)
- MISTRA, MISTRA Future Fashion 2, £322,000.00, (2015-2019)
- Mistra, The Curated Wardrobe, £32,000.00, (2016-2018)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), EPSRC Early Career Forum for Manufacturing Research
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Network University
Research Outputs
Art/Design item
- Goldsworthy K, Telfer D. Full Circle: Ready-finished and Recoverable Fashion (2016)
- Goldsworthy K. Laser Line 2D: Zero Waste Dress (2014)
- Goldsworthy K. Laser Line (2010)
- Goldsworthy K. Mono Finishing (2009)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Heritage Lace Shirts (2008)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Twice Upcycled Shirts (2008)
- Goldsworthy K. MultiSheers (2006)
Article
- Goldsworthy K, Ellams D. Collaborative Circular Design: Incorporating Life Cycle Thinking into an Interdisciplinary Design Process (2019)
- Goldsworthy K, Earley R, Politowicz K. Circular Speeds: A Review of Fast & Slow Sustainable Design Approaches for Fashion & Textile Applications (2018)
- Goldsworthy K. Afterlife: Designing the End at the Beginning (2018)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Playing for Time: workshop tools for designing extended life into fashion textile products (2018)
- Goldsworthy K. The Speedcycle: a design-led framework for fast and slow circular fashion lifecycles (2017)
- Goldsworthy K. Design for Cyclability: pro-active approaches for maximising material recovery (2014)
- Goldsworthy K, Lang D. Cradle to cradle design (2010)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K, Vuletich C. Textiles, environment, design (TED): making theory into textiles through sustainable design strategies, pedagogy and collaboration (2010)
Book Section
- Goldsworthy K, Politowicz K. Fast-Forward: Proposals for a Light and Restorative Fashion Alternative (2019)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Circular Textile Design: Old Myths and New Models (2019)
- Real M, Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Practices, Places, Projects: Enrolling Stakeholders for Circular Fashion (2018)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Playing for time: seven practice-led workshop tools for making design decisions to extend the life of fashion textile materials and products (2017)
- Goldsworthy K, Roos S, Peters G, Sandin G. Towards a Quantified Design Process: bridging design and life cycle assessment (2017)
- Politowicz K, Goldsworthy K, Earley R. Circular Speeds: towards a new understanding of designing for fashion textile rhythms (2017)
- Goldsworthy K, Paine H. Laser Welding of Textiles: A creative approach to technology through a reflective craft practice (2015)
- Goldsworthy K. Borrowed materials: designing textiles for a closed-loop polyester economy (2010)
- Paine H, Goldsworthy K, Baurley S. Evolutionary approach of a textile designer through cross-disciplinary research practice: A case study in the field of advanced methods for joining textiles
Conference, Symposium or Workshop item
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Designing for Fast and Slow Circular Fashion Systems: Exploring Strategies for Multiple and Extended Product Cycles (2015)
- Goldsworthy K. Visions for Future Manufacturing through a Reflective Craft Practice (2014)
- Goldsworthy K, Lewis J, Jones I. Finishing and garment construction of recycled textiles using laser beams (2011)
- Goldsworthy K. Resurfaced: an exploration of 'design for upcycling' through laser finishing for textiles (2010)
- Goldsworthy K. Borrowed materials: designing textiles for a closed-loop polyester economy (2010)
- Goldsworthy K. Upcycling textiles with laser technology (2010)
- Goldsworthy K. Thinking on textiles through cross-disciplinary dialogue (2010)
Report
- Goldsworthy K, Earley R, Politowicz K. Circular Design Speeds: prototyping fast and slow sustainable fashion concepts through interdisciplinary design research (2019)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Circular Design Researchers in Residence: a workshops report for the circular design speeds project with Filippa K (2016-2018) (2019)
- Tubito C, Earley R, Ellams D, Goldsworthy K, Hornbuckle R, Niinimäki K, Östmark E, Sarbach V, Tanttu M. Applied DDMI: A White Paper on how Design-Driven Material Innovation Methodology was applied in the Trash-2-Cash Project (2019)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K, Vuletich C, Politowicz K, Ribul M. The Textile Toolbox: New Design Thinking, Materials & Processes for Sustainable Fashion Textiles (2016)
- Goldsworthy K. The case for transforming the approach to waste, and growing a circular economy; a design perspective. (2014)
Show/Exhibition
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Making Circles: Circular Transitions Conference Exhibition (2016)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Textile Toolbox (2014)
- Goldsworthy K. reTHINK! (2010)
- Goldsworthy K. Trash fashion: designing out waste (2010)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Taking Time: Craft and the Slow Revolution (2009)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things (2008)
- Earley R, Goldsworthy K. Techno Threads (2008)
Thesis
- Goldsworthy K. Laser-finishing: a new process for designing recyclability in synthetic textiles (2012)
Teaching
Current research students
- Elena Brebenel, "How can bio-inspired textile artefacts raise awareness about the health of the home environment with a focus on air quality?" (Joint supervisor)
- Emmeline Child, Scaling-Up Upcycling: Design Systems for Commercial Reuse of Textile Waste Streams. (Joint supervisor)
- Laetitia Forst, Textiles for Disassembly: How can design practice create models for disassembly for textiles in the circular economy? (Lead supervisor)
- Loula Guarin Figueroa, "Exploring how circular design systems could develop new sustainable textile fibres from agro-industrial waste of cacao and coffee in Colombia." (Joint supervisor)
- Cathryn Hall, Blending In: How can post consumer textile recycling be adapted to produce high value, commercial materials? (Lead supervisor)
- Helen Paine, Laser Shaping: a method for controlling the elastic behaviour of stretch fabrics for a targeted and graduated compressive effect on the body, Royal College of Art. (Joint supervisor)
- Miriam Ribul, Material Activism: The role of design research in the scientific development of regenerated textiles in a circular economy. (Lead supervisor)