New Sustainable Fashion Design Scenarios: A Designer Journey in Textile Experimentation with Plants

The complex age we live in, characterised by the Anthropocene era and Industry 4.0, demands a radical paradigm shift in production, consumption, material choices, and, consequently, the relationship between designers and Nature.<br/><br/>In this scenario, the clothing industry is clearly in the spotlight for being one of the most significant...

On the Role of Materials Experience for Novel Interactions with Digital Representations of Historical Pop-up and Movable Books

Direct interaction with cultural heritage (CH) artefacts is frequently unavailable to visitors, offering an opportunity for HCI designers to explore integrating material aspects into digitally-mediated encounters with CH artefacts. We argue that a thorough understanding of the material experiences of CH artefacts can open a novel design space...

Perceiving Grown Bacterial Cellulose: An Aesthetic and Sensorial Evaluation of a Bio-Fabricated Material

Biofabricated and grown materials are an emergent trend in the design discipline. The push towards the re-search of innovative and sustainable material solutions has recently increased since there is a real necessity to find solutions compatible with sustainable production paradigms. In the presented work, bacterial cellulose (BC) from kombucha...

Applying the DATEMATS Method and Tools to Wearable ICS Materials: A Dialogue Between E-textiles and Active Lighting Technologies for Caring and Well-Being

The chapter presents and discusses the theoretical background, original methodology, format, and results of the workshop “Interdisciplinary challenge on Emerging Materials and Technologies (EM&amp;Ts)” with a focus on Interactive Connected and Smart (ICS) Materials for Wearable Technologies. ICS materials are defined as systems combining...

DIY-Materials approach to design meaningful materials for the sustainability transition

The critical environmental conditions of the planet compel humankind to rapidly devise solutions able to minimize the impact of human actions on Earth. Environmental issues are urgent, so researchers and practitioners in the design field are committed to formalising new visions and pathways, willing to meet the SDGs of the 2030 agenda. While...

Crafting Materials During COVID-19: The Locked-Down Material Lab

Lately, designers have become deeply interested in the materials generation process. With an approach of transforming unconventional elements into possible materials, they discover many possibilities with new characteristics ready to explore. This article discusses a study proposing concepts of materials generation, focusing on self-production...