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Before I Came To The Rca And To London, I Worked As A Textile

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Before I came to the RCA and to London, I worked as a textile designer specialising in the design of men’s ties in Seoul, South Korea. My business was relatively small and I enjoyed making bespoke textiles for my customers. Over time, I got to know my customers well, and tried to base my designs on this personal knowledge. I wanted the ties to be more than just mere physical objects; instead I wanted to imbue them with an emotional attachment that reflected the relationship between me and my customers and my knowledge of their lives and personalities. I began talking to my customers and noticed that – unconsciously – my designs were becoming more dialogical2, a graphical representation of the conversations and stories we shared.
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The new research raises the question of ethical silk, made without the destruction of the moth within the cocoon, and the ethics of employment practices within the silk manufacturing industry today.
The majority of mass production generates pollution, which causes climate change.
In an era of fast-fashion, mass-produced textile waste has continued to grow4.
According to the report Valuing our Clothes , extending the average life of clothes by only three months of active use would lead to a five to ten per cent reduction in each of the carbon, water and waste footprints; around 350,000 tonnes of used clothing ends up in landfill in the UK every year5.
Waste is not just a UK problem. Dongdaemoon market is the biggest fashion and textiles market in South Korea. Many young designers work there but follow fashion trends rather than creating their own unique designs. About 20 tonnes of fabric waste is generated per day. Seoul city authorities estimate that it collects about 5,000 tonnes of waste resources, such as fabric and banners, per year from the
Dongdaemoon market.6
The challenge of designing environmentally friendly textiles within existing economic systems without

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