Sandy Black

University of the Arts London · London College of Fashion

The image of knitting has waxed and waned throughout its history across the UK, being historically associated with women’s domestic work. Nevertheless, hand knitting has demonstrated periods of great creativity and fashionability since the mid-nineteenth century. The twentieth century saw knitting move from the utility of wartime comforts for the t...

Micro- and small-sized sustainable fashion businesses benefit greatly from their formal and informal networks which provide a wide variety of support and services. This exploratory study reports on the findings of a UK-based research project that investigated 27 firms in this category. We focus on four case studies comprising two designers running...

In contrary to most textile products a knitwear piece originates from the process of creating form and surface in symbiosis. The fashion designer, while creating such a piece, needs to balance spatial, sculptural, and aesthetic components while worrying about the technical barriers that his knowledge, or lack of, will rise. On the opposing end, the...

This paper reports on a research project aimed at investigating ways in which fashion activism and making can be used to catalyze positive socio-economic change and activate legacies within a local community. The project focused on a neighborhood in London with a previously strong industrial profile in fashion and textiles, and now challenged by co...

Abstract The circular economy holds the potential to significantly reduce resource use. However, attempts to fully utilize its potential have fallen short so far. Based on a longitudinal interview-based study, we examine how micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the UK fashion industry advance the circular economy (CE). Whereas the dynamic...

Attitudes to fashion have changed radically in the twenty-first century. Dress is increasingly approached as a means of self-expression, rather than as a signifier of status or profession, and designers are increasingly treated as “artists”, as fashion moves towards art and enters the gallery, museum, and retail space. This book is the first to ful...

In a life-critical environment such as a hospital, the total environment impacts both the patient experience and the efficacy of healthcare professionals’ work. This article examines a UK case study of the redesign of hospital clothing from a user-centered design perspective.

An essential reference for students, curators and scholars of fashion, cultural studies, and the expanding range of disciplines that see fashion as imbued with meaning far beyond the material. Over 300 in-depth entries covering designers, articles of clothing, key concepts and styles. Edited and introduced by Valerie Steele, a scholar who has revol...

This paper addresses The Fashion Paradox – the economic importance of the fashion industry set against its inherent obsolescence and waste through constant change. A new methodology is being developed for designers to approach these complex problems, and to evaluate the impact of design decisions through the development of personalized fashion prod...

The design of fashion products can be customised to better meet the needs and preferences of individual consumers. Although the technology to achieve this is becoming available, it is still unclear whether mass customisation of fashion products will be economically viable. This paper explores how the economics of different customisation approaches...

Textiles are undergoing a revolution: instead of passively serving clothing needs, textiles have become an active interface between the body and its environment, which increasingly support a wide range of specific functionalities, from micro encapsulation of therapies to electronic conductivity. Smart Textiles for Medicine and Healthcare disseminat...

Unlike fashion, the process of designing and developing protective clothing is normally seen as a classic example of product development, with clear parameters set at the outset, and stringent performance standards to be met within specific occupations. The notion of fashion entering into this market is counter-intuitive to many. This chapter devel...

This paper accompanies the showing of a pilot digital film, Work in Process, analysing the creative process and working methods of four significant artists: Lucy Orta, Maria Blaisse, Helen Storey and Caroline Broadhead, who have been selected for their engagement within and between the areas of textiles, fashion and the body in a range of contexts,...

The inbuilt obsolescence of the fashion system and its ever faster cycles creates large volumes of waste, as clothing is discarded long before its useful life is over, with 60% of what is thrown away recoverable. The Size UK survey of 2001-2 found that the average female was size 16, yet the fashion clothing choices available do not meet the needs...