Niki Marathia
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Material value
Week 2 of 6
Team
Design a way for textile waste to reveal its hidden value. Textiles are subject to complex processes of production, use, and disposal. Across various sectors such as fashion, hospitality, and entertainment, huge volumes of textiles are discarded, often before they have fulfilled their purpose. These include textiles such as offcuts, excess stock, worn linens, fabrics used in the entertainment industry, and textiles that have become damaged.

Project partner: FibreLab
Luis Winkelbrandt
Shuairuge Shu
Molly Wensley
Mohammed Maheen
Vanashree Chowdhury
Niki Marathia
Merrin O'Connor
Jaime Santos Guerrero
Yihan Zhong
Textile waste

Having identified that we were interested in fashion and hospitality, we looked into what textile waste they each produce. This was the first time out of many in our research that we found hotel linen reaches the end of its functional life when it no longer meets an aesthetic standard (Young, 2023). 

Hospitality waste

Figure 1. Research into hospitality textile waste

Fashion waste

Figure 2. Research into fashion textile waste


In conversations, we considered different types of values that could be attributed to textile waste, though it felt early to decide on one. We kept a record of the ones that came up, so we wouldn’t forget them later in our process (fig. 3).

Figure 3. Different values attributed to textile waste


Clothes swap

In line with our explorations on garments and identity, we did a clothes swap. We drew names from a hat and wore each other’s outfits for a day at uni. Some people brought clean clothes from home, whilst others gave their outfit to their person directly. The swap map shows who swapped with who:



Our activity video

Figure 4. Clothes swap video


Molly came up with eleven questions for us to answer about how the exercise felt:


 Vana
Molly
Jaime
Lynn
Nicole
Merrin
Niki
Luis

Instead of analysing our insights using sticky notes, this time we were prompted to do it in a more personable way in our tabletop presentation. We decided to create visual diaries for this purpose, rating the outfits against colour, fit, practicality, textures, and style. This allowed us to create a framework that we would be able to apply to a new exercise later in our process. 
Click to expand
Figure 5. Clothes swap visual diary: Nicole 
Figure 6. Clothes swap visual diary: Lynn
Figure 7. Clothes swap visual diary: Luis
Figure 8. Clothes swap visual diary: Jaime
Figure 9. Clothes swap visual diary: Merrin 
Figure 10. Clothes swap visual diary: Vana 
Figure 11. Clothes swap visual diary: Molly 
Figure 12. Clothes swap visual diary: Niki 

When we were taking photos, we acknowledged feeling inclined to pose like the person we were dressing for. Then, when we designed our visual diaries, we brought our own personalities forward, but also represented our stylist. In the end, I think this exercise helped us uncover a thread about identity being performed and transferred through clothes.

FibreLab

In preparation for our FibreLab visit, Merrin did research into their products and processes. We prepared questions based on this:

  1. How do you visualise the future of textile waste?
  2. What motivated you to work within the sustainable design sector?
  3. How hard is sorting the fabrics? What might make it easier?
  4. What do you think is the biggest limitation to your success?
  5. What are the ideal next steps for FibreLab to you?

Figure 13. Research into FibreLab


Figure 14. 100% shredded white cotton, FibreLab’s highest-grade material
Figure 15. Fabrics sorted by colour
Figure 16. Some of the team at FibreLab
Figure 17. Pillows with shredded textile filling
Figure 18. Tags made from their signature product, PaperTex
Figure 19. A full sized sheet of PaperTex
Figure 20. Packaging made from PaperTex
Figure 21. Looking at notebooks made from PaperTex

Figure 22. Textures found in FibreLab, taken by Lynn Zhong










Figure 23. The team and our partner at FibreLab


Our visit helped us decide on hospitality as our textile waste industry. Hotels are FibreLab’s biggest clients and they often use their partnership to meet sustainability goals without otherwise making efforts to reduce their waste. Our partner also noted that hotels are less aware of the potential of their discarded textiles, especially when compared to clients in fashion.

Following the visit, we mapped out what different fabrics get turned into at FibreLab 
Figure 24. Mapping what shredded textiles get turned into, designed by Lynn Zhong



Feedback
Our tutors were excited by our choosing hospitality as our textile waste industry, and they encouraged us to have a play and be surreal with our approach. Alaistair suggested that we scrutinise towels, bedsheets, etc., whilst Elgiva prompted us to consider what new identities we could give a towel and how those might relate to our own. 

FibreLab process

Before the week ended, Luis and Merrin drew a diagram of the FibreLab process from client onboarding to product manufacturing based on our conversation. The red marks are painpoints along the process. Some points with potential for a design intervention include clients approaching FibreLab with a mindset of disposal rather than circularity, and not feeling responsible over what happens to their textiles once they are with FibreLab. 

 
Figure 25. The FibreLab lifecycle, with painpoints


Sources
Young, A. (2023) 'Hospitality industry counts £1.8m cost of fake tan on bedding and towels', Laundry & Cleaning Today. Available at: https://www.laundryandcleaningtoday.co.uk/hospitality-industry-counts-1-8m-cost-of-fake-tan-on-bedding-and-towels/ (Accessed: 11 June 2026).