Material Matters Talks Programme
URGE PRESENTS: REPAIR, RESTORE, RECYCLE
Speakers: Ross Barry, co-founder of Reskinned; Ella Doran, designer; Professor Rebecca Earley, co-founder/director, Centre for Circular Design, Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London; Layla Sargent, founder and CEO of The Seam
Chair: Patrick Burgoyne, founding member, URGE
With the help of an expert panel, URGE, the creative industries collective dedicated to systems change, explains why the worlds of fashion and design need to repair, restore and recycle, concentrating on circularity rather than our current linear model of consumption.
Ross Barry is the director of LMB, a textile recycling company that has been in his family for three generations, and the co-founder of Reskinned. With a lifetime of textile recycling sector experience, he has in-depth insight into all aspects of clothing collection, grading and recycling. Reskinned is a company leading the way in brand-led takeback services, acting as a connection between brands and customers to provide a transparent solution for preloved clothing.
Ella Doran is textile designer who works across photography, textiles and painting to create a wide range of outcomes, from product and textile design, furniture and interiors, to exhibitions and workshops. Her current focus is the exploration of new approaches in circular design that offer practical, artistic solutions to address the challenges of product creation in a saturated society.
Professor Rebecca Earley is UAL Chair of Circular Design Futures and co-founder/director of Centre for Circular Design at Chelsea College of Arts. She is an award-winning researcher, designer, maker and communicator. In October 2021 she co-founded World Circular Textiles Day 2050 – a collaborative platform working towards environmental, socio-economic change.
Layla Sargent is a founder and CEO of The Seam, a platform that connects wearers to local, specialist makers in order to build a culture of care over consumption. Prior to founding The Seam, Layla spent her professional career building digital communities and using technology to help bring people together. The Seam's business model was inspired by Layla's childhood spent with her grandmother, a professional seamstress.
Patrick Burgoyne has been writing, thinking and talking about design and visual communications for the past three decades. He was editor of Creative Review magazine from 1999 to 2019. He is also the author of several books on design and visual culture and has written for many publications. As a founding member of creative collective URGE, he works towards helping designers and clients adopt radical solutions to the climate crisis.
