The research group's textile design research activities enable its partners in industry and business to realise pioneering products which are aligned with the market and designed for specific target groups. The research partners involved are, firstly, national and international institutions and commercial enterprises with interests in the textile value chain, ranging from the fibre itself all the way to fabric development, manufacture and textile product development. However, the research group also maintains partners in other sectors, such as wood processing, electronics, thermal insulation and architecture.
In analytical settings and experimental procedures, design-related visions are developed, which translate the multi-layered potential of textile technologies and materials into up-to-the-minute application scenarios and harness them for innovative processes and developmental contexts. Art-related and conceptual skills in the field of textiles are thus deployed in a traditionally discipline-specific way, as well as reflected in interdisciplinary research fields. The research group has been honing its methodological know-how over the years and has published it as the “Textile Design Research Model” (TDRM).
By archiving and acquiring a selected historical textile patrimony, the research group has, in addition, developed an analysis matrix for the logging of textile objects and established an extensive database of textile designs. The research group’s know-how in analysing material culture is supplemented by the research topic “Textile and Design History”, which researches the complex cultural, economic and technical contexts of design production in history and prepares and communicates them by means of appropriately targeted presentations and publications.
Products and Textiles' three strategic research themes are:
- Materials and Scenarios of the Future
- Design Processes and Technology
- Textile and Design History
