A regenerative textiles perspective

The video features contributions from several guests.

Their discussion highlights regenerative design in the fashion industry and explores new ways of engaging with textiles. They argue that designing with bio-based materials transforms the entire system—from cultivation and fibre production to spinning, weaving, and garment manufacturing. This shift occurs because a garment’s end of life must be considered from the very beginning of the design process. Design therefore becomes a critical tool for challenging the status quo and for deepening our understanding of the ecosystems from which materials originate. In this context, regenerative materials can decentre the human-led design process, opening it up to include other species as active participants.

• The use of bio-based materials reshapes the entire textile system—from cultivation and fibre production to spinning, weaving, and dyeing. Rather than focusing solely on the final garment, design must now consider the full lifecycle from the outset.
• Principles such as designing for longevity and recyclability become central to the process.
• Closely monitoring each stage and understanding the perspectives of all stakeholders not only helps reconnect us with materials and natural systems, but also creates opportunities to relocalise crop cultivation and production practices.
• Working with regenerative materials encourages approaches that include other living organisms as part of the process, shifting the focus away from human-centred design toward the broader ecosystem in which it operates.

Dr. Elise van der Laan is a cultural sociologist and Associate Lector in Fashion & Design Research at ArtEZ University of the Arts. She obtained her PhD (2015) from the University of Amsterdam for a study into aesthetic standards in fashion photography. She has published on topics such as fashion and identity, aesthetic standards, sustainable fashion and cultural fields.

Daniëlle Bruggeman is a Professor of Fashion and Sustainability and cultural theorist at ArtEZ University of the Arts in the Netherlands. Since 2017 she has led fashion research and taught within the Master’s programme Critical Fashion Practices, focusing on sustainability, solidarity, and critical approaches to the fashion system. In April 2024 she was appointed Professor by special appointment of Fashion and Sustainability at Radboud University, where she explores ways fashion can contribute to ecological and social responsibility. Her work combines interdisciplinary research, teaching, and publication to rethink fashion beyond mass consumption models.

Haiko Huvenaars is a systems thinker and cultural strategist working at the intersection of industry, policy and culture. As Director of New Order of Fashion, he leads a public design lab that challenges cultural norms and makes space for new ways of thinking, making and relating. With a background in industrial engineering, Haiko discovered the fashion industry through a supply chain lens, where he became obsessed by the mismatch between what we make and what we actually use. In recent years he combined his learnings and interest in circularity and digitalisation to found a fashion-tech startup, through which he introduced digital deposit (statiegeld) on garments. Now, he applies fashion as a lens through which we can better understand society as we navigate times of fundamental change.

Oscar Tomico holds an MSc degree in Industrial Engineering from Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain). His PhD is from the same institution, awarded cum laude in 2007 on subjective experience-gathering techniques based on constructivist psychology. Tomico briefly worked as a consultant for Telefonica R&D (Spain) and joined Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) as Assistant Professor in 2007. In 2023, he became associate professor on Design Research Methodologies for Posthuman Sustainability.