Learning to put reclaimed materials to a creative use


Remnants, offcuts and samples are resources that should not be disregarded by textile designers. Ellen Nacey expresses her view based on experience as a postgraduate


When we think of the fashion and textiles industries, one might think about the glitz and glamour of the runway, and how this in turn is developed for the high street and beyond. You might consider the fact that every season or so, new lines and collec- tions are launched and sold, and these have usually been planned and designed one year or more in advance. Fashion and textiles will always and forever be exciting; it’s a form of self expression. Our clothes and belongings suggest a narrative that perhaps we can’t always communicate. But hiding in plain sight is another side of this conversation; the effect these industries have on the environment and the planet. There is a considerable amount of water, energy and material usage that these industries accumulate, which only seems to be growing every year. From huge carbon emissions, to mass production and waste, use of toxic chemicals and vast amounts of water and energy – the list is endless, and growing, fast. Most printing and dyeing processes on


28 Textiles Loop • Summer 2026


Images: Ellen Nacey


fabrics for fashion and textiles require vast amounts of water, chemicals and electricity to ensure colours, designs and finishes are applied correctly and precisely. Within the fashion industry, most companies design for the seasons with quick turnarounds. Often when these seasons have moved on, the ‘waste’ fabrics that are out of trend end up in landfill, or worse, destroyed.


Questions to be answered It’s worth saying that this concept of time is a crucial part of this trade, it is constant- ly moving and trying to keep up with demand, styles and the consumer. With that, the trends changing mean the source materials – the fabrics and other raw mate- rials – also follow suit. But why are the remnants so often discarded? Why are they considered valueless when time has passed? How can waste materials be re-used in an effective way? In the autumn of 2025, I graduated from


the Royal College of Art in London with a Masters in Textiles. It was a fantastic year,


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