Sustainable Textile Technologies

This course will inspire you to explore the diverse and novel application of sustainable textiles and challenge you to push the boundaries of textile design and production. Supported by our passionate academics, you will develop advanced technical expertise, from design and development through to construction and product testing, critically examining the ethical and environmental impact of design and gaining a unique and innovative vision for the application of textile materials.

This course has been designed in collaboration with industry, constantly evolving to produce graduates that meet industry demand. Throughout the course, you will work closely with industry via coursework, guest talks, company trips, live-projects and live competitions, giving you opportunities to network and gain skills employers are seeking. In the past, students have worked alongside high street retailers, material innovators, product developers, textile manufacturers and finishers, small start-up companies and material scientists. You will also have the opportunity to tailor your learning to your career aspirations through your coursework topics, elective module choice, work-based projects, placements and your final term projects.

We encourage applications from students from either design or technical backgrounds, as these skills will help you develop a rounded skill-set. Previous students on this course have created some of the most exciting, pioneering work by drawing on their wide-ranging areas of expertise - we have seen an engineering graduate using lasers to enhance the design process, a mechanical design engineer investigating the performance of lightweight synthetic motorcycle clothing, a fashion designer develop sustainable sportwear and a contour design graduate developing wearable technology.

Graduates from this course have gone on to obtain roles in sustainable design, sportwear and performance textiles, product development, fashion buying and regulatory and sustainability at diverse companies including Asda, Next, Gymshark, Baltex, Hugo Boss, Finisterre and Rohan. The course also offers a clear progression route into PhD studies with opportunities for students to take their research further from masters level to post-doctoral and research with TEAM research group.

Key features

Bring your dreams to life in our award-winning Vijay Patel building. Alongside extensive textile dyeing, finishing and printing facilities, you will also have access to one of the only university-owned, fully climate-controlled textiles laboratory for textile testing in the UK. The lab houses a range of commercial textile testing equipment alongside specialist research facilities, allowing you to experiment, prototype and test materials, products and processes.

Benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the Textile Engineering and Materials (TEAM) Research Group, who directly input on the course content. TEAM’s research includes textile processing, biodegradable and compostable textiles, end of life management of fashion and textile materials, healthcare textiles, performance textiles and designing for the circular economy and sustainable textile industry.

Enjoy opportunities to showcase your work in DMU’s The Gallery space, which plays host to industry visitors and the general public from across the East Midlands and further afield. You will also showcase at the LCB Depot, one of Leicester’s creative hubs, as part of Fashion Season, where you can showcase your final-term work through posters and physical pieces.

Learn from our expert teaching team and skilled technicians. With vast experience working in industry, they can provide expert knowledge and guidance across garment and product technology, intimate apparel, textile technology and innovation, fabric construction, and sustainable and ethical practices.