by Prof. Dr. Marina-Elena Wachs
Hochschule Niederrhein - University of Applied Sciences
Fachbereich Textil- und Bekleidungstechnik - Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology

"BLUE is the new GREEN in the sustainability debate in design" (Wachs).

This thesis has been the kick-off for the new interdisciplinary topic which is explored at the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology in terms of research projects, final theses and semester works. 

In the further course of the design debate and discussion about >greens smarts< (2014, Wachs) - sustainable smart textile systems which work with increasingly natural components inspired by the role model of bionics of natural examples - Blue has been related to the use of blue technology and bluesign: 

We would like to explore Blue in a broad associative scope and only substantiate it in the second step: in textile-, fashion- and interior- and architecture design we have defined it as new sustainable aspect of the broad spectrum of textile applications in terms of resource- and energy-efficiency. Within the scope of the following exemplary design works many different fashion- and textile-applications have been created in the WS 2015/16. 

MASTER THESES

Nazanin Celik

Nazanin Celik MA Textile Produkte Design: > invisible TOUCH with a secret SOUL – German design meets Japanese values<
- An intercultural convergence of German and Japanese design languages, in terms of an innovative experimental texture of the textile surface as well as in terms of classical cut and laser systems. 
(nominated for the award of the Wilhelm-Lorch-Stiftung 2016)
supervised by Prof. Dr. Wachs and Prof. Dipl.-Des. Wiedemann

Lara Leetz

Lara Leetz MA Textile Produkte Design: >Cover-me, Protect-me, Serve-me in Mobile Fashion Systems: form follows energy, follows architecture in blue fashion and textile design<
cited from her work:
"With the Mobile Fashion System a clothing system has been constructed whose inspiration origins from the symbiosis of nature, technology, architecture and fashion. New material dimensions of the post digital era of 'smart textiles' will take over forms in the future that replace the traditional clothing culture. Based on the charcteristics of Green Smart Bionics, intelligent bionic textiles and the energy efficient archiTEXTURE surroundings around us, a mobile comfortable clothing system is developed."
(nominated for the final round of the 7th German RecyclingDesignAward 2015)
supervised by: Prof. Dr. Wachs and Prof. Dipl.-Modegest. Stark 

RESEARCH WORKS in the Degree Programme MA Textile Produkte Design

Verena Winkelmann

Verena Winkelmann Research Project: >IQ-Leather - light lines in leather for BLUE Luminous design concept< ex.: The Travelum:
cited from the research project: "Thanks to the vegetative tanning in the leather industry it is possible to produce leather with highest ecological standards. In addition to the sustainable production leather may also convince due to a special surface formation with extraordinary actionability - in this case it can be folded for example. Inspired by bio luminescence a finishing concept has been developed which makes the raw material leather perfect in design due to light recycling of photo luminescent colour through experimental printing trials: Luminous at night..".
(nominated and in the final round of the Bundespreis Ecodesign 2016)
supervised by Prof. Dr. Wachs

CO-OPERATION PROJECT MITCO-OPERATION EPSON GmbH Deutschland

Supervisor: Prof. Dr., Dipl.-Des. Marina-Elena Wachs, Contact person Textile-Design/Printing: Scientific Employee M.Sc. Mirja Lutz.

Since the WS 2015/16 the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology of the Niderrhein University of Applied Sciences co-operates with the company Epson GmbH Deutschland - especially in the areas of textile and fashion design. Hence, new possibilities of the textile digital printing are explored, experimentally further developed for example by Master students of the Master Degree Programme Textile Produkte - Design who create innovative designs for the topic "change- the next blue" not only limiting the energy and resource efficiency to printing technologies in this case. 

Technology and Textile Design through Transition (3rd Sem.)

Students of the third semester of the Degree Programme Design-Ingenieur Textil deal with the topic of object design with the help of textile printing technologies according to the motto CHANGE. In the designs of the students technology and design are in the centre of the change of time and in focus of creation. Hereby, Epson represents the change of textile printing technologies which becomes visible in the technical oriented designs of the Mönchengladbach Design Talents. 

Contact: M. Sc. Mirja Lutz