…This is the task for the first international COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning)-Design Project in cooperation with Students from 3 Universities, 3 Countries, 3 Continents involved:
Together with international colleagues: Sue Fairburn (Canada, Wilson School of Design) and John Powell (UK, Bournemouth University), Prof. Dr. Marina-Elena Wachs (Germany, Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology) initiated this project. ‘We are working on this idea since the EPDE – Engineering Product Design Education Conference 2023! At London. We met us at the annual taking conference long ago, but in 2023, we sketched it out, we discussed about ‘extreme textiles’, about the need of upcycling fast fashion, about fair textile production conditions and very quickly, we came to the focus on buoyancy and the human factor. Because it is a question of existence, to survive. And grace to John, how is at the same time project manager of The Royal Life Guards, UK, we defined the project for fisher men of Tanzania. We want to design WITH the user – not for the user – this is more sustainable for the world.’ (Prof. Wachs)
The kick off of the 1st COIL Design Project will be at 3rd of October 2025, coming together all the partners, the students, the teachers, with the user, the fisher men from Tanzania, Africa.
But beside the sustainable textile and fashion design solutions, the focus lays as well on: ‘The role for AI in a COIL project involving fast fashion, personal floatation devices, and a LMIC (Low and Middle Income Countries) community.’
The presentation of the project will be in November 2025 for the students- the next design engineers in the international teams. Go for it!
Learning together in mixed teams from 3 countries with different perspectives and open-minded to diverse perspectives from three continents on sustainable textile design engineering solutions.
The teachers are planning to present the evaluated results for advanced international education programs at the next EPDE Conference 2026.
But first, John Powell and Prof. Dr. Marina-Elena Wachs are meeting up at EPDE Conference 2025 in Malta.
Prof. Dr. Wachs presents a new project about ‘Children centred hybrid design spaces’ - perhaps the next COIL-idea in cross generational learning and designing…
#The role for AI in a COIL project
#involving fast fashion, personal floatation devices, and a LMIC community.
# Designing with the user: Fisher men from Tanzania
# upcycling of fast fashion
# water project for SDGs 17, …
# textile and buoyancy and the human factor
Contact: Prof. Dr. Marina-Elena Wachs
