Rachael Walker
I'm a Textiles Educator, Researcher and Maker
I have years of experience teaching in education, including as associate lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. My research has long focused on the relationship between materials, touch and meaning in my ongoing practice as a textile artist and designer.I am currently developing a course in material literacy for fashion and textiles — building the knowledge students need to make genuinely informed decisions about the materials in their work and their lives.
So what is Material Literacy?
Material literacy is the ability to read the materials around us — to understand what things are made of, where those materials come from, and what that means. It is a concept arriving from unexpected directions simultaneously: art history, sustainable design, children's education, materials science. In fashion and textiles, where the gap between what a label says and what it tells you has never been wider, it has never mattered more.
Course Coming Soon.......
A seven-session online course in material literacy for fashion and textiles is in development. Covering fibre science, sustainability trade-offs, recycled materials, textile innovation, certifications and greenwashing — everything you need to read a label, interrogate a claim, and understand what you are actually working with. Sign up below to be the first to hear when it launches.
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