The project is part of the European research framework for the application of spatial technologies to the textile design and production, be it for Fashion design, Object design or Interior design. It aims at making students aware of sustainable production of innovative textiles. The students participating in this research project will have the opportunity to become aware of the demands of fields different from their basic training curriculum, to get initiated to research practice, thus developing entrepreneurship and European employability. This project will support the students in primarily developing specific research skills, as well as analysis, synthesis- and communication skills. The pedagogical approach is social-constructivist, with the student at the very core of his/her training. The research will be carried out during transnational and trans-professional meetings, the themes of the workshops organized being “Creativity”, “Feasibility Study” and “Prototyping”. The objectives are allowing the students to follow the step-by-step process of a product until its industrialization and to become aware of the demands inherent in its production. A book will be created during each phase as well as events (symposium, exhibition, etc.). The five partners involved in the project are Créaction of European Spatial Agencies (Luxemburg) associate with Inextenso (ESA France in Lyon), giving access to spatial-industry technologies, and two Higher Education institutions in Fashion design (Belgium/Spain). Each European Spatial Agency will collaborate with the Higher Education Fashion institution closer to its location, so as to increase the creative approach. As a fourth partner and research center for innovative textiles, AITEX will share its competences on the feasibility and prototyping of the project. Through this strategic partnership, a better visibility of the Higher Education partners and also a real added value will be reached. The partnership will give them a new identity as institutions committed in “top innovation and technologies in Europe”, ensuring employability in a new era’s jobs. In this innovative project, the teachers-researchers will transfer their know-how to students and will also maintain their relationships with this project’s partners in order to update their knowledge, and -why not- consider another European North-South partnership.
For ITECH, the objective was to make engineers work with textile and creative designers, and to mix the two educational approaches so that the two profiles mutually enrich each other and to find innovative solutions that interest both industrial processes and markets. For the HEFF, the objective was to make designers work with the engineering community to open doors for them other than aesthetic textile design, taking into account new technical constraints in materials and implementation. For Créaction, it was an opportunity to get closer to two European higher education establishments specializing in the textile sector and a higher education establishment for engineers in order to consider new space/non-space applications with a young and energizing vision. For ESNE, ...
This innovative project offered to the students is part of the Erasmus+ Program. Francisco Ferrer University College (HEFF), based in Brussels and specialized in textile design, received funding from Europe to carry out the entire project with various partners including two other higher education establishments, ESNE based in Madrid and specialized in design and fashion and ITECH. Another non-academic partner is associated to the project, Créaction International, official correspondent of the European Space Agency (ESA), in Luxembourg, for the promotion of space technologies. The HEFF wanted to stand out from other Belgian textile art schools by offering more innovative training and responding to the changing needs of the industrial market. The goal of the project was to move from the idea to an industrializable product. ITECH's participation was obvious because of its strong relationship with industry and its ability to respond to current industrial needs. For ESNE...