Research at FAST

Institute of Textiles & Clothing Institute of Textiles & Clothing 149 Research Overview Dr Huang’s research concentrates on the relationship between materials and body. Designing costumes for theatres, with the demands for ranges of movement and durability, has sharpened his observations of daily wear. He found that the expansion and contraction of pleats offer the potential for new ways of wearing. He learnt the technique of conventional pleating, becoming a studio technician in the longest standing pleating studio in the UK, Ciment Pleating Ltd. During his PhD research, he was invited to several design schools as a visiting lecturer, including Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), PARSONS, New York University (NYU) in New York, Royal College of Art (RCA), Instituto Marangoni, London, to demonstrate innovative pleating method and to facilitate workshops. Recently, he has worked with European art festivals, such as Hull UK City of Culture 2017, and the Prague Quadrennial 2019. Cutting-edge technology is also part of Dr Huang’s focus. Smart textiles will hugely alter the look and the function of garments. He contributed to the reactive textile research team in Kyoto Design Lab, Kyoto Institute of Technology in 2016, co-developing smart textiles with pleats. At the same time, he would like to return to fundamental principles of body based design in fashion and textile research, without blindly chasing technology. Considering people’s life style and habits, how do smart textiles interact with human body? Why do we need these smart textiles? These critical questions have helped him to reflect on his research. Qualification PhD (RCA) ORCID ID 0000-0003-2410-128X Dr HUANG Tsai Chun Research Assistant Professor Research Assistant Professor Awards and Achievements • International Cultural Exchange 2019 Season2, Taipei • PhD Research Scholarship 2014 - 2019 , Taipei • Reshape, 2 nd Prize Reshape Forum 2018 , Spain • Textiles Research Grants, 2015 , London, UK • Finalist Grants, 2015 , International Flavors & Fragrances, London, UK Exhibitions • 2019 The 5 th Art and Science International Exhibition and Symposium, Beijing • 2018 Intimate Design, Beijing • 2018 Reshape Forum, Barcelona • 2018 London Design Festival, London • 2018 Taiwan Design Expo, Taichung • 2018 3D Printing, Fashion, Hangzhou • 2017 UK City of Culture, Hull