FTF researchers

Pirjo Kääriäinen

Professor of Practice, Design driven fibre innovation
pirjo.kaariainen at aalto.fi

I see design as a strategic tool for sustainable future. My professional background is in Scandinavian textile industry and commerce, and in recent years I have gained experience in renewing design education in the Aalto University. Currently I am focusing on developing new materials and production methods through multidisciplinary collaboration between design and science.

Natalia Särmäkari

Doctor of Arts, Post-doctoral Researcher
natalia.sarmakari at aalto.fi

Research funded by: Strategic Research Council at the Academy of Finland

Natalia is a fashion and design researcher, working in the Intimacy in Data-Driven Culture consortium. Her research focuses on digital fashion, the designers' profession and alternative approaches to design authorship, including co-design and open-source fashion. Natalia explores how the fashion design field, increasingly interlinked with gaming and computer science, is shaped by the current technological environments. She also looks at the virtualization of museums and digital possibilities in preserving fashion design as a cultural heritage.
 
Natalia has a Doctor of Arts (DA) degree from Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Department of Design. Initially trained as a fashion designer, Natalia holds MA from Aalto University and BA from Lahti Institute of Design. Natalia has a diverse pre-academia work experience in the fashion industry and beyond.

Emmi Pouta

Doctoral Researcher
emmi.pouta at aalto.fi

The aim of my research is to develop new methods to integrate electronics and sensor structures into woven fabrics as part of the weaving process. Although the new functions broaden the domain of textiles capabilities, the important basic qualities, such as the feel and the look of textile materials, will remain essential for the user. While electronic engineering and interaction design influence the textile design process, I want to understand how the embodied knowledge of a textile designer can be the solid foundation to explore this emerging field of eTextiles.

Ingvill Fossheim

Doctoral Researcher
ingvill.fossheim at aalto.fi

Research funded by: BioColour research project

My research is located at the intersection of contemporary costume design, systems thinking, and biobased material development. Through costume design praxis it explores ways in which natural colourants and biofabricated matter can afford new aesthetic qualities to an artistic work, as well as induce meaning and value beyond the scope of the live performative event. In addition to FTF I am also affiliated with the Costume in Focus research group.

Leonardo Hidalgo

Doctoral Researcher
leonardo.hidalgouribe at aalto.fi

Research funded by: Kalevala Koru Cultural Foundation

My research explores the practice of natural dyeing within a local context, and examines the intersections between traditional ecological knowledge, colour, aesthetics and textile design. I have a background in weaving, dyeing and printing for fashion and interior fabrics, developing textile collections and coordinating colour palettes. Through textile practice, I have been interested in navigating the relationships between culture, place, materials and colour. My research aims to integrate local knowledge with methods of using biocolours in textiles. 

Mithila Mohan

Doctoral Researcher
mithila.mohan at aalto.fi

My background lies in textile and multi-functional material design. A weaver at heart, my practice often reflects a reverence for material experimentation and exploration. My research examines the principles of biomimicry within the practice of textile and sustainable design for developing dynamic shape-changing yarns and fabrics that respond to environmental stimuli. Adopting an iterative and reflective design approach and regarding textiles as hierarchical structures, much like plants, the research seeks to explore strategies that augment the behaviour of fibres and yarns through various fabric-construction parameters. In my practice I strive to find solutions with nature and aspire to blur the boundaries of traditional craft, design, and emerging technologies.

Elina Lewe

Doctoral Researcher
elina.lewe at aalto.fi

Research funded by: FINIX and T-REX research project

I have a background in sustainable business development and social sciences. My research focuses on consumer behaviour in the textile sector, looking into perceived values and risks and how these relate to the consumer's participation in circular textile practices, like repairing, recycling or purchasing second-hand textile products. The objective is to understand the consumer behaviour of different consumer groups and based on that to develop frameworks for consumer-centered activities that support and engage consumers in making more ethical consumption choices.

Elina Määttänen

Doctoral Researcher
elina.maattanen at aalto.fi

I’m a fashion designer/maker, with a background from fashion houses and contemporary brands to engaging interdisciplinary art projects. As a doctoral researcher, I’m researching how closing the outflow from the wardrobe could affect the lived experience with already-owned clothes. My design practice is re-designing made-to-measure clothes using existing unused clothing from the person's wardrobe. The goal is to bring calmness to the wardrobe. Engaging the public about clothes, personal style and dressing, not driven by brands and consumption is important to me, so as part of my research, I’m hosting a podcast. 

Elina Onkinen

Project Employee
[email protected]

Position funded by CELLFIL project

I am a fashion designer with a focus on bio-based materials and user research. My previous projects have touched up on topics such as cellulosic textile systems and circular design practices as well as behavioral research. In the CELLFIL project I research the user acceptance of new bio-based materials, aiming to understand how this knowledge could enhance the sustainability transformation of current textile systems. I am interested in exploring the narratives that both the current textile materials as well as the new bio-based materials offer, aiming to translate this knowledge into sustainable design practices.