Julia Wilmott
Senior Lecturer and Doctoral Researcher
Julia is a knitwear and textiles practitioner currently undertaking a PhD in the area of knitted textile design. Her research themes have evolved from her time working as a fashion knitwear designer within the fashion industry. With over a decade of industry experience before moving into academia, she spent a lot of time working on designs for a number of fast fashion companies and saw a need for change and improvements in many different areas of the industry.
Julia’s research focuses on sustainable textiles and materials for fashion. The doctoral research specifically focuses on one area; British wool. In particular the research project aims to explore whether the handle of particular British wool yarns, available in the UK market, can be improved through knitted textile design? Is it possible for a number of average handle yarns to be elevated through design, so they become desirable in the everyday market-place? The doctoral research is practice based and links exploratory knitted textiles with research into tactile perceptions of woollen knitted fabrics.