Expanding textural expressions of synthetic non-woven

This degree work places itself in the field of textile design within printing and surface design. The primary motive is to explore methods of designing textural expressions of a non-woven polyester fabric which combine relief and printing techniques in order to design textiles with three-dimensional properties. The work explores possibilities on how to bring an aesthetic expression into a synthetic non-woven inlay fabric by using screen print, sublimation print and relief moulding towards an interior context. The purpose is to take advantage of the technical properties such as expansion, softness and stiffness of a non-woven polyester fabric into the design work. The design method consisted of a material-based pre-study to gain knowledge about non-woven materials and their reactions to heat, moulding possibilities and printing options. Further developments were done through workshops that explored frottage as design inspiration for final designs and gradations with halftones as a colouring method. The outcome of this degree work resulted in a collection of three textile pieces; a wall covering, a room divider and a sound absorber that are seen as prototypes for further development on how to give synthetic non-woven textiles an alternative aesthetic expression