Molly Owen

Molly Owen is a Textile Designer with a passion for material innovation.

Specialising in knitted textiles, her practice explores the relationship between form and function through carefully considered material and colour choices, in order to maximise comfort and challenge our perceptions. The idea of problem solving by pushing traditional boundaries and changing how we approach knit has always been at the heart of Molly's practice.

With a constant desire to learn, Molly’s curiosity and hands on approach has led to new ideas around sustainability, aesthetics and performance, with the user experience at the forefront.

REUSE // Accustomed

Accustomed is a celebration of the everyday and the ordinary. The project aims to give life to the discarded taking inspiration from the often overlooked.

Focusing on domestic waste, Molly looks to provide a new way of thinking about future aesthetics and performance by looking at how the construction of materials could be based on what we have around us.

Whilst working from home, Molly was restricted to the materials and tools at her disposal. She began thinking about the untapped waste stream of the everyday and the ordinary; domestic waste such a plastic bags or fruit nets and how they could be utilized and applied to materials in order to keep them in circulation for longer and bring new life to the unloved.

In this instance, Molly has applied her ideas to a footwear context, however believes that this process could be widely used across a number of applications.

Giving Life to the Unloved — Keeping materials in circularity for longer by giving them a new purpose.

Performance Study — Exploring where stitch structures sit best on the foot to support, allow movement and enhance performance.

Construction — Finding new ways to join fabrics using re-purposed domestic waste.

Prototype #1 — How can product placement effect desireability?

Movement Material

Design Development — Visualising the placement of materials, textures and colours and how they sit on the foot.

Everyday Objects — Collecting and documenting everyday items which influence colour and composition.

Strength Through Waste — Identifying problems in existing products and finding ways to improve longevity by applying waste.

Prototype #2 — Demonstrating how waste can be used to effectively test ideas without using new materials.

Combinations — Experimenting with various types of waste by changing form through heat and application.

Taking rubbings of surfaces and collecting papers for their interesting patterns and textures is how Molly documents her continuous thoughts around structure. She is very selective in her process so that these ideas can be effectively translated into knit and inform material developments.

Collage Colour Drawing Experimental knit textiles Mark Making pattern Process Reuse Structure Surface Texture

Molly Owen

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About

Royal College of Art

Molly Owen

The Ashley Family Foundation Scholarship

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About

Royal College of Art