Today’s conversation is with Naomi Bailey-Cooper, a textiles designer, artist and researcher, whose research focuses upon designing alternatives to animal materials. Naomi received a funding award from the Victoria & Albert Museum and London College of Fashion for her PhD by practice where she pioneered embellishment alternatives to fur and exotic animal materials. Her work places an emphasis on the sensory tactility, layering and aesthetic richness of materials. As well as developing fashion and textile artefacts, Naomi delivers talks and facilitates workshops which examine approaches that can be applied to creating alternatives to animal materials. In this episode we explore; Her PhD research and practice and what she discovered about the appeals of fur, feathers, reptile skins and other exotic animal materials used in clothing. The research she conducted at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, where she gained exclusive access to never exhibited archives. How designer’s can explore deeper values within their work and begin to shift current design practices toward ethical and long-lasting products. The importance of creating opportunities for people to come together and share varied perspectives. Future visions and paradigms shifts needed for the fashion industry. The importance of moving away from animal derived materials. Her artist residency in the Amazon recording rare insect species through textile embellishments. The energetics of unsustainable materials and processes + loads more. Resources + mentions: Naomi’s Website. Fashioned from Nature exhibition at the V&A Delft Fur Report Design Against Crime research centre at the University of the Arts London Labverde - Art immersion program in the Amazon Planthopper Nymph insect This was such an inspiring and thought provoking convo - we hope you enjoy!