Heather Young

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Bio

Heather Young holds a Master of Design in Fashion and Textiles from the Glasgow School of Art and a Fashion Design degree from LaSalle College in Montreal. Her work brings together research and practice, focusing on material and craft histories, localism, sustainability, and the role of craft in building community. Her design-led research explores how past and present narratives intersect through experimental textile practices. She works across materials, fabrication processes, and design research, integrating hands-on making with reflective inquiry. Heather has taught widely across fashion, costume and design in addition to creative collaborations for dance, fashion and theatre. 

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Research Interests

Heather Young’s research builds on her commitment to place-based making and the intersection of material culture, sustainability and community engagement. She explores natural dyeing, weaving and basketry as pathways to connect with local artists and makers, grounding her work in the harvesting and processing of regionally sourced materials. Her practice is informed by seasonal cycles and the ecological knowledge embedded in historical craft techniques, critically examining how these practices have been disrupted, forgotten or appropriated within contemporary design contexts. By questioning common narratives of material value and production, Heather investigates how plants and other natural resources can be reimagined as agents of both cultural memory and innovation. Through this approach, she seeks to understand how traditional ways of living with and responding to the environment might inform future-oriented, sustainable textile practices.