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Heather Young

Assistant Professor

Availability:

Education:

MDes, Fashion and Textiles
Glasgow School of Art

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. 

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.

Courses

Course Name Department Course Code Term
Visual Arts Studio VAST 310 27/SP

Description

This course presents content that address a specific subject area or theme within Visual Arts practices. Assigned projects specific to the area of study, presentations, demonstrations, and critiques are an integral part of the course. Emphasis is placed on the critical examination of the students' work, technical development and the students' exploration of contemporary ideas The focus of the course is determined by the instructor.

Each section of this course runs with a different topic. See here .

Pre-requisites

No prerequisites.

Industrial Design INDD 307 27/SP

Description

Textile product design addresses the performance, form, and function of felt, knit, and woven material. Students will learn basic pattern drafting, along with a general introduction to material properties, structural and reinforcement possibilities. This course prepares students for their more involved projects in textile goods, safety and technical wear, medical products, and wearable technologies.

Pre-requisites

No prerequisites.

Industrial Design INDD 217 27/SP

Description

This course introduces students to designing sewn products for mass production. The students will design and make two sewn items; a small, introductory project lasting four weeks, and a larger project taking up the rest of the semester. The students will use technical fabrics and a sewing machine to do this and try to replicate industrial design processes as much as possible.

Pre-requisites

No prerequisites.

Industrial Design INDD 410 27/SP

Description

This team-taught course offers exposure to key aspects (values, concepts and skills) of 3D and 4D Design. Students independently engage in design research and methods, analyze, design, present and evaluate ideas to meet required objectives though individual and group projects. Discussion and reflection help students make informed decisions about their personal and professional development. Collaborative and contextual project work is emphasized in order to develop students' community-based multidisciplinary teamwork, project management and client management skills.

Pre-requisites

No prerequisites.

Industrial Design INDD 300 26/FA

Description

This 6-credit core studio allows for an intensive project-based learning experience in industrial design. Students will be exposed to skills and theories that build on the knowledge from second year, expand their design capacities, and prepare them to work independently in fourth year.

Priority is given to INDD students in Year 3.

Pre-requisites

No prerequisites.

Industrial Design INDD 407 26/FA

Description

This Textile Product Design course will focus on material properties and prototyping techniques. Categories of textile product are discussed, such as interactive, tensile, worn, and stuffed. Course Traditional craft based understandings of textile artifact production are addressed from social, cultural, and historical perspectives. Students will have the opportunity to develop novel textile based outcomes that are relevant to contemporary societal issues through research, exploration, and prototyping.

Priority is given to INDD and INTD students in Years 3 and 4. Students outside of the registration priority group may register/waitlist for this course as of the registration rule release date.

Pre-requisites

No prerequisites.