Sustainability is a huge influence on Hopkins’practice. For the designer, innovation in textiles is vital in creating materials that are ethically produced and have minimal negative impact on the natural environment. Hopkins explores this in-depth process through experiments with bacteria and micro imagery. As a result, she creates Kombucha leather, growing it herself. Fermented tea, SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) and other ingredients create a layer of bacterial cellulose which Hopkins then dries to make a sustainable, vegan leather alternative. She is currently developing this as a revolutionary material along with natural dyes and sustainable paper for interior applications such as window coverings, screen dividers and lighting pieces.
BA (Hons) Textile Design
artsthread.com/profile/miss-ehopkins
@emily.may.designs
