PhD in Materials Science

Three-dimensional weaving for garment manufacture remains an emerging field, with most technical progress to date occurring within composites rather than apparel.While full-form garment weaving has been demonstrated on jacquard looms, these examples remain limited in scope, and the technical parameters influencing garment performance—particularly comfort, fit, seam durability, and stability—are under-researched. The dominant driver for whole-garment weaving lies in its potential to dramatically reduce pre-consumer textile waste: current cut-and-sew production methods can generate 18–40% waste, yet accurate industry data are scarce due to minimal waste tracking. A single-step woven garment system therefore represents a compelling opportunity to improve material efficiency and environmental performance across the fashion value chain.This PhD project aims to advance the technical, material, and design foundations required to make seamless woven garment components competitive with conventional manufacturing. Drawing on multimorphic weaving principles, the research will interrogate how complex garment forms can be generated directly on the loom and identify the structural and aesthetic parameters required for consumer-acceptable products. The project will explore yarn behaviour—including sustainable, functional, and bio-based yarns—to determine how fibre type, torsion, colouration, and reactivity influence formability, comfort, and silhouette in three-dimensional woven structures.A mixed-method approach will be adopted. Practice-based weaving experiments will test the feasibility of creating woven sleeves, bodice forms, gussets, and other shaping elements on jacquard, dobby, or emerging digital weaving technologies. Technical textile testing will evaluate comfort, durability, and stability against benchmark cut-and-sew garments. Market and technology research will compare whole-garment weaving with other single-step manufacturing systems, including 3D knitting, identifying enablers and barriers to industrial adoption. Collaboration with local weaving companies will provide insight into machinery adaptation, workflow integration, and workforce upskilling.Ultimately, this project seeks to clarify whether seamless woven garment manufacturing can offer a viable, scalable, and more sustainable alternative for the apparel sector. The original contribution lies in developing the technical knowledge and design methodologies needed to streamline single-step woven garment production, while proposing pathways for industry adoption within future, digitally-enabled manufacturing ecosystems.