Animal products including fur, feathers and exotic skins are problematic materials, yet they remain popular as decorative embellishments in contemporary fashion. As part of PhD practice research, novel textile embellishments were developed based on the historical and contemporary attraction of fur and exotic animal materials, forming future embellishment which can be created using new and sustainable non-animal materials. This project included the planning, design and delivery of in-depth interviews and workshops with the fashion industry, case study research at the Victoria & Albert Museum archive, as well the production of a series of textile artefacts and a garment.

One of the techniques developed is Threading Rubber, whereby glass yarn is threaded through hand-cut strips of wild rubber. These components are then separately attached to a fabric base through hand-sewing to achieve feathery effects.