Weaving the Skills of the Textile Designer as a Contribution to the Construction of a Textile Ecosystem of the Future

This study is part of a design investigation and aims to reflect on higher education in textile design in Portugal. The textile industry faces the need to restructure its production processes and business models taking into account the dimensions of sustainability, circular economy, digitalization and decarbonization for the benefit of the planet and human sustainability. The role of the textile designer is present throughout the process of developing a textile object and not only in the creative phase, as it is necessary to develop new ways of working and methods of collaboration that take into account these premises. In turn, the academia should prepare textile designers to collaborate in this restructuring by integrating knowledge related to the dimensions listed. A non-interventionist investigation was conducted based on the literature review and data collection, triangulating the research themes, aiming to stimulate reflection and weave paths of approximation between academia and industry. It was concluded that there are few academic offerings in textile design and that there are key skills in the areas of circular economy, society and sustainability, that the textile designer need to be prepared to respond to the challenges of the textile industry and strengthen the dialogue between academia and industry.