A funding program as a springboard: With the “Kickstart” scholarship (“campuls-digital” reported), textile design graduate Antonia Ablass was able to further develop an unusual idea: Textiles on which plants grow. Her project shows how artistic approaches can lead to innovative concepts for sustainable design.
Antonia Ablass studied textile design at the Münchberg campus of Hof University of Applied Sciences from 2019 to 2024. She became interested in sustainability in the textile sector early on. During a project during her studies, she came up with the idea of designing fabrics so that plants could grow on them.
“The principle is actually quite simple,” explains Ablass. “I apply seeds to the fabric and integrate irrigation systems using textile techniques.” The textiles are then transformed into fashion, installations or sculptures. Initial experiments during her studies showed that the principle works in principle. In a semester project with students from the Innovative Textiles course, a technically very complicated prototype was then created. Although this did not work as hoped, it was nevertheless an important step on the way to further developing the project.
Freedom through funding
The Kickstart grant supports students and graduates with up to 7,500 euros to develop prototypes. Ablass used the funding to invest in pumps, irrigation technology, Arduino controllers, seeds and 3D printing materials. It also made it possible to collaborate with a specialized weaving mill.
“The financial freedom allowed me to try things out and make riskier decisions.”
Antonia Ablass, designer
This enabled her to build up a broad portfolio of prototypes, a basis for further funding and scholarships, which she has since received. Strategic planning was particularly instructive for her: she had to calculate exactly which purchases really made sense as early as the application stage.
Artistic paths and international recognition
Since completing her studies, Antonia Ablass has been able to realize numerous projects, including artist residencies in Scotland and Portugal. She has also already realized her first solo exhibition. In November, she will present her work at the Circular Strategies Symposium in Vienna.
The positive feedback motivates her: “It was only through access to the tools that I was able to familiarize myself with new topics such as microcomputer programming or 3D printing – skills that expand my knowledge of textiles in a very meaningful way.” The response to her project was great right from the start, she reports. Even during her Bachelor’s thesis, which she closely linked to the Kickstart scholarship, she received a lot of positive feedback from lecturers and fellow students.
Textiles for urban greening
In future, Ablass would like to develop her project more in the field of architecture and urban greening. The aim is to create textile solutions for green installations in urban spaces.
I can build on my experience from the Kickstart grant and hope to contribute to making our cities greener.”
Antonia Ablass, designer
