“You need to give it a go many times” – Interview with textile designer and raw material researcher Apol Temesi
The concept of raw material research is just as ambiguous as textile design is evident, despite the fact that raw material focused design is becoming an increasingly relevant field. Certainly, many people have heard of glass concrete, mushroom skin or smart textile. Although such design could be taken as a criticism of other design philosophies and offering experimental alternatives to replace existing products or to restore our relationship to certain raw materials, this is not where Apol Temesi draws the lines of raw material-focused design. We have a responsibility to ensure that the development of a product comes to completion, and that rather than remaining an idealistic, sustainable concept, it is turned into a market-ready product. We talked about beginnings, the challenges presented by the field, recycling possibilities, and last but not least the critical situation the Hungarian wool industry is facing and potential solutions.