Jonathan MacKinnon

A woven textile designer with his practice firmly rooted in science and innovation. 10 years working as a microbiologist means he approaches his work with the meticulous thinking and planning that a scientist would. Returning to education to pursue a career within Textiles has given him a wide range of skills, both creative and critical. Beginning at Edinburgh College, he completed his BTEC, then HND Textile design before continuing on to complete his BA(Hons) at Glasgow School of Art. Winning 8 awards en route has cemented his decision to change paths and arrive where he is at today.

Science plays a part in all of his work, approaching each brief or project as he would a scientific rationale; developing a hypothesis before researching, experimenting, analysing and proving (or disproving) the initial theory. His graduate collection was treated no differently. Textile Design and scientific studies sit hand in hand in a world where sustainability is key and fabric end use has to change. Jonny sought to explore the possibilities of woven textiles and push what the limits of a weaving loom were. Microscopically viewing tropical bugs and butterflies opened up a whole world of design, discovering colour and texture normally unseen by the human eye. Taking these microscopic images and enlarging them through large scale drawing, painting and use of CAD software, he brought texture back to a workable scale. Then exploring fabric density, structure and strength through considered use of materials and technique resulted in a strong body of samples which coherently sit beside his research. Taking all of this experimentation, he cited the work within a fashion context aimed at the higher end, couture use of textiles, successfully visualising his samples as contemporary garments. Having gained entry into the MDES Fashion Design programme at GSA, he plans to further develop his woven textiles practice, building on his skill set with the addition of fashion techniques.