Abstract

This panel will discuss UAL’s ongoing relationship with Material Innovator Ananas Anam and particularly their background with academics at Chelsea College of Arts in teaching and research. The panel will unpack how UAL’s relationship with Ananas Anam began via an ECR research grant (2018) and has developed to become a recurrent partnership on successful research grants (BFTT 2019-20; Innovate UK 2020-21; and FFN+ 2024-25) and live student briefs with Textile Design at Chelsea College of Arts (2019, 2024, 2025). Through this analysis of the UAL/ Ananas Anam partnership this panel aims to contribute to a model of best practice for strategic industrial engagement that can be developed and replicated across courses at UAL.

Session and activities

Panel discussion with guests Raquel Prado (Ananas Anam), Professor Kate Goldsworthy (UAL)  and June Swindell (Salt Textiles).

The panel will be hosted by Dr Helen Paine (UAL) and will explore the UAL/Ananas Anam relationship to unpack best practice for future industry collaborations. Particularly the role of the research partner coming into teaching via live student briefs will be a discussed as the panel explores how research can enrich and help to build contemporary curriculum content.

Ananas Anam harvest waste pineapple leaf fibres to produce new materials and have been awarded funding as a partner with UAL on 3 separate grants: BFTT (2019-2020), Innovate UK (2020-21) and, most recently, Future Fibres Network + (2024-25). These grants have enabled new material and product developments including spinning of the fibre to produce a commercialised yarn. This discussion will focus on Ananas Anam’s broader partnership with UAL as a recurrent industry partner on live student briefs with Textile Design courses at Chelsea.

The discussion will explore the question:

• How can industry partners feed into both research and teaching at UAL to enrich course content and drive an innovative and contemporary curriculum?