Re-Touch

This project stemmed from observing a quiet ritual in Wednesbury marketplace: people instinctively evaluating objects through touch. This act of haptic perception made me question how we assign value — and how, in a throwaway culture, tactile connection is often missing from how we consume and discard. Motivated by a passion for sustainable design, I focused on the environmental challenges posed by the textile industry. In the UK alone, over 200,000 tonnes of textile waste are discarded annually — much of it due to a preference for replacing over repairing. The resulting proposal is a circular textile hub that facilitates the full lifecycle of clothing: from collection and repair to transformation and reuse. Designed as a tactile, community-centred space, the architecture encourages hands-on engagement with materials, celebrating the act of giving objects — and spaces — renewed value.