People
Anne TOOMEY
- Head of Programme, Textiles,
- School of Design, Royal College of Art
Anne is a textiles specialist with national and international experience in research-based design, product development, manufacture and postgraduate education.
With a background as a commercial designer and over 21 years in academia, Anne has a track record of initiating innovative approaches to cross-disciplinary collaborations.
As Head of the Textiles Programme at Royal College of Art, she leads a team of staff and over 140 students working at the creative interface between materials, making and meaning. Their collective focus is the innovation that impacts and spans across many sectors, exploring new territories for the twenty-first century Textiles specialist.
Under her leadership, the Textiles Programme has established the "Soft Systems" research group who focuses on Textiles Innovation, incorporating aspects of emerging material science with design to develop a platform of novel, multi-sensory textiles that explore new applications and routes to market.
With a background as a commercial designer and over 21 years in academia, Anne has a track record of initiating innovative approaches to cross-disciplinary collaborations.
As Head of the Textiles Programme at Royal College of Art, she leads a team of staff and over 140 students working at the creative interface between materials, making and meaning. Their collective focus is the innovation that impacts and spans across many sectors, exploring new territories for the twenty-first century Textiles specialist.
Under her leadership, the Textiles Programme has established the "Soft Systems" research group who focuses on Textiles Innovation, incorporating aspects of emerging material science with design to develop a platform of novel, multi-sensory textiles that explore new applications and routes to market.
WiseEye 2.0: AI-based Inspection System for Knitted and Printed Fabrics
This project is the integration of AI tools with material environmental impact related database to support sustainability decisions of design team of fashion brands during the fashion design process on design and material selection decisions for responsible design practices, minimizing environmental impact.
02 Jul 2025
ANTLER I
This project builds on previous research project Neo-Couture: Development of user-centered methodologies for AI assisted bespoke craftsmanship for couture fashion, representing a significant forward shift from foundational research to an integrated AI-powered embroidery system designed to coach, document, and preserve today’s artisanal embroidery skills essential to haute couture and other luxury industries.
02 Jul 2025