Hi Reader,

Well, when I spoke last time about a summer of adventures after returning home - little did I know I'd be on the move again so quickly! Here I am in Saudi Arabia for personal reasons ... which brings a natural pause to many things Motif, but thankfully not all of it!

The tech allowing us to continue meaningful work, even when disrupted, got me thinking a bit more about this interface between innovation and tradition. Recognising it's a two way street is exciting to say the least!

Tradition fuels innovation.

When we hear the word innovation, we often picture machines doing things faster than ever before. Tech taking over! But after decades working alongside handweavers in Bangladesh, I've come to believe that some of the most exciting innovations are rooted in something much older. A wooden handloom.

Does that sound like a contradiction? Hear me out!

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The looms our artisan partners use today haven't changed much in generations. What has changed is what's woven on them. Beautiful yarn recycled from garment factory scraps, that reduce the need for new raw materials; modern colour palettes and contemporary fabric designs; ancient techniques rediscovered and revived; low minimums that counter surplus production; and more. The tradition remains, but it's solving today's challenges. Everything about it feels right to me!

It's a reminder that innovation doesn't always mean replacing the old. Sometimes it means asking, How can what's already here, in this case centuries of craftsmanship, help us build a better future?

Innovation fuels tradition.

I've seen this firsthand. Even now, as the Kind Fabric Course runs, I'm reminded afresh of :

• The obvious innovations in communication enabling connections between artisans and wider opportunities.
• The absolute gift of Plaidmaker, a simple open source weave design software we use to bring designers and artisans together.

Designers sketch ideas on a laptop, we discuss and develop them, share them across the world to Bangladesh, and a skilled weaver transforms them into fabric using techniques handed down through generations. These fabrics are then delivered to wherever in the world production is happening.

Digital creativity and traditional craftsmanship aren't competing with one another, they're working together. Can this be where the future of sustainable fashion really lies? Please! Not in choosing between technology and tradition, but in combining the best of both.

This is what we do in the Kind Fabric Collective, a growing community of designers, makers and sustainability champions who believe the future of textiles can be, and do, better! Check us out here!​

Here's to a future where innovation doesn't leave tradition behind, but progresses with it. I think that's a future worth weaving together. 😘Ahem!Who am I to resist a good pun. 😘