Professor of Technical Textiles and the Director of Research and Innovation

Professor Goswami is a professor of Technical Textiles and the Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Huddersfield. Previously, Professor Goswami was the Associate Dean for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge Exchange for Arts and Humanities, Head of the Department for Fashion and Textiles and then of Music and Design Arts at the University of Huddersfield. He is also the Director of the Technical Textiles Research Centre. Before joining the University of Huddersfield, Professor Goswami was the Director of Research and Innovation at the School of Design at the University of Leeds and led the Fibre and Fabric Functionalisation Research group at Leeds. He is committed to multidisciplinary research and is working towards building constructive collaborations with the University of Huddersfield and industries.

Professor Goswami's domains of research are product development using flexible materials and the application of chemistry for functionalising textiles. Professor Goswami manages a large profile of research concerned with fibre/polymer science, nonwovens, medical textiles (implantable materials and non-implantable materials), sustainable materials (fundamentally understanding the properties of new material), application and development of nano/submicron fibres for novel applications, and plasma treatment for functionalising textiles and textile chemistry. Professor Goswami is also the first academic to be appointed to the board of the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT). Professor Goswami is a Freeman of the City of London and the Worshipful Company of Woolmen.

Managing Director

As Managing Director of WTiN, Madelaine leads the delivery and strategic operations of critical data-driven intelligence and market insights that empower the global textile & apparel value chain. She is dedicated to driving digital transformation and sustainable innovation across the industry through high-quality intelligence, consultancy and strategic partnership. Working at WTiN for over 10 years, and previously as Head of Content, Madelaine has a wealth of knowledge across the supply chain. She holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Leeds, UK and a First Class Honours degree in International Journalism from Liverpool John Moores, also in the UK.

Marketing and Sustainability Director – Textiles

Simon has extensive international B2B2C sales and marketing experience growing new business in the sustainable fibres, technical textiles and performance apparel industries. Having worked for global brands, retailers and manufacturers, Simon’s background includes building ingredient brands and aligning teams across cultures in dynamic markets and supporting supply chain transformation and engagement through the textiles value system. Simon currently leads sustainability for Hyosung, the world’s largest elastane manufacturer by market share, who recently completed a US$1bn investment in creating the world’s first low-carbon integrated supply chain to produce bio-based elastane derived from sugarcane in Vietnam.

CEO and Founder of Mycorrhiza Fashion, Materials Science Researcher

Working at the convergence of design, biology, and materials science, Mya Love Griesbaum is shaping the future of fabric. While conducting research on mycoremediation at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), Mya Love was inspired by fungi’s regenerative power and ability to digest synthetic pollutants. In parallel, she had a growing interest in fashion but didn’t want to contribute to its seismic industrial pollution. Consequently, she found a way to align her interests: A series of experiments with bacterial cellulose, algae, and fungi ultimately catalyzed her biotech startup, Mycorrhiza Fashion, which uses fungi to transform synthetic fashion waste into sustainable textiles with the mission of fostering a radical symbiosis between people, the planet, and our clothes.

Speakers