This output comprises a journal article and conference proceeding, the research for which was developed through the use of exhibition curation as method. These publications are situated in a sustained enquiry into how designers act as curators, collectors and archivists, appropriating and remediating historical design practice, motifs and procedures to generate new work. The lens of a practitioner-researcher brings new insights into how historical design process studies can inform contemporary textile practices with specific focus on the use and management of historical references and design archives within a design studio.

Methods included archival research, oral history interviews, exhibition and social engagement. Textile historians have urged studies like this to extend design practice understanding (Hendon, 2018; Sykas 2019) and advance the textile discipline (Bye, 2010). Although historical references are often used by designers, investigation into sources and origins of motifs, and their re-purposing, is less well studied from inside the design process (Britt & Stephen-Cran, 2014; Sykas 2019). The only known similar research (Hendon, 2012a; 2012b) differed in context, content, and methods.

This output delivers new knowledge of the Scottish carpet industry and, in particular, Stoddard Templeton and their major contribution to UK carpet manufacturing. Although manufactured artefacts from the company have been shown in collections and exhibitions, this investigation is the first to examine the textile design processes of the company, using previously unseen archival resources. Findings increase textile design process understanding through uncovering hidden textile histories before they are lost and presenting these to new audiences. The work posits transferable methods, provides foundations from which others continue to build (Cleaver, 2015; Armstrong, 2020; 2018) and forms part of an ongoing enquiry into utilising archives and collections for textile research and practice.