Against a call for holistic approaches to change within the fashion and textiles industry, this research project responds to the lack of action from textile design higher education, notably from the Glasgow School of Art. Current approaches to sustainability-focused teaching of textile design are limited to material-centred solutions that continue to function within harmful capitalist systems of overproduction and consumption. Shifting focus to embrace the sensibilities, tactility, and social nature of textile design could promote new practices of social innovation that encourage attitudes of care and consideration towards textile items and facilitate long lasting change. This research project gathers perspectives from current GSA textile design students, educators, recent graduates and textile practitioners in and around Glasgow to summarise a collective interpretation of sustainable textile design. It highlights that a lack of consistent and comprehensive teaching about sustainability and textiles acts as a barrier to student engagement with the environmental and social impacts of textile design practice. The research investigates how students can be supported to explore and develop sustainable textile design practices by collecting insights from participants’ lived experiences of studying at GSA. These insights revealed the significance of critical thinking and reflection when considering sustainable approaches to textile design and teaching and underline the importance of GSA developing a tailored curriculum that reflects the values of GSA students and staff. This project explores the role of perception, imagination and future thinking through heuristic fieldwork and analysis, and insights informed the recommendation of utilising four ‘Sustainable Sensibilities’ as the foundations for future curriculum design within the GSA textile design department.