Our search for the winner of the 2024 GREEN GRADS Epson TEXTILE CHALLENGE was again a search through Art Schools in Universities across the country to find the graduates best expressing their environmental concerns and/or love of the natural world through the medium of pattern on cloth – and at the same time taking into consideration eco-friendly textiles, dyes, and methods of production. Project director is Debbie McKeegan, founder/director of the (@texintel). Co-judge was Barbara Chandler, founder/curator of GREEN GRADS who initiated ECO STORIES in 2021.
The clear winner for 2024 was Joanne O’Rourke (BA Textile Design, MA Fine Art, Norwich University of the Arts), who exhibited with us first at GREEN GRADS IN THE NORTH in October 2024, and then at the Surface Design Show in Islington, and at Talking Textiles in the Chelsea Harbour showroom of our sponsor Crucial Trading (both these shows were in February 2025).
Joanne’s abstract fabric designs reflect the biodiversity of meadows and marshes around her Norfolk home. And a new collection is printed directly from seaweed. Algae-based dyes such as spirulina and chlorella, along with traditional Japanese indigo, produce a vibrant, nature-based colour palette – “biodegradable alternatives to synthetic and often-toxic pigments.” Joanne is also experimenting with bioplastics made from cornstarch and agar. Indeed she is currently researching all aspects of sustainable textile production, including waterless dyeing (which eliminates water waste) and pigment-based digital printing (which provides vibrant durable colour whilst minimising chemical runoff). She has explored the hidden contribution of microplastics and synthetic fibres to climate change. As an alternative, Joanne proposes regenerative crops such as hemp and flax, alongside other responsibly sourced low-impact fibres.
Joanne won a compact Epson SureColor SC-F100 printer, which she received from Epson’s Charlie de la Haye at the Talking Textiles event.
Joanne also received an invitation from FESPA to present (as their guest) her work and explain her practice in a talk at the SmartHUB theatre at the Fespa Global Expo – duly delivered in May 2025. She reports:
“FESPA, I spoke about my process of combining handcrafted techniques – including seaweed dyes, gestural mark-making, and sustainable materials – with digital print technology to create emotionally resonant, low-impact textiles.I have been using my Epson printer to digitally reproduce hand-painted surfaces onto deadstock and eco-certified fabrics, allowing for on-demand production that stays true to the original work.”
