Team HiblaTech
Team MARD
Guest: Rosana Escobar, Roxas Artz Studio
MARD collaborators: Lesley Roberts, Sarah Muir-Smith, Louise McArthur, Simone Suss, Marcell Csillag, Ines Quinones Fabregas, Susanna-Mei Casuncad, Francesca Baur, Alyson Tobin
These short-term research initiatives provide a unique opportunity for participants to engage in co-research, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. By participating in these research projects, students and alumni gain hands-on experience, expand their professional networks, and contribute to meaningful solutions that promote regeneration and resilience.
The course not only enhances learning but also reinforces MARD’s commitment to fostering a community of practice dedicated to designing a regenerative future. This research serves as a bridge between academia and real-world applications, enabling alumni and students to work together while also engaging with partners from around the globe.
Hiblatech and MA Regenerative Design CSM joined together in spring 2025 for a short research collaboration to expand the regenerative fibre inquiry and modes of application.
Hiblatech is a B2B fiber-to-textile company based in the Philippines, working with local farmers to develop regenerative fibers (starting with the pineapple leaf waste fiber) that can be used for innovative and more sustainable textiles. It hopes to increase the mainstream awareness and use of these new fibers and textiles to uplift source communities and provide businesses and consumers with unique and regenerative choices.
This project works from a vision to make positive change through creating active and imaginary proposals towards new systems and applications. The context of this research collaboration is set around a new reimagination of raw/intermediate material (such as woven textiles, nonwovens, yarns, staple fibers, etc.) used in products to reduce the negative environmental impact of current production, and end-of-life processes while improving the value distribution (socio-economic benefit) towards materials´ source communities (farmers/communities) and mitigating the ecological imbalance these source communities tend to suffer the most from.
Key considerations for this project is thinking through
Fiber: We aim to rethink and unlock the potential and application of Hiblatech Pineapple leaf waste fiber and discover new regenerative applications and modes of production
Farmers: We aim that this project brings a regenerative ethos and impact to the soil, the farmers and local ecosystem so health and wealth are part of the whole system
Futures: We aim to work towards regenerative futures by framing the work through the reality of today but also by investigating (near) future scenarios and systems.