What looks like an end point may actually be a starting point. When Anna Lidström, a PhD in the redesign of clothing and textiles, gave a talk at eXpression Umeå, she showed how one can find value in what already exists.

On 16 June, eXpression Umeå hosted a summer lunch featuring a talk and a game of brännboll by the river. The speaker was Anna Lidström, researcher and senior lecturer at Swedish School of Textiles in Borås, and mentor for this year’s Summer eXpression. Her research is based on a fundamental principle: design based on what already exists, not on what you wish you had. Over lunch, she shared three methods for putting this into practice.

Vamping – gently transforming what already exists 
Take something that already exists and make a change to its surface. The underlying element remains intact, but has been transferred to a new context.

What aspects of your business could be carried forward with a minor adjustment, rather than being replaced entirely? 

Sampling – drawing from various sources and putting something new together 
Take elements from different sources and combine them to create something that hasn’t existed before. This principle applies whether you’re working with materials, services or concepts. 

What is there in your industry or network that nobody has yet combined in the right way? 

Mapping – opening up and discovering new forms 
Stop judging things by their appearance, and instead examine what they’re actually made of. The form you thought was a given was never a given. 

What do you take for granted must look a certain way, and what would happen if you opened it up completely? 

The summer lunch was organised on 16 June by eXpression Umeå as part of the Kreativa Norrland initiative, in collaboration with RISE and the Umeå region, and co-funded by the European Union.