From fires of enchantment to the emergence of luxury

From the Rovaniemi Institute of Art and Craft (Rotko) to the degree programmes for Textile and Clothing Design at the Faculty of Art and Design. The purpose of this report is to create a retrospective of the research and development projects that have taken place at the Textile and Clothing Design degree programmes of the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland in 1998–2007; the projects approached the future prospects of the clothing industry from the perspectives of research and development of smart and cold-protective clothing and leisure and luxury products. The research and development activities in these fields of specialisation were initiated in a situation where the Rovaniemi Institute of Art and Craft (Rotko) was merged into the University of Lapland and professorships in the fields of both Textile and Clothing Design were established (Koukkula & Uotila 1999, 5). Minna Uotila, Doctor of Education, was appointed the Professor of Clothing Design; during her term in office, the research project portfolio of Clothing Design grew to a substantial degree, and comprised research and development projects funded by both the Academy of Finland and Tekes, which is also known as the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation. The goal of this period of approximately ten years was to conduct research and development in the new clothing technologies and contexts of use. Leading companies in the field of clothing in Finland have been involved in the projects, as have other research institutes from all levels of education. This overview is a concise summary of these research and development projects, completed during the ten-year period, and their central results.