Arturo Vial

Textile Design, Technology and Innovation MSc, graduate (Now Sustainable Textile Technologies MSc)

Arturo is a Chilean industrial designer with 20 years of experience working on product design and sustainability projects. He has worked previously with global brands such as Puma, Michelin, HP, Lexus and FIFA.

Four years ago, he created the brand "Botela" (in Spanish it is a mixture of the words bottle and fabric) with the conviction of being able to contribute to improving the textile industry through more sustainable production. The brand makes bags and backpacks with fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles.

The incessant search for new textile solutions led to Arturo deciding to take a Master's degree in Textile Design, Technology and Innovation. He hoped that the course would deepen and improve his knowledge of the textile industry.

In his final dissertation, Arturo decided to investigate whether through fungal mycelium it was possible to degrade obsolete textile fibres to be able to recycle and naturally degrade textiles.