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Marie O'Mahony

Dr Marie O’Mahony

Marie O’Mahony works with smart and advanced textiles, running her own practice, O’Mahony Consultancy, in addition to her role at the Royal College of Art.

She has been a full Professor at OCAD University in Toronto (2012–17), the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) (2008–11), and a Visiting Professor at the RCA (2017–22) and UAL (2007–16). Her academic work has included grant applications, setting up new courses at graduate and undergraduate level, teaching and mentoring at undergraduate, graduate thesis and doctorate levels, and preparing individual study programmes with exchange students. She has evaluated courses for the Swiss government and advised several international academic institutions on curriculum development.

Marie combines her academic role with her consultancy practice, O’Mahony Consultancy, with an international client list that includes Hussein Chalayan, VF Corporation, Zaha Hadid Architects, ResMed, WTiN, CTT Groupe, RipCurl, Canadian National Research Council, the Mayo Clinic, UNStudio, Microsoft, Messe Frankfurt, Marcel Wanders, Muji, Arup and NIKE. She is on a number of international industry and academic advisory boards including Board Member with intelliFLEX, the Canadian industry association for Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE), and she has previously served on the Australian Government’s Textile, Clothing and Footwear Innovation Council (TCFIIC).

Author of six books on the impact of technology on textiles published since 1994, five of these with Thames and Hudson. Her book sales are in excess of 20,000 copies worldwide with some titles appearing in translated editions. Published books include: Advanced Textiles for Health and Wellbeing, TechnoTextiles 2, Sportstech, Cyborg: The Man Machine, TechnoTextiles and 2010: Textiles + New Technology. A regular contributor to Business to Business (B2B) journals, including Advanced Textiles Source (ATS), International Fiber Journal (IFJ) and Innovation in Textiles (IIT).

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Marie’s research interests are smart and advanced textiles for application in apparel, design and industry. She is particularly interested in finding ways to bring academia and industry closer together using knowledge exchange and research activities. Topics include the bringing together of technology and textiles; electronics integration to textiles; Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE); environmental impacts of smart and advanced textiles and FHE; multidisciplinary practice in particular industry/academia.

Curator involving research, development and fundraising of the sportswear exhibition Smarter. Faster. Tougher. for Design Exchange, Toronto to coincide with the PanAm Games. 2015. Successful in securing industry sponsorship and government grant (CA$120K).

Advisory Board Member. Multi-platform Game Distribution System for Popular and Experimental Technologies (MGDS- PET). Collaborative Research and Development: Brazil. 2013. International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada (CA$200,000) + Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (CA$150,000).

Principal Investigator on FedDev Grant relating to Wearable Sound (Budget CA$20,000). 2012-2013.

Research Infrastructure Block Grant (RIBG): AU$82,500 for the purchase of new equipment and supporting facilities including an industrial embroidery machine, ultrasonic welding and flock printing at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). 2009.

‘2010 – Textiles and New Technology’, Crafts Council England International Touring Exhibition. Tour museums included TextielMuseum, Tilburg, Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh and The Crafts Council of Ireland Gallery, Dublin. 1994-1996. Secured sponsorship from Crafts Council England, Arts Council England and The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

ATA EXPO 2023, Orlando, FL
|31 October – 3 Novemver

https://advancedtextilesexpo.com/education/

Advanced Textile Conference and education programme planning and directing. Activities included approaching and securing speakers, chairing panel discussion, program planning and marketing, liaising with speakers from academia, industry, research institutes and trade bodies. This year speakers include Dr Mridula Nair, Eastman Kodak Co (Plenary); Evelyne Orndoff, NASA; Sasha Stolyarov, AFFOA; Billie Whitehouse, Wearable X and Dr Haskell Bechham, Columbia Sportswear.

IntelliFlex Innovation Alliance, the Canadian association for flexible hybrid electronics (FHE)
https://intelliflex.org/.

I have been a member of IntelliFLEX since 2017 and elected to the Board of Directors in December 2022. I have contributed to building membership and the international profile through speaking engagements and securing Business to Business (B2B) editorial and media partnership. I have helped to create value for association members producing a number of reports including an International Business Plan (IBP) in 2019 (co-author), a second IBP in 2021 as sole author, and the report titled Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Canadian FHE Market Diversification in 2023. All of the reports were commissioned by intelliFLEX and jointly funded by CanExport, the Canadian trade export body. The reports were used for market intelligence by membership as well as to support their successful funding applications to CanExport to enable SMEs to attend and exhibit at international trade shows including LOPEC in Munich.

CPES2023
https://intelliflex.org/cpes2023/.

CPES is the association’s annual symposium held each year (apart from during COVID) in either Toronto or Montreal. I have contributed as a speaker, helping to identify and secure national and international speakers, marketing, securing media editorial in B2B publications, securing media partnership and profiling of selected members by IDTechEx. I have been co-chair of CPES 2023, held in Montreal. Speakers and exhibitors this year include TechBlick, the National Research Council Canada, VTT, Covestro, Suss MicroTec, CTT Group, Columbia University, the Canadian National Optics Institute, Copprint, PlusForge, Inteva, Henkel, Eastprint and Voltera with funding bodies presenting in a panel discussion including the Industrial Research Assistance Programme (IRAP), Export Development Canada (EDC) and Mitacs.

Regular contributer
 https://advancedtextilessource.com

https://www.fiberjournal.com/

www.innovationintextiles.com

Exhibitions (selected)

2015: Curator: Research and development of sportswear exhibition Smarter. Faster. Tougher. for Design Exchange, Toronto to coincide with the PanAm Games, July - October 2015.

2012: ‘Magical Materials’, with Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin. 14th September – 4th November 2012.

2009: ‘Fashion Technology: the Rip Curl Project’, UTS Tower Exhibition Space, Sydney

2008: ‘IFAI Design Exhibition 2008 - Far-Out Innovation for Health and Safety’ Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), USA.

2008: ‘TechnoThreads’ exhibition for Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin.

2005: ‘Advanced Fabrics’ exhibition for IFAI annual trade show, Texas.

2005: ‘FutureTextiles- Fastwear for Sport and Fashion’, exhibition for The Hub, Lincolnshire, co-curated.

2000-02: ‘The Fabric of Fashion', a British Council International touring exhibition co-curated.

2000-02: 'Hitec-Lotec’, a lottery-funded project which included placements in industry, new commissions and an international touring exhibition.

2002: ‘Edge – The Influence of Sportswear’, Oksenhallen, Copenhagen

1998-9: 'The Soft Machine - Design in the Cyborg Age', exhibition for the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, Amsterdam

1994-1996: ‘2010 – Textiles and New Technology’, Crafts Council England International Touring Exhibition. Tour museums included TextielMuseum, Tilburg, Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh and The Crafts Council of Ireland Gallery, Dublin.

Events

2008: Organisation of events program with the Advanced Textiles Association for their annual EXPO. Held in a different US city each year, speakers have included NASA, MIT, AFFOA, Columbia Sportswear, Mayo Clinic and Billie Whitehouse.

2023: Co-chair CPES 2023, the intelliFLEX annual symposium on Printed Electronics.

2012: Initiation of MIT at IFAI seminar, chair of event and presentation ‘Designing for Well-being: Advanced Textiles in the Personal and the Built Environments’, IFAI Expo Americas 2012, 9th November 2012

2010: Waste in the City Seminar, UTS featuring invited speakers Emma Synnott, Associate, Arup, Stephen Ormandy, Director, Dinosaur Designs, Jo Kellock, Executive Director, TFIA, Helen Lewis, Sustainable Packaging Alliance and Damien Giurco, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures.

2003: Hitec Lotec II, NESTA funded multidisciplinary workshop, conference and proceedings on creating links between craft, design and industry.

1999: ‘Inspiration and Innovation in Sportswear’, symposium for Interstoff at Messe Frankfurt. The event was held on 14th April 1999 as part of ‘International Textile Week Frankfurt’.

1998: Second workshop with the Netherlands Design Institute on smart material technology. Twenty five participants from The Netherlands, USA, Canada, UK and Germany. Report compiled by Ed van Hinte.

1998: 'Technology and Diversity in Textiles' symposium organised with Loughborough College of Art and Design. International speakers and around one hundred and sixty delegates attended.

Industry clients

Hussein Chalayan; Arts Council England; Zaha Hadid Architects; VF Corporation; British Council; Institut Textile de France; NIKE; Arup; Seymour Powell; UNStudio; KoelnMesse; Material ConneXion; Arkiteky maa; Messe Frankfurt; DITF; NESTA; V&A Museum; Telstra; Mayo Clinic; IntelliFlex; Microsoft; adidas; Orta Anadolu; Stylus; Marcel Wanders; Muji; Canadian National Research Council; InteraXon; ResMed.

Advisory

2013-Current : Advanced Textiles Association(ATA), Advanced Textiles Source association publication. Member of advisory group,

2009– 2012: Australian Government Textile, Clothing and Footwear Innovation Council (TCFIIC), Council Member.

2003: Swiss Peer Review, Swiss Government, International representative on assessing textile and fashion departments at various colleges and universities in Switzerland. 2003.

Public & industry lectures include the following

British Museum; V&A Museum; Architecture Forum Zurich; San Francisco Museum of Craft & Design; BBC Womans’ Hour; ABC Radio, Australia; House of Artists Moscow; Australian Design Alliance; ATA EXPO; Ontario Crafts Council; British Design Council; Irish Design Council; Textile Museum of Canada; Tilburg Textile Museum; MaRS; Cirque du Soleil; LOPEC; WEAR; CPES2017.

Academic lectures include

Stanford University; Art Center Pasadena; Parsons New School; Arnhem School of Fashion; UCDavis; Design Week Santiago; Trinity College Dublin; Sheffield Hallam University; University of Dundee; RMIT.