Katherine Soucie

I am a British-Canadian textile waste designer, researcher and artist whose practice explores the creative and material possibilities of textile waste. My research focuses on upcycling and circular design, with a particular interest in experimental textile remanufacturing and reuse-based methods — extending and restoring the life, value and systems of discarded materials.

In 2002, I founded my award-winning zero waste design studio and label, Sans Soucie, after developing an innovative material process that transformed pre-consumer waste hosiery from Canadian manufacturers into new textiles for use in the fashion, design and art materials sector. This process led to an artisanal industrial upcycling method and signature textile process that challenged fashion’s waste culture and reimagined the aesthetics of reuse.

From 2002 to 2019, Sans Soucie was based in Vancouver, Canada, where the studio produced collections, installations, and commissions spanning fashion, art, design and performance. Collections were showcased at various international fashion weeks (NYC/London/Vancouver/Montreal/Toronto), sold and exhibited globally, and commissioned by a diverse audience of clients —from private collectors to film, theatre, and performance industries.

Now based in East London, my research and studio practice continue to evolve through new investigations into the creative reuse of UK sock manufacturing waste. This material resource formed the focus of my PhD research at Kingston University London, where it was reimagined into innovative textile concepts, reuse strategies, prototypes, and experiential works. These explorations have since developed into new material processes for use in fashion, interiors, and visual art — supported by collaborations with other upcycling designers, artists, researchers, UK manufacturers, and circular design initiatives. This body of work also led to the formation of Up-cyclogy™, aimed at fostering creative reuse mindsets within textile and fashion practices.  Building on this, I developed the M.E.N.D framework, an upcycling systems tool that supports creative practices who engage with waste materials in mapping material flows, maximising existing assets to form innovative, creative reuse methods and strategies, and analyse behavioural and emotional engagement with waste. Together, this research extends my commitment to material reuse, offering transferable frameworks for textile upcycling practices. 

Photo by: Miki Wecel, 2025