Jye subsequently received an offer of a PhD scholarship and did not proceed with this project.
Throughout the last three years of my undergraduate fashion specialist practise I have focused heavily on the study of textiles and fibres. Unfortunately, during this early research stage on local fibres and manufacturing I have slowly seen the manufacturing of wool and fashion decline in Australia and increasingly move offshore. The result of which has seen the closure of many locally focused wool manufacturing mills. Growing up in rural Tasmania near some of the finest merino wools and one of the last working woollen mills in Australia has given me a great appreciation for wool, supporting local, and all things Australian. I am incredibly passionate about bringing wool and fashion manufacturing back to Australia and keeping it local again and I intend to research and evaluate the current struggles that manufacturers and designers face today, evaluate these issues and trends, and provide realistic/tangible solutions to improve the reinvigoration of the local manufacturing wool sector. I intend for these research outcomes to be used as a tool/formula to educate future fashion designers and manufacturers who want to produce fashion successfully in Australia. I also intend for the proposed research to form a manufacturing profile which I feel would enable people to see the key issues within the local fashion and wool textile industry.
The way I intend to research this area of fashion is by collecting and evaluating both qualitative and quantitative data. This will include a series of recorded interviews with key people involved in the wool manufacturing industry such as Designers, Wool processors, textile mills and farmers. My objective is to preset the data in an informative documentary that will be produced by myself which is guided by senior academics/mentors who will be guiding my postgraduate research.