Thinking Ahead is growing stronger, with the most recent programme welcoming 412 aspiring engineers from around the world. Over three exciting weeks, participants gained hands-on experience addressing real-world challenges.
For the Summer Thinking Ahead 2025 programme, ASU London partnered with Colèchi, a pioneering advocate for clean, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Colèchi leads initiatives such as Clean Fashion, the Colèchi Journal, and YKWU (You Can Knit With Us), promoting collaboration and change throughout the entire fashion lifecycle, from material sourcing to end-of-life solutions.
This inspiring collaboration provided students aged 16 and above with a unique opportunity to explore some of the biggest challenges facing the global fashion industry today.
The Challenge
Participants were introduced to Colèchi’s Clean Fashion Model and tasked with researching, innovating, and designing products or services to tackle the pressing issue of textile waste.
This challenge aligns with the core objectives outlined in the UK Textiles Pact (formerly Textiles 2030), launched by WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) to make the UK textile industry more sustainable and circular.
Best Engineered Solution
Vertical Farm – Vertical Hydroponic Regenerative Textile Farm.
The winning solution builds on HKRITA’s vertical hydroponic system by creating a stacked modular design that maximises spatial efficiency and allows for scalability.
Vertical Farm’s idea features stackable blocks, each containing a tray of growing crops, and a centralised water reservoir that maintains optimal nutrient levels through sensors, mimicking a homeostasis loop in living organisms for plant growth. UV light sources at the base of each block support photosynthesis and serve as space heaters, reducing electricity consumption while regulating temperature and providing an adequate amount of light.
This solution is designed for ease of operation by regenerative textile farmers, allowing them to expand or upgrade the setup gradually. The entire system can be controlled through an app that provides real-time, qualitative data, enabling users to take action on key factors such as temperature and humidity.
Most Creative and Sustainable
AlgaRoot – From pollution to fashion, wear the difference.
With an estimated 100 billion garments produced globally each year, AlgaRoot introduces a revolutionary solution: a 100% algae-based yarn.
Sourced from fast-growing, renewable algae harvested from polluted waters, this natural fibre offers a sustainable alternative to fossil-fuel-derived textiles, aiming to reduce environmental impact and promote a cleaner future worldwide.
Unlike conventional fabrics that rely on chemicals and fossil fuels – the fashion industry is responsible for as much as 10 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions – AlgaRoot is chemical-free, carbon-negative, biodegradable, and free to source.
We are immensely proud of all our participants and their outstanding achievements. Their creativity, innovation, and commitment to solving real-world challenges truly capture the spirit of the Thinking Ahead programme. Congratulations to all the winners!