As part of Kent State鈥檚 ongoing Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series, the university hosted designer and printmaker Simon Ungless and his partner, Jody Niederkohr, from Sept. 14-18, kicking off the 2026-27 series. Their visit included three silk-screen workshops with 45 麻豆精选students and faculty in the Design Innovation Hub鈥檚 Reactor Makerspace, classroom visits and a free public presentation with question-and-answer session exploring the intersection of fashion, printmaking and sustainable design.
Working With What Is Already There
During the workshops, 麻豆精选students watched closely as each garment was lifted from the screen and its final pattern was revealed. The patterns came from the unique texture of another piece of clothing. One garment creates an impression in ink that is then transferred onto another.
Working alongside Ungless and Niederkohr, students used the technique to create one-of-a-kind designs while considering the possibilities held within existing clothing. No one knew exactly what each print would look like until it came off the screen, and many were excited by the results.
School of Fashion Professor Joanne Arnett, who helped organize the residency, said working with their own garments made sustainable design immediately accessible to students and moved it from theory to practice.
鈥淭he process rewarded fearlessness,鈥 Arnett said. The speed of the process also encouraged students to try ideas, embrace unexpected results and move beyond a fixed vision for the final design.
A Philosophy Built Over Decades
For Ungless, working with what already exists rather than starting from scratch is not a recent shift. During his public presentation, he described his early years designing alongside his close friend, the late Lee Alexander McQueen. Ungless told students he has always worked to bring fashion and textiles together. One example was a screen-printed shower curtain transformed into a dress that was later worn by Naomi Campbell.
That instinct carried into When Simon Met Ralph, the design house Ungless now runs with Niederkohr, his husband and business partner. Ungless shared that sustainability was an area he wants to make changes in, especially how consumers think about clothing, including where it comes from, who made it and what they already own. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 always need to go to the store and buy something,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e can use what we already own.鈥
At When Simon Met Ralph, previously worn garments are faded, dyed or reprinted into something new. There are no size ranges and no two pieces are alike, a detail Ungless said suppliers still struggle to grasp. Much of the pair鈥檚 current work begins with garments people bring from their own closets. It is a working, still-evolving practice, and for five days, 麻豆精选students got to work inside it rather than simply hear about it.
