Ashley Shak-Penn

This project explores how fibre traceability systems can be redesigned to better support upstream producers within the Mongolian fibre supply chain, specifically cashmere. Through material samples, supply chain mapping, stakeholder research, and systems thinking, the project investigates how visibility, storytelling, and value are often concentrated downstream within the global fashion industry, while producers remain largely invisible.

Visitors are invited to interact with raw and processed fibre samples and reflect on how little information is typically known about the origins of luxury materials. The installation then introduces three key stakeholders– a herder, manufacturer, and exporter– whose perspectives will inform the future development of a producer-first governance framework for traceability.

The project proposes four design principles centred on agency, equity, transparency and co-design, positioning traceability not simply as a technological tool but as a mechanism for redistributing visibility and value across the supply chain. This research forms the foundation for an emerging Irish–Mongolian knitwear brand called OONA.