Since completing her masters in Woven Textile Design at the RCA, Hannah’s career within Textiles has spanned industrial production, historical textiles, design, consultancy and education. She co-founded a woven R&D studio, Norn Design, developing bespoke fabrics with clients in London, New York and Italy. Following her passion for sustainable design and traditional crafts, Hannah has recently returned from an extended period in Japan where she worked as a consultant and woven designer. She has extensive knowledge of manufacturing processes and sustainable schools of thought. Hannah applies her diverse experience to every project she undertakes resulting in a distinctive approach routed in technique and process. Core competencies include:

• Woven textile design, development and production
• Sustainable textile design
• Tactile knowledge exchange

Sue specialises in research on small business policy and practice. Key areas have included ethnic minority, migrant and refugee enterprise, the fast food sector, and creative industries.  Her experience includes over 20 years of evaluating a range of programmes and projects for the European Commission, central and local UK government, Research Councils, academic institutions, the private and not for profit sector. She is competent in the use of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and believes in working with organisations to identify what has worked well and why, and to identify the lessons learnt that can help inform future practice. Her studies have frequently incorporated the development of policy documents and toolkits designed to provide practitioners with practical support in tackling complex issues.

Lipi has over fifteen years’ experience as an educator of contemporary fashion business cultures. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). Lipi has industry experience in fashion retail, social enterprise and trend forecasting, and has worked as a sustainability consultant for the United Nations, Better Work in Textiles and Garments project for the Bangladesh Ready-made Garment Sector. She regularly advises local charities and schools on fashion and textiles projects. She is co-editor of the book South Asian Youth Cultures: Fashion Media and Society (Bloomsbury 2018). Core skills and competencies include:

• Multidisciplinary fashion research
• Global consumer cultures
• Community engagement and enterprise

Tracy is a University leader with a mission to integrate enterprise into all aspects of academic work, and with extensive experience of developing and implementing strategies with attention to fairness, accountability and empowerment.  Tracy’s role includes working with internal and external stakeholders up to Government Ministerial level. Alongside her leadership responsibilities, she is also Professor of Sustainable Design and therefore holds a strong interest for effecting change within an industry expressing increasing commitment to sustainable practice. Core skills and competencies include:

• Leadership and project direction
• Sustainable design consultancy
• Knowledge Transfer Partnership development

Emiliano Bilotti’s research focuses on the Processing-Structure-Property relationship in polymer nanocomposites and, more recently, on smart polymers (sensing, self-regulating flexible heaters) and polymers for energy (organic thermoelectrics, ferroelectric/relaxor polymers).

EB is author/co-author of over 80 peer-reviewed papers (h-index of 28), 4 book chapters and 5 patents. EB’s research has been supported by a variety of agencies, including the European Council (EC), Innovate UK and the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) or received direct support from industry. He is passionate about STEM Outreach and Knowledge Transfer (Winner of the KTP Engineering Excellence Award 2019).

Core skills and competences include:

• Polymer Processing; Polymer nanocomposites; Smart Polymer Materials; Polymer for Energy.

Richard is a chemist with a passion for textile science; all his research is undertaken in partnership with industry and with a strong sustainability lens. His vision is for a future where alternative materials match the performance of traditional synthetic or unsustainable natural fibres. Richard’s experience includes developing alternative fibres for textiles, from sourcing raw material to processing and finishing. Core skills and competences include:

• Alternative materials development
• Sustainable dyeing and coloration for textiles
• Contract chemistry research

Philippa has an interdisciplinary practice developed over twenty five years as an academic, researcher, international designer, editor, curator, strategist and artist within the field of digital woven textiles and materials. Philippa’s primary research interests lie in developing disruptive approaches to 2D and 3D digital industrial manufacturing, woven jacquard loom methods, in collaboration with industry-leading to novel design solutions. She also manages the Woven Textile Pathway at CSM, is part of the Textile Futures Research Community and exhibits jacquard woven art works globally. Additionally, Philippa edits The Weave Shed, an open source online resource site, and blog for professional weavers and is Co-founder of Studio Houndstooth; a collaborative studio creating socially innovated projects that use methods of textile making to bring together industry and the local community.

Core skills and competencies include:

• Design innovation, Education, and Research Leadership – sustainable digital woven textiles and materials.
• Academic and industry knowledge exchange  innovation
• Project management

James’s primary research interests lie in the functional properties of soft materials, with particular focus on elastomers, including the design of smart textiles (smart-strain sensing or colour-changing flexible fibres), and the recycling of elastomers. Prior to joining QMUL, James designed suspension components for companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo and Mercedes. The majority of his research is undertaken in close collaboration with industry, as demonstrated by industry-funded PhD students and research projects with companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Hyundai and Schlumberger Oilfield. James also maintains an interest in innovation with teaching at FE and HE level, especially incorporating industrial placements to improve graduate employability. Core skills and competences include:

• Soft matter engineering
• Smart materials
• Industrial research degree design

Gary is the Professor of Surface & Interface Science at Loughborough University. He has spent over thirty years developing high performance coatings to address industrial challenges, particularly in the automotive, aerospace, military and space sectors. He has a strong track record of collaborating with both other research providers and industrialists to provide innovative coating solutions in applications such as: hexavalent chromium-free corrosion protection schemes for aerospace and space applications; pretreatments for structural bonding of airframes and armour; ultrahydrophobic coatings for aerofoil surfaces; stealth coatings for windfarms, and; oil-water separation technologies. Gary would be delighted to be a conduit to help transfer some of the technologies developed in these other sectors into the fashion industry. Gary has:

•  A good understanding of coating processes from the atomic-scale upwards and the role of chemistry and structure in determining properties across widespread applications;
• Extensive experience of progressing material coating solutions from the laboratory (TRL1) to application in the real world, in high performance applications (TRL 9), and;
• Ability to put together teams of researchers and industrial partners; such collaborative partnerships are now often required to address the grand societal challenges.

Emma is both a Senior Lecturer at The Cass School of Architecture, Art and Design (London Metropolitan University) and a PhD candidate in Material Culture at UCL. Her inter-disciplinary research interests include everyday dress, sartorial expertise, design studies, ethics, museology and educational theory. As a University Teaching Fellow at The Cass, Emma is developing pedagogical projects around academic identity and communities of practice. Her PhD project is focused on the concept and practice of expertise amongst dress specialists in California as  understood through the lens of social cognition, design thinking and fashion studies.

Mark (Dino) Dinoulis was involved in some of the early pioneering research into machine learning whilst studying Computer Science at Manchester University during the 80s. He then went on to build a career within the Fin Tech industry, managing the development of Investment Banking Financial Risk Management Systems before deciding to move his career in a more creative direction, completing an MA Fashion Photography degree at UAL where he used leading edge technologies and machine learning to create captivating visual works within the domain of fashion, costume and performance. Dino’s work on the BFTT programme, focusses on the application of Deep Generative Learning models as an enabler of sustainable fashion. He is currently investigating the use of Generative models in the reconstruction of 3D human body shape and form and for the real-time photorealistic rendering of fabric and garments. Core skills and competencies

• Machine learning
• Augmented reality
• Fashion photography
• Project management

Adam Drazin is an anthropology lecturer at UCL (University College London), where he coordinates the MA in Material and Visual Culture and teaches design anthropology. His work has been published in books and journals including Ethnos, Social Anthropology and the Journal of Design History.  He is co-editor of the journal Home Cultures and recently edited, with Susanne Küchler (2015), the volume The Social Life of Materials, about anthropological and ethnographic approaches to materials and materials innovation.  His forthcoming book on Design and Anthropology will be published by Routledge.

• Design Anthropology
• Material Culture
• Ethnography

As the former BFTT Partnership Director, Graeme draws on over 40 years experience in project management in international industry working for UK and US as director of a design consultancy and cultural facility; and as a leading research and policy expert on the creative industries in UK and Dutch universities. He has led over 30 research projects for Research Councils, UK government, the European Commission, cultural agencies and industry/trade bodies. In his role as a research centre and institute director, he has attracted over £25m in R&D funding. This has included leading large research consortia working on themes such as city growth, electric vehicles, sustainable design, rapid prototyping and digital clusters (e.g. Digital Shoreditch/Tech City). Graeme regularly advises the UK Culture Ministry and other agencies, as well as overseas cultural and economic ministries (e.g. OECD) on creative city and industries strategy, including programme evaluation and investment appraisal. He has held chairs/professorships in Design at both Brunel and Middlesex Universities, specialising in sustainable/urban design and innovation. His last appointment was Professor in Creative and Cultural Economy at University of the Arts London.

Following a career in the aerospace industry, and as Engineering Systems Manager at Martin-Baker Engineering – the world’s leading manufacturer of ejection seats, Steve transitioned to researching and developing sustainable solutions for industrial manufacturing. Since joining the University of Cambridge as Director of the Centre for Industrial Sustainability, he has led over £15m-worth of academic-industry collaborative projects with partners including Unilever, Toyota, Dyson, Airbus, M&S, JLR, ASICS, Hugo Boss, Brandix and ASDA. Core skills and competences include:

• Sustainable business consultancy for manufacturing
• Toolkit development
• Industrial collaboration

Laetitia Forst is a textile designer and researcher, her practice explores the tension between technical challenges and creativity in sustainable design for textiles. Her PhD research project at the Centre for Circular Design at University of the Arts London aims to explore design driven solutions for incorporating ease of recyclability into textiles. The project takes a pro-active approach to developing alternatives to the unsustainable status-quo in the creation of blends through the use of design for disassembly. Laetitia also teaches on the MA Textile Design and short courses at UAL. Core competencies:

• Design for disassembly
• Practice research methodologies
• Circular and sustainable textile design

Kate is Co-Director of the Centre for Circular Design at UAL, a world-leading research centre using practice research to innovate, steer and support circular economies and communities around the globe. Kate’s design research operates at the intersection of materials science with design and sustainability principles. As industry and Governments raise the priority of sustainable business, Kate has undertaken a range of industrial consultancy projects for fashion and textiles organisations including Worn Again Technologies Ltd, Filippa K, VF Corporation and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Core skills and competences include:

• Laser finishing for fashion and textiles
• Circular economy and circular design research
• Sustainable business consultancy in the fashion sector

For the last eight years, David has been with the Loughborough Materials Characterisation Centre, specialising in thermal analysis and atomic force microscopy. After gaining a PhD in the development AFM-probe based thermal analysis of polymers, he ran his own materials testing consultancy. Prior to that, he worked as a materials and processes engineer in the railway vehicle manufacturing industry and as a corrosion engineer for an electronics and instrumentation company supplying corrosion monitoring systems to the process industries.

Jane draws upon over 25 years experience in transdisciplinary research, with a background in textile design and extensive experience of computer graphic imaging.  Jane’s role includes working with internal and external stakeholders including industry partners, up to Government Ministerial level.

Jane devised novel approaches to the digital representation of dress and textiles. With a track record of leading collaborative industry and academic research and development initiatives, involving cross disciplinary creative industry practitioners. Jane’s experience includes board-level representation in sector-leading organisations such as the Victoria & Albert Museum and advisory roles for the EU, EPSRC, AHRC, ACE and Arts Foundation. She is Director of Research and Innovation (Stratford) and Professor of Digital Design & Innovation at University of the Arts London. Core skills and competences include:

• Strategic leadership and project direction
• Design research in digital and material cultures
• CGI for fashion and textiles
• Knowledge Exchange

Dr Tincuta Heinzel (TH) is Senior Lecturer in Textiles at Loughborough University. Her practice and research evolved around electronic and reactive textiles, technical textiles innovation processes, including nano-textiles, as well as social, economic and cultural aspects of textiles and textiles industry. She won her PhD in 2012 from Paris 1 University Pantheon-Sorbonne and worked on a series of research projects related to the integration of electronic textiles in smart environments at Berlin University of the Arts (Germany) and Nottingham Trent University (UK). She also hold research positions in electronic arts at KHM – Academy of Media Arts Cologne (Germany) and ZKM – Center for Media Arts, Karlsruhe (Germany). She joined the School of Design and Creative Arts at Loughborough University as Senior Lecturer in Textiles in 2017, having previously held a position as Fulbright Senior Research Fellow at Cornell University (USA) in the Nanotextiles Laboratory.

Core skills and competences include:

• Electronic and reactive textiles
• Design aspects of functional textiles
• Anthropology and design researchCritical textiles

Rosie is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of the Arts London. She completed her PhD at Kingston University where she also worked in Rematerialise, a collection of materials selected by sustainability criteria. In 2015 Rosie joined the Centre for Circular Design (UAL) to work on the EU H2020 Trash-to-Cash project where she was the lead for the design research task aimed at developing a new methodology for Design-Driven Material Innovation (DDMI). She has taught at undergraduate and post-graduate levels across design disciplines on the subject of design, sustainability, materials and research. Alongside BFTT Rosie works on the EU H2020 Pharma-Factory project at London College of Communication (UAL) using co-design methods to explore stakeholder value in new plant-based technologies for healthcare. Core competencies include:

•  Materials communication
• Co-design methods  
• Circular design research
• Design research visualisation

Joseph is a Research Fellow in Sustainable Materials and Renewable Fibres at the University of Leeds, he has specialised in Green and Sustainable Chemistry throughout his research career and his research aims to reduce the impact of industrial waste biomass through valorisation routes in hopes of creating biorefinery systems for a more sustainable future. The entirety of his research has been conducted in collaboration with industry, with economic and commercial feasibility being an important driver.

Core skills and competencies include:

• Green and sustainable chemistry
• Biomass valorisation
• Biorefineries

Andrew is a Lecturer in Product Design within the School of Design & Creative Arts at Loughborough University.  Andrew’s research is focussed on informing future body armour development through the utilisation of digital design and manufacturing technologies, such as 3D CAD and Additive Manufacturing, with the view to enhance thermal and physical comfort alongside operational performance.  Core skills and competences include:

• Design for Additive Manufacture
• 3D Printed textiles
• Product design and development

Dr Lewis Jones is a Lecturer in Engineering Product Design at Loughborough University. Working within the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering his research is in the study of laser interactions with materials for manufacturing processes. Previous research with textiles has included the development of new laser based surface finishing and chemical fixation processes for low resource consumption, and the application of engineering metrology techniques to fibre surfaces.

Core skills and competences include:

• Laser interactions with fibre materials
• Metrology and Surface characterisation
• Energy modelling and lifecycle assessment of manufacturing technology

Veronika is a Reader in Material Technology and Design at LCF where she is developing novel biomimetic approaches to design and innovation of Active Material Systems within the textile industry that intersect biology, material engineering and textile design. Veronika is an LCF graduate who was awarded a PhD scholarship to study engineering design at Bath University. Her practice intersects academic and manufacturing sectors both within her role as Reader and as co-director of MMT Textiles Limited and inventor of INOTEK ^TM (an award winning biomimetic textile platform that draws on ambient moisture to trigger reversible mechanical changes in the fabric structure, typically for advanced moisture and insulation management). Veronika is also a bestselling author in industrial design and consults extensively with private and public organisations in material science, textile technology, functional apparel and fashiontech. 

Susanne’s extensive experience and expertise in material cultural studies includes working with a wide range of industrial partners, and understanding the opportunities represented by, and innovating with, alternative materials. An anthropologist of international renown, Susanne leads a forward-thinking Department at UCL, which consciously seeks to bring anthropological insights to bear on contemporary industrial challenges.  Susanne has led large-scale RCUK, EU Commission and consultancy projects with businesses seeking to understand the cultural impacts of their practice. Core skills and competences include:

• Uptake and acceptance of new material innovations
• Culture and commerce
• Ethnographic research

Joanna Norman is Director of the V&A Research Institute. Her background is principally curatorial, with projects including exhibitions (Baroque, V&A 2009 and Treasures from Budapest, Royal Academy of Arts 2010), media collaborations (Handmade in Britain, V&A/BBC4 2011-12), permanent gallery redevelopments (Europe 1600–1815, V&A 2015) and new museums (the Scottish Design Galleries at V&A Dundee, opened 2018).  Joanna has published widely in association with these projects, as well as on the history of performance and on period rooms and the reconstruction of historic interiors inside and outside the museum environment. As Director of VARI she oversees the V&A’s research activities, including academic partnerships and postgraduate programmes, R&D for exhibitions, research affiliations and a portfolio of externally-funded research projects relating to the V&A’s collections and practices, including its internationally renowned collection of textiles and fashion.

Helen is a Research and Development Project Lead on the BFTT project working with Ananas Anam. She completed her PhD at The Royal College of Art in 2016, which partnered with industry to develop new applications for advanced textile joining technologies. She has since worked at Centre for Circular Design (UAL) as a Research Assistant on Mistra Future Fashion and a Research Fellow with London Doctoral Design Centre (LDoc). Helen’s approach to design research links with industry to explore new material futures through a sustainability lens and bridges between engineering and design disciplines. She has experience working as a consultant for sportswear and automotive clients, including Pentland Brands. Alongside BFTT Helen works as a Lecturer on the BA Textile Design course at Chelsea College of Arts with a focus on Professional Development. Core skills and competencies include:

• Applied materials R&D
• Textile joining and surfacing technologies
• Circular design research

Jo Pierce is a Senior Lecturer and Print Pathway Leader at Central Saint Martins and a member of The Textile Futures Research Community. Jo’s research in textile and material-based print and surface designs incorporates thinking through material cultures, sustainable design practice, craft and digital making and community-based contexts. Individual practice includes the language of pattern and material in relation to homes and interiors.

Jo is currently working on Colour Matter; a studio engaging in emerging trends and innovation with colour and materials and a particular interest in exploring perceptions of natural colour and low impact print approaches. Studio Houndstooth; a collaborative studio creating socially innovated projects that use methods of textile making to bring together industry and the local community.

Key Competencies:

• Textile Print Design and Material Research including emerging trends and innovation in materials
• Academic and Curriculum Development and leadership
• Thought Leader in Sustainable Design Textile Practice

A graduate of London College of Communication, Rosa has over eight years of experience working in textile print and processing, manufacturing, logistics and creative project management. Rosa is well versed in the intricacies of supply chain. Her passion for craft and process have led her to focus her work on sustainability and she engages in crucial discussions on the political nature of textile manufacturing. Her current research role as Project Lead for Anna Glover | EcoSilTex affords an opportunity to make vital progress in shifting the textile industry towards a more sustainable future. Rosa is skilled in print consultancy, forecasting, branding, identity, logistics, inventory analysis and operations.

Core skills and competencies include:

• Textile print & processing
• Research & Innovation for start-ups
• Creative project management

Eleanor is a PhD researcher at Loughborough University exploring the digital and sustainable future of knitwear for SME’s. Eleanor studied a BA Hons in Textiles Design at Birmingham City University and focused her work on constructed textiles, specifically knitwear, and the social and environmental impact of knitting. Eleanor created a zero waste knitwear label called Nor Clothing, which saw success in the UK high street clothing market and her extensive industry experience has initiated her ambition to reinvent how knitwear is produced using new technology and digital fabrication techniques.

Marie is currently a PhD student at LCF exploring alternative routes to a sustainable future of fashion through the potential of regenerated protein fibres. Her previous MA research, undertaken at Sheffield Hallam University, focussed on the development of Bacterial Cellulose and biomaterials as a tool for circular design. Prior to this, Marie graduated from the University of Leeds with a BA in Textile Design. She has also worked with brands such as Alexander McQueen and Burberry and ran her own accessories label for 4 years.

Emma is a PhD researcher in the anthropology department at UCL, investigating independent diasporic fashion designers, looking specifically at their use of digital tools and the significance of their work in negotiating identity and building networks. Emma’s background is in Economics and Development, with a BA in Economics from UCSD, and an MSc in Anthropology and Development Management from the London School of Economics, as well as previous experience with NGOs and international organisations. Her research stems from an interest in the intersection of digital entrepreneurship, notions of identity and belonging, and the creative freedom of the fashion industry.

Alessandra is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Bologna in Italy where she has held a Marie Curie Fellowship from 2012 to 2018 and works as a Senior Research Fellow at London College of Fashion at the University of London Arts in the UK. Among other areas, her research operates at the intersection of international business and fashion, with a focus on the internationalization of fashion businesses, brand acquisition and the influence of disruptive technologies on fashion and textile companies. Core skills and competences include:

• Fashion business and management
• Mixed-methods business research
• International partnership building

Dr. Melissa Monika Wagner (MMW) is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Loughborough University. She holds a PhD from University of Lille (ENSAIT-GEMTEX) and worked in the research group Human Centered Design (HCD) under the Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral Program SMDTex (Sustainable Management and Design for Textiles). Before, she completed her Master of Arts in Textile Innovation and Branding at University of Leeds in 2014 and her Bachelor of Engineering in Textile Engineering and Management from Saxion University of Applied Sciences in 2013. Core skills and competences include:

• Sustainable design of fashion and textiles
• Consumer behaviour

Founder and director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the University of the Arts London, the internationally renowned research, policy and education centre focusing on sustainability issues as these intersect with the fashion industry. A regular contributor to national and international press, central to my philosophy is the applicability of research findings to industry stakeholders in practice settings. Testament to this approach are my positions on the Observer Ethical Awards judging panel and as Co-secretariat to the House of Lords All Party Parliamentary Group on Fashion, Sustainability and Ethics. Core skills and competences include:

• Fashion Design for Sustainability methods and practices for designers
• Fashion Design for Sustainability teaching and learning frameworks
• Sustainability thought leadership

Haixue is a senior lecturer in functional materials at Queen Mary University of London. His research areas include thermoelectrics, ferroelectrics, dielectrics and metals, including funding as Principal Investigator from the EC, EPSRC, TSB, The Royal Academy of Engineering and The Royal Society. In addition, he works closely with different industrial partners. His work on nanotechnology demonstrated that nano particles can work as building blocks during sintering.  His current work on grain size effects in ferroelectric ceramics has shown that there are different critical sizes for optimized dielectric permittivity, field induced strain and ferroelectric polarization. He has 151 peer reviewed SCI journal papers and 4 patents, and is an Editorial Board Member of Advances in Applied Ceramics, Journal of Advanced Ceramics and Materials Research Bulletin.

Core skills and competencies include:

• Energy storage
• Materials processing and characterisations
• Nanotechnology