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Dr Dawn Ellams

Dr Dawn Ellams

  • Senior Tutor (Research)

Dawn is a design researcher and educator working across science, technology and design to reduce environmental impacts within regional, national and global value chains.

Dawn currently leads a range of research projects collaborating across academic, industry, NGOs and government organisations, focused on environmental and social impacts within fashion & textile value chains.

As a School-wide Senior Tutor in the School of Design, Dawn's research activities inform teaching on the Grand Challenge, AcrossRCA, and MDes Design Futures programme.

She holds a PhD in Textile Technology and Circular Design from Heriot-Watt University with the thesis 'Environmentally conscious fashion through responsible coloration techniques applied to sustainable fabrics: colouring outside the lines’, and an MA in Sustainable Design from the University of Brighton.

Previously, she led research for the RCA on the UKRI Creative Clusters Programme Future Fashion Factory. This was an industry-led programme where designers led the co-development and implementation of new textile and industrial digital technologies (IDT), collaborating with supply chain manufacturers and other technology experts, to enable sustainable and circular transitions within the sector.

Whilst at the Design Against Crime (DAC) research centre, University of Salford, she worked on the Horizon 2020 project 'Cutting Crime Impact – Practice-based innovation in preventing, investigating and mitigating high-impact petty crime'. This involved working with Law Enforcement Agencies to develop practical innovations that met the needs of end users within operational contexts. The project considered ethical, legal and social issues throughout the research and innovation activities to inform the development of toolkits that promoted safe and secure towns and cities.

At the Centre for Circular Design (CCD), University of Arts London (UAL) she contributed to Trash-2-Cash: Designed high-value products from zero-value waste textiles and fibres via design driven technologies, a Horizon 2020 project that aimed to strengthen Europe's creative industries through design-led recycling initiatives that support waste utilisation and reduction of landfill area needs.

She continues to consult on sustainable and circular strategies for international companies and NGOs.

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Co-Investigator (2023–26), UKRI Circular Fashion and Textile Network Plus programme, ‘Back to Baselines in Circular Fashion and Textiles’, £2.16M, NE/Y004043/1.

Principal Investigator (2024), Royal College of Art Monsoon Brands Ltd Innovate UK Accelerated Knowledge Transfer project, Circular Fashion Jewellery: Assessing & Developing Beyond Point-of-Sale Value Chains, £30,000, AKT 1941-AKT.

Co-Investigator (2023), UKRI Fashion Demonstrator: Future Fashion Factory (FFF) and Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT), £500,000, AH/S002812/1).

Principal Investigator (2022), AHRC Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) commissioned research: Identifying, Mapping and Analysing UK Fashion Micro-clusters, £40,000, PEC10001C.

Principal Investigator (2022–23), DyeRecycle - Innovation Challenge Project, awarded through the AHRC Future Fashion Factory Responsive Mode R&D funding stream. Demonstrating technology to recycle dyes from textile waste. Collaboration with Bio-renewables Development Centre in York, DyeRecycle, Camira Fabrics, Royal College of Art, University of Huddersfield, £100,000.

Co-Investigator (2021–22), Sustainable Sequins – Innovation Challenge Project, awarded through the AHRC Future Fashion Factory Responsive Mode R&D funding stream. Utilising UK-manufactured, commercially viable biodegradable sequins made from renewable materials, collaboration with Sustainable Sequin Company, Paula Knorr, Royal College of Art and University of Huddersfield, (£100,000).

Principal Investigator (2022–23), Digitoile.3d - Proof of Concept Project awarded through the AHRC Future Fashion Factory Responsive Mode R&D funding stream. Capturing the needs of fashion designers for creative experimentation to inform a digital platform suitable for entry level digital skills users, collaboration with Digitoile, Dubit Ltd and Royal College of Art, £50,000.

Co-Investigator (2021–22), Feasibility Scenarios for UK Fashion Micro-factories -–Proof of Concept Project awarded through the AHRC Future Fashion Factory Responsive Mode R&D funding stream. Designers, engineers and manufacturers co-developing and testing required machinery and processes, collaboration with Assyst Bullmer and Royal College of Art, £50,000.

Co-Investigator (2021–22), MYKKO – Proof of Concept Project awarded through the AHRC Future Fashion Factory Responsive Mode R&D funding stream. Development of fully functional production of mycelium leather, collaboration with Aurelie Fontan Studios, Burberry, Royal College of Art and University of Huddersfield, £50,000.

Co-Investigator (2021), Future Coloration Systems - Proof of Concept Project awarded through the AHRC Future Fashion Factory Responsive Mode R&D funding stream. Development of a holistic coloration system, collaboration with Rose Danford Philips, University of Leeds and Royal College of Art, £50,000.

Principal Investigator (2021), GameStyle - Proof of Concept Project awarded through the AHRC Future Fashion Factory Responsive Mode R&D funding stream. Exploration of technical, legal and economic challenges involved in new business models for digital fashion in gaming, Collaboration with Lockwood Publishing, Sheridan’s and the Royal College of Art, £10,000.

Royal College of Art Knowledge Exchange Champion Award, Best Collaborative Project for work on the AHRC Cluster project: Future Fashion Factory (FFF): Digitally Enabled Design & Manufacture of Designer Products for Circular Economies, 2023.

UKRI Circular Fashion and Textile Network Plus programme, ‘Back to Baselines in Circular Fashion and Textiles’, CI (July 2023 – March 2026, £2.16M, NE/Y004043/1).

Royal College of Art Monsoon Brands Ltd Innovate UK Accelerated Knowledge Transfer project, Circular Fashion Jewellery: Assessing & Developing Beyond Point-of-Sale Value Chains, Principal Investigator (April 2024 – July 2024, £30K, AKT 1941-AKT).

UKRI Fashion Demonstrator: Future Fashion Factory (FFF) and Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT), Co-investigator (August 2023 – May 2024, £500k, AH/S002812/1).

AHRC Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) commissioned research: Identifying, Mapping and Analysing UK Fashion Micro-clusters, Principal Investigator (January 2022 – December 2022, £40K, PEC10001C).