Design.Fashion: Can fashion futures be inclusive?

Human first | Designer second

Zowie Broach has been Head of Programme, MA Fashion at the Royal College of Art since 2015.

Dame Zandra Rhodes has been a notorious figurehead of the UK fashion industry for five decades, celebrating her 50th year in fashion in September 2019 with a retrospective exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum – founded by Zandra – entitled Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous and a retrospective book published by Yale. Her notoriety as a print designer combined with an affinity for fine fabrics and colour has resulted in a signature aesthetic that is undeniably unique and continues to stand the test of time. An eponymous pioneer of the British and international fashion scene since the late 60’s, Zandra’s career has seen her collaborate with brands such as Valentino, Topshop and Mac Cosmetics. Continuing to collaborate with brands that inspire her, 2021 will see the launch of Zandra Rhodes x IKEA amongst many other exciting partnerships and projects.

Stella McCartney was born in London to a family of creators who were legendary in public, but ordinary at home. Raised in both the city and the English countryside, she was kept grounded by her late mother and muse Linda – a photographer, vegetarian and animal rights activist whose values and innate appreciation for beauty continue to inspire her today. In 2001, Stella McCartney launched her eponymous luxury fashion house and showed her first collection in Paris that October. A lifelong vegetarian, she has never used leather, feathers, skin or fur in any of her designs since day one – a revolutionary stance, then and now. Since those first seeds were planted, the brand has continued to grow its sustainability thought leadership through material and supply chain innovation, partnerships and more.

Harris Elliott is a Multi Disciplinary Artist, Cultural Curator and Academic with an extensive portfolio working in fashion, music and art. ‘Culture without compromise’ is his studio mantra, a statement of intent refined through 20 years of inspired global working with heavy emphasis and inspiration from Japanese and Jamaican cultural references. Elliott is renowned for his international, cultural, socio-style exhibition Return of the Rudeboy at Somerset House in 2014, with collaborator Dean Chalkley. Harris is a part time Senior lecturer in Fashion at the Royal College of Art and Race and Transcultural Studies at Central Saint Martins.

The designer Sue Timney has worked in Britain, Europe and Japan for over thirty years creating interior projects celebrating her own brand of exotic classicism under the TIMNEY FOWLER and SUE_TIMNEY banners. The work ranges from commercial and residential interior architecture to product design for interiors and fashion. She was made a Visiting Professor and Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art in 2007, holds the Textile Institute's Design Medal and nominated for the Prince Philip Designer's Prize by the Royal College of Art. From 2012 - 2014 Sue was President of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and is she is currently a director of BIID. In 2002 alongside the TIMNEY FOWLER brand - the SUE_ TIMNEY design practice was set up to work on specialist interior and product projects. A retrospective of Timney's work was held in 2010 at The Fashion and Textile Museum in London together with the launch of her book Making Marks - a design biography. The House of Fraser launched the TIMNEY brand for Home and Fashion in 2011 and her work was exhibited in the Postmodern ism: Style & Subversion 1970-1990 exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Sue's designs in 2012 were exhibited in the V&A's 'British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age' and '175 years at the Royal College of Art'. Her work was also exhibited in the powerful 'Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the Eighties' show at the V&A Museum in 2013.

Laura is a current Research Fellow at the RCA, and founder of KnitRegen Ltd. KnitRegen is a wearable MedTech company, creating the next generation smart garments and technology for neurological recovery, specifically, enabling stroke survivors to regain lost movement by simply wearing a garment. The garment incorporates patent-pending smart textiles that focus on improving strength training to transform muscle performance and boost recovery.