THE TEAM
PROF. VERONIKA KAPSALI
Veronika is a Professor of Materials Technology and Design at the London College of Fashion at UAL (University of the Arts London) and a AHRC Leadership Fellow. She is a leader in the newly emerging field of Bio-inspired Textiles and has worked for 10+ years on a range of industry focused applications that include the invention and development of biomimetic active fibres and textiles.
Veronika’s track record in attracting research funding includes PI roles in Bio-Inspired Textiles (BIT), AHRC Leadership Fellow (£248,130.59), Sep 2020-Aug 2022; Fashioning the Ageing Population, Innovate UK, (£80,000, Sep 2018- Aug 2019). She is a Co-I on the AHRC BFTT (Business of Fashion Textiles and Technology) Creative Cluster (£5,600,000, 01/10/18-01/04/2023), and specifically developing and leading one of the flagship work packages focusing on sustainable alternative materials development (value £600,000) and mentoring SME projects (total value £180,000).
DR CATHRYN ANNEKA HALL
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Cathryn completed her PhD at the Centre for Circular Design (CCD) - UAL Chelsea college of Arts. Her research explores Design for Recycling Knitwear and this spans the cascading, blending, and sorting practices within the mechanical textile recycling system. The research investigates how to design using recycled fibres from blended textiles so they can be recycled again creating a more circular future.
Cathryn's background as a designer in the fashion industry and previously worked at CCD as a research assistant on the Mistra Future Fashion project. Cathryn works on the Bio-Inspired Textiles project as postdoctoral research alongside Prof. Veronika Kapsali. Cathryn also works at Design School Kolding, Denmark as a postdoctoral researcher on the Resuit project (Recycling Technologies and Sustainable Textile Product Design).
STEPHANIE ROLPH​
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Stephanie Rolph is a highly skilled textile designer with expertise in design-driven material innovation. With a distinguished educational background including graduating from CSM and RCA, Stephanie blends originality with innovative approaches to textile design and development. Over the past decade, she has collaborated with prestigious brands in Fashion, Couture, Interiors, and the Automotive industries, leaving her mark on projects spanning New York, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, Japan, and the UK.
In addition to her successful studio practice, Stephanie holds positions as a lecturer at CSM and Chelsea College of Art, as well as a design researcher at UAL. Her academic research leverages her vast commercial design experience to establish circular and traceable supply chains within the UK, specializing in British Wool.
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