Lisa Stead

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design

Lisa Stead is currently in her final year of a PhD studentship, 'Fashion and Technology: Future Functions for 'The Emotional Wardrobe', funded by the AHRB as part of a collaborative project entitled 'Fashion and Modernity'. The aim of the PhD study is to marry fashion aesthetics with material science and electronic technology to provide interactive personalisation for the wearer. Research into The Emotional Wardrobe has culminated in collaborations with the Electrical Engineering Department at Imperial College, London and Elumin8, an electroluminescent panel company in Dorset. The garment developed with Imperial College is based on the principles of affective computing and changes its aesthetics in reaction to a change in inferred emotional state. It has shown great potential for further development, which could also be used for communicative and therapeutic benefit to autistic, and deaf, dumb and blind teenagers to create inclusive emotional aesthetics. Lisa has presented this work at 2AD conference in Bristol and has co-authored a paper, which will be published in Computers and Graphics later this year. She has also appeared on 'Go Digital', a technology programme on the BBC World Service.

Lisa has 7 years previous experience working as a mens and boyswear (10-16) head designer and sales person for various suppliers to high street stores, such as BHS, Topshop and C&A. This entailed collaborating with fashion buyers and factories in India and the Far East, to produce product ranges, which ensured design appropriateness and 'wantability', quality control standards, cost effectiveness and compliance with delivery schedules. For the last 8 years she has lectured on various fashion courses at Foundation Art & Design, ND, HND and MA level. She has also held a course leader position for 'Preparation for Design', during which time she successfully revalidated the course.

> Back