LCF Sampled x Research: Design Journeys towards Social Change, Talk + Q&A
Join us at LCF for an evening talk titled Design Journeys towards Social Change
In our next instalment of the LCF Sampled x Research series, Dr Francesco Mazzarella and PhD candidate, Victoria Ho will each deliver a talk exploring the topic of design journeys and social change. Victoria will begin by reflecting on her PhD work and Francesco will follow, sharing insights from his latest research trip in Vietnam and Australia. The talks will be followed by an audience Q&A, ending with a drinks reception outside the Lecture Theatre.
A Journey Toward Change: Lessons from Vietnam
Victoria Ho will share her journey, which began in 2006 when she moved to Vietnam, focusing on her work with Fashion4Freedom (F4F), a social enterprise supporting Vietnamese artisans through a sustainable and culturally responsible model. Since joining F4F in 2014, her practice has focused on addressing power imbalances in designer-artisan collaborations rooted in colonial legacies and cultural, social and economic disparities, prompting her to reevaluate her role as a privileged, Western-trained designer.
This talk explores her shift from designing for artisans to designing with them, emphasising local knowledge, cultural heritage, and economic viability. Case studies, such as her work with the Ta Oi Tribe, illustrate how aligning design with artisans’ resources and requirements fosters cultural sustainability and social innovation. Victoria highlights the importance of collaboration among diverse stakeholders united by shared goals. Reflecting on the process of unlearning ingrained behaviours, she advocates for a post-colonial approach that challenges exploitation, addresses power imbalances, and promotes equitable collaborations.
This talk offers valuable insights for designers, students, and educators seeking to address power dynamics and build inclusive partnerships.
A Creative Journey into the Resourcefulness, Reciprocity and Resilience of Indigenous Communities
In this talk, Dr Francesco Mazzarella,(Reader in Design for Social Change at London College of Fashion, UAL) will share key insights from his latest research trip in Vietnam and Australia. Francesco will discuss his collaboration with a Vietnamese NGO to sensitively access the Ta Oi and Paco indigenous communities and conduct ethnographic research, exploring their traditional textile crafts and cultural practices, while foregrounding the resourcefulness, reciprocity, and resilience of the artisans, especially in the face of the climate emergency. Francesco will also share his experience as a Visiting Researcher at RMIT University in Melbourne, contributing to a range of practice research projects focused on planetary civics and regenerative futures. In discussing his interactions with academics, fashion social enterprises and indigenous communities and the activities and outputs of his field work, Francesco will reflect on his plans for future collaborative outcomes as well as the impact of this experience on himself, as a design researcher and activist, committed to weaving the threads of diverse connections towards social change and cultural reconciliation.
Speaker biographies
Co-Founder, Fashion4Freedom, PhD Candidate, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion and Designer in Residence, LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore.
Victoria is a fashion designer, educator, and manager with extensive cross-cultural experience. She holds an MA in Womenswear Design from Central Saint Martins and is pursuing a practice research PhD at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, UAL. With 18 years in transnational education across the UK, Vietnam, China, and Singapore, she has also worked as a Womenswear Designer, Brand Owner, and production specialist. Currently, she is Designer in Residence at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore.
For the past decade, Victoria has been co-founder of Fashion4Freedom (F4F), a social enterprise supporting artisans and indigenous communities in Vietnam. Her work spans creative direction, craft development, cultural preservation, research, and collaboration across industry and education. In 2019, pieces from F4F were acquired by the V&A Museum in London, and in 2022, she was recognized as an investor in philanthropic and cultural sustainability in Vietnam.
Reader in Design for Social Change at London College of Fashion, UAL
Dr Francesco Mazzarella is a design researcher, educator, and activist, striving to plant seeds of hope and change, especially working with marginalised communities. He is Reader in Design for Social Change at London College of Fashion, UAL. His work at Centre for Sustainable Fashion, UAL explores ways in which design activism can be used to create counter-narratives towards sustainability, in and through fashion. Francesco's research spans the fields of design activism, textile craftsmanship, decolonising fashion, design for sustainability, social innovation, and place-making. Francesco has experience in design research, education, and practice in the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, and Australia. He is a member of the Design Council Expert Network, Fellow of Advance HE, Co-founder of the DESIS Cluster on 'Design from the Margins' and of the Cumulus Working Group on 'Design Education for Social Change'.
Join us at LCF for an evening talk titled Design Journeys towards Social Change
In our next instalment of the LCF Sampled x Research series, Dr Francesco Mazzarella and PhD candidate, Victoria Ho will each deliver a talk exploring the topic of design journeys and social change. Victoria will begin by reflecting on her PhD work and Francesco will follow, sharing insights from his latest research trip in Vietnam and Australia. The talks will be followed by an audience Q&A, ending with a drinks reception outside the Lecture Theatre.
A Journey Toward Change: Lessons from Vietnam
Victoria Ho will share her journey, which began in 2006 when she moved to Vietnam, focusing on her work with Fashion4Freedom (F4F), a social enterprise supporting Vietnamese artisans through a sustainable and culturally responsible model. Since joining F4F in 2014, her practice has focused on addressing power imbalances in designer-artisan collaborations rooted in colonial legacies and cultural, social and economic disparities, prompting her to reevaluate her role as a privileged, Western-trained designer.
This talk explores her shift from designing for artisans to designing with them, emphasising local knowledge, cultural heritage, and economic viability. Case studies, such as her work with the Ta Oi Tribe, illustrate how aligning design with artisans’ resources and requirements fosters cultural sustainability and social innovation. Victoria highlights the importance of collaboration among diverse stakeholders united by shared goals. Reflecting on the process of unlearning ingrained behaviours, she advocates for a post-colonial approach that challenges exploitation, addresses power imbalances, and promotes equitable collaborations.
This talk offers valuable insights for designers, students, and educators seeking to address power dynamics and build inclusive partnerships.
A Creative Journey into the Resourcefulness, Reciprocity and Resilience of Indigenous Communities
In this talk, Dr Francesco Mazzarella,(Reader in Design for Social Change at London College of Fashion, UAL) will share key insights from his latest research trip in Vietnam and Australia. Francesco will discuss his collaboration with a Vietnamese NGO to sensitively access the Ta Oi and Paco indigenous communities and conduct ethnographic research, exploring their traditional textile crafts and cultural practices, while foregrounding the resourcefulness, reciprocity, and resilience of the artisans, especially in the face of the climate emergency. Francesco will also share his experience as a Visiting Researcher at RMIT University in Melbourne, contributing to a range of practice research projects focused on planetary civics and regenerative futures. In discussing his interactions with academics, fashion social enterprises and indigenous communities and the activities and outputs of his field work, Francesco will reflect on his plans for future collaborative outcomes as well as the impact of this experience on himself, as a design researcher and activist, committed to weaving the threads of diverse connections towards social change and cultural reconciliation.
Speaker biographies
Co-Founder, Fashion4Freedom, PhD Candidate, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion and Designer in Residence, LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore.
Victoria is a fashion designer, educator, and manager with extensive cross-cultural experience. She holds an MA in Womenswear Design from Central Saint Martins and is pursuing a practice research PhD at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, UAL. With 18 years in transnational education across the UK, Vietnam, China, and Singapore, she has also worked as a Womenswear Designer, Brand Owner, and production specialist. Currently, she is Designer in Residence at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore.
For the past decade, Victoria has been co-founder of Fashion4Freedom (F4F), a social enterprise supporting artisans and indigenous communities in Vietnam. Her work spans creative direction, craft development, cultural preservation, research, and collaboration across industry and education. In 2019, pieces from F4F were acquired by the V&A Museum in London, and in 2022, she was recognized as an investor in philanthropic and cultural sustainability in Vietnam.
Reader in Design for Social Change at London College of Fashion, UAL
Dr Francesco Mazzarella is a design researcher, educator, and activist, striving to plant seeds of hope and change, especially working with marginalised communities. He is Reader in Design for Social Change at London College of Fashion, UAL. His work at Centre for Sustainable Fashion, UAL explores ways in which design activism can be used to create counter-narratives towards sustainability, in and through fashion. Francesco's research spans the fields of design activism, textile craftsmanship, decolonising fashion, design for sustainability, social innovation, and place-making. Francesco has experience in design research, education, and practice in the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, and Australia. He is a member of the Design Council Expert Network, Fellow of Advance HE, Co-founder of the DESIS Cluster on 'Design from the Margins' and of the Cumulus Working Group on 'Design Education for Social Change'.
Visitor Information
Time: The talk will take place 6-7pm in the Lecture Theatre (M01), followed by drinks reception 7-8pm.
Address: London College of Fashion, 105 Carpenters Road, London, E20 2AR.
How to find us: https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/london-college-of-fashion/about-lcf/find-us
Video on how to get here from Stratford tube on the stories highlights on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lcfculture/