People
Dr. Dawn ELLAMS
Senior Tutor (Research), Royal Colleage of ArtDawn 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.
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.
Intelligent Garment Inspection System
This project is a new initiative focused on finished garment inspection. It aims to develop an inspection system to automate the conventionally labour-intensive quality checking process on finished garment inspection in apparel manufacturing industry.
02 Jul 2025
CirculAI Fashion
This project is the integration of AI tools with material environmental impact related database to support sustainability decisions of design team of fashion brands during the fashion design process on design and material selection decisions for responsible design practices, minimizing environmental impact.
02 Jul 2025