The School of Fashion and Textiles research staff are internationally connected and are leaders in their fields.
This enables meaningful collaboration on global applied research projects, significant exhibitions, and conferences, and research training partnerships with some of the world’s most prestigious universities.
These linkages include, among others:
- Deakin University (Australia)
- London College of Fashion (UK)
- University of the Arts London (UK)
- Aalto University (Finland)
- University of Boras (Sweden)
- North Carolina State University (USA)
- Munich University of Technology (Germany)
- ArtEZ University of the Arts (Netherlands)
- The University of Manchester (UK)
Contact us
Research contacts for the School of Fashion and Textiles are:
Professor Alice Payne
Dean, School of Fashion & Textiles
Brunswick Australia
Design and Social Context
Dr Alice Payne is a Professor and Dean of the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT. Her research focuses on environmental and social sustainability issues throughout the life cycle of clothing. Recent work has examined labour issues in the cotton value chain, as well as technologies to address the problem of textile waste. Alice was part of the Australian Fashion Council-led consortium designing the National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme. She is author of the book Designing Fashion's Future, co-editor of Global Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion, and is an award-winning designer and educator.
Dr. Jenny Underwood
Associate Dean, Research and Innovation
- Brunswick Australia
- Fashion & Textiles
Dr Jenny Underwood is the Associate Dean Research and Innovation in the School of Fashion and Textiles. Her research is interdisciplinary, and practice-based to develop material-led design strategies and systems-based approaches for responsible design innovation in the context of fashion and architecture. She is recognised internationally as a leading expert in advanced knit design and 3d seamless knitting technology. She is also an experienced senior supervisor, having supervised some of the first practice-based research PhDs, within the field of fashion and textile design internationally. Dr Jenny Underwood and Dr Leanne Zilka are leaders of the Floppy Lab - a collaborative research lab that sits across architecture, fashion and textile design. Situated between Brunswick and City campuses in Melbourne, Australia. For more information contact Leanne or Jenny.
Dr. Taylor Brydges
Centre Director, WEFT Research Centre
- Brunswick Australia
- Fashion & Textiles
A/Professor Taylor Brydges is Director of the Centre of Material and Design Exchange (CO:MADE) at RMIT University. An economic geographer, she researches sustainable fashion and textile systems, circular economies and innovation pathways across global supply chains. With experience across Australia, Europe and Canada, she works closely with industry, policymakers and researchers to support more sustainable, resilient and socially just fashion futures.
Dr. Georgia McCorkill
Senior Lecturer
- Brunswick Australia
- Fashion & Textiles
Georgia McCorkill is a senior lecturer in design in the School of Fashion and Textiles. Her practice-based research explores sustainable design strategies applicable to bespoke and micropreneur contexts such as upcycling, repair, and co-design. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and festivals within Australia. Her current project Fashion Fix investigates garment repair from industry, community, creative and activist perspectives. Georgia has applied her research into sustainable and circular design to the development and delivery at scale of subjects that embed new processes for creating and making from textile waste as a core competency for students in the Bachelor of Fashion (Design).
