Sang Thai

Designer, lecturer and creative practice researcher with an interest in masculinity, intersectionality, and inclusive fashion design practices for social change.

Sang Thai (he/him) is a designer, lecturer, and creative practice researcher at RMIT School of Fashion Textiles. He holds degrees in both Architecture (The University of Melbourne) and Fashion Design (RMIT University) and has extensive industry design experience in Melbourne, Sydney, and New York. Sang is currently a PhD candidate in the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT University with an interest in masculinity, intersectionality, and inclusive fashion design practices for social change. His doctoral project explores the use of the t-shirt to embody and express the diasporic Asian experience in Australia.

Sang is a lecturer in the Bachelor of Fashion (Design) program at RMIT University, leading pedagogy in Diversity and Inclusion, and mentors students in preparation for the industry through studio learning, curriculum development, course coordination, WIL (work integrated learning)/Partner Projects and International study tours.

Sang coordinates and leads WIL (work integrated learning) and Partnered Projects courses in the Fashion and Textiles Design discipline through negotiating, developing, and integrating partnered outcomes into the design studio curriculum. This includes the development and alignment of project briefs to deliver the course and program learning outcomes.

Project partners have included: Disney, ACMI, Melbourne and Olympic Park Trust (MOPT), MERGE: M-Pavillion x Open House Melbourne x Melbourne Music Week, Arnsdorf, Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Yellowglen, Vic Police, Roadshow Films, and Oroton among others.

Sang has extensive industry experience in Retail and Wholesale fashion product design and development, end to end, from strategy conception to delivery into store. This includes design and development across a broad range of product categories, as well as leading and mentoring design and development teams in Head Designer/Senior Designer roles at Brand Collective, and design roles at MARCS (M Webster Holdings) and Paul Frank (Globe International).

Awards:
2023 - F&T Contemporary Industry Practice Industry Award
2021 - Learning and Teaching Award: Contemporary Industry Practice Award (recognizes exemplary industry-based research or teaching practice)
2019 - Learning and Teaching Award: Industry Practice & Partnerships (RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles)
2018 - Learning and Teaching Award: Broken Heel for Broken Hill (RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles)