Elisa Palomino

All Disciplines Scholar Award, Smithsonian Institute - Fashion Design

In the UK I am the Fashion Print Pathway leader at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London. I am a fashion designer, researcher and fashion educator. My Fulbright project will examine Indigenous Arctic Fish skin clothing: Cultural and ecological impacts on Fashion Higher Education, and the learning strategies that are most beneficial for promoting these skills in university students.

I will carry out my research with leading academics in the field of Arctic anthropology under the mentoring of William Fitzhugh, Director at the Arctic Studies Center at the Smithsonian Institute. This research will build connections between anthropology, ethnography and environmental protection taking in consideration global issues of fashion’s sustainability and the impact that our fashion practices are having on the planet. The research looks at how can we learn from fish skin, a new raw material and from local knowledge applied to fashion through case studies working with fashion HE students and fish skin artisans using participatory practices.