Hey there! I’m Joao, a Womenswear Design Lecturer in the BA Fashion Design Technology course at LCF. I am also Design unit leader in Year 2.
I am super excited about diving into the PgCert! It’s going to be an amazing experience and I hope to expand my knowledge in teaching practices, learning from both tutors and peers. However, I must admit, the idea of being a student again is making me a bit nervous but I am always up for a challenge (let’s hope it is not a complete disaster).
Apart from teaching, I run my own fashion brand (check it out here). It all started after I finished my MA in Fashion at London College of Fashion in 2019. My brand isn’t just about image making and products, it is deeply connected to my values as a person and a practitioner. I love collaborating, especially in a laid-back, respectful, horizontal way, working with artisan communities and fellow creators. Responsibility is key, and my brand is a platform for sparking new conversations and using dialogue as an alternative route to design products, collections, scenarios, news ways of working collectively and individually.
Education is an important thing for me, and it is one reason I jumped into academia. My passion is all about creating handmade products, preserving skills like embroidery, crochet, macramé, and print. In my brand, we are constantly giving a shoutout to skills that are fading away and putting the spotlight on the voices of artisans and collaborators. I believe one powerful way of doing so is by grounding our creative practices in learning exchange. That has led me to create a small learning hub in Brazil, where I am from, in which we invite people that are interested in learning more about traditional techniques and pass them on from the hand of master artisans to the local communities.
I’m looking at the PgCert as a chance to connect my outside-of-university practice. I am really interested in how they can complement each other, creating a solid unit that opens all sorts of opportunities. I am committed to teaching all I know to my students and supporting them on how to navigate university and industry. I believe my practice is of great value for my students and vice-versa.
I am really looking forward to connecting with fellow practitioners on the course, especially those from different parts of UAL.
Lovely to meet you! Good luck with the course.
Hello Joao. Thanks for sharing this introduction to yourself, your practice and your values. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to supporting you on this journey.