I am a design researcher, educator, and activist, striving to plant seeds of hope and change, especially when working with marginalised communities. I define myself as a craftsman of my own life, which looks like a patchwork of the diverse cultures which I have absorbed from the countries in which I have lived (Figure 1). Originally from Sicily, I have migrated to the North of Italy, then to the Netherlands, Brazil, Hungary, South Africa and the UK, on a tireless search for better education and employment opportunities, until I settled in London, at least for now. My lived experience of injustice and lack of meritocracy and opportunities especially for young people in my home country has shaped my activist role, which aims at creating a more resilient, equitable and diverse system, in and through fashion. While being a self-made man, I am aware of the position of privilege which I hold now, working as a Senior Lecturer in Fashion and Design for Social Change at London College of Fashion, in one of the top Arts and Design Universities in the world. With this in mind, I constantly challenge my own positionality and I am committed to use my power to give voice and agency to the marginalised, like young people and refugee communities. Moreover, whilst I am aware that I could take a more radical approach to activism, as I work within a Higher Education Institution and my projects are often funded by Local and Central Government, I strive to activate change from within – rather than outside – the system. My sensibility towards diverse cultures informs my inclusive – research and teaching – practice, as well as my advocacy work towards cultural sustainability and systems change.
