Email: E.M.Igoe@soton.ac.uk
Dr Elaine Igoe is Associate Professor of Textiles at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, where she leads and supports innovative curriculum development on the new BA Sustainable Luxury Textiles programme, designed to develop future‑focused leaders in sustainable textile practice.
Her research‑informed teaching and contributes to the School’s long‑established reputation in textile innovation. Her academic work develops a critical and interdisciplinary voice that brings theory and practice together to propose new ways of thinking about textiles within contemporary design research.
Elaine’s career spans extensive experience in higher education teaching all levels from undergraduate to doctoral, having previously worked at the University of Portsmouth, University of the Arts London and the Royal College of Art. She completed her PhD in Textile Design Research & Theory at the Royal College of Art, following earlier degrees from Central Saint Martins and Loughborough University.
Her research outputs and activities include book chapters, editorial work, conference papers and interdisciplinary projects exploring materiality, textiles, design and critical theory. She regularly undertakes peer review for funding councils, publishers and international conferences. Elaine is also Co‑Convenor of the Design Research Society’s Interdisciplinary Textiles Special Interest Group, supporting global collaboration across textile‑related disciplines.
