Globally Connected @ FIT: Sustainable Fashion and the Sea—Fish Skin as Ecological Resource

Learn about new models of sustainable textiles in this conversation on connections between anthropology, fashion, and indigenous knowledge.

Elisa Palomino will introduce the transformation of marine waste into leather as an alternative raw material for fashion in contemporary sustainable fashion practice, alleviating the pressure of over-produced textiles. Exploring issues related to the ingenuity of different Arctic cultures as repositories of the heritage of fish skin as a cultural and ecological resource, Dr. Palomino seeks to activate new models of sustainable textiles, making connections between anthropology, fashion, and indigenous knowledge.

Elisa Palomino, PhD, is a fashion designer with 25 years’ experience in the fashion industry at John Galliano and Christian Dior. Until recently, Dr. Palomino was the BA Fashion Print pathway leader at Central Saint Martins, UAL, London. As an international fashion lecturer, she was a Fulbright Scholar at the Smithsonian Institution’s Arctic Studies Center and held fellowships at the Library of Congress and at The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.

Palomino will be in a conversation with Professor Sarah Mullins. Mullins is the assistant chair of the Footwear and Accessories Design Department at FIT. She teaches courses in accessories product design and development, Adobe Illustrator, and senior thesis. Mullins’s design experience specializes in handbags, leather goods, pattern design, and children’s products. For more than 14 years, she was a senior designer on Maclaren’s global product development team. In addition to teaching and designing, Mullins has co-authored several books on making handbags and belts. She continues to make leather goods for distinct clients. The most specialized products she makes are hyena paws for Disney’s Broadway and touring productions of The Lion King.

This virtual event is free and open to the public; REGISTER HERE.