"Design has an added value to the world, apart from aesthetics." |
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Cristina is a pioneer contextual fashion designer, researcher, lecturer and social entrepreneur with a strong vision on the circular clothing of tomorrow and the added value it will bring to our everyday lives. She was trained at VIA Design University in Denmark, has an MA in Leadership for Sustainability from Malmö University in Sweden, with a background also in circular economy and biomimicry.
In 2014, she started a new life phase in design, as she wished to develop her work based on design thinking and circular economy principles, with an interdisciplinary approach. The goal was to establish a new design process that would bring more value to the user and the environment; it would address not only aesthetics but key environmental and societal needs as well. Her design journey in Denmark expanded her knowledge regarding sustainable practices within the fashion industry, circular principles, design methods and circular business models. She went on to obtain an MA in Leadership for Sustainability from Malmö University in Sweden. The unique mix of skills in leadership, design thinking, circular economy and biomimicry has led her to create a more conscious and sustainable design, as she believes that design has an added value to the world apart from aesthetics. The manifestation of this is SOLVE, the social innovation studio in design and sustainability, of which Cristina is the founder of. In 2016 she designed the world's first circular and multifunctional fashion collection - Omdanne. She has been published in international publications such as Forbes or Designboom, and in 2019 she was awarded the Silver A' Design Award in Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design Category by the International Design Academy in Italy. In the meantime, she also has a close collaboration with Malmö University in Sweden, as an assisting teacher for the Leadership for Sustainability master programme, as she is always looking to scale the impact of her knowledge and help create new agents for change. Among other projects, she is one of the founders of the Sustainable Business Design & Entrepreneurship HUB, a learning hub for sustainable innovations within the fashion & lifestyle industry dedicated to students and teachers at VIA Design University in Denmark. Form follows feeling. |
Publications
Dan, C. and Østergaard, T. (2021). Circular fashion: the new roles of designers in organisations transitioning to a circular economy. The Design Journal. , DOI:10.1080/14606925.2021.1936748
Dan, C. and Østergaard, T. (2021). Circling Round Circular Change. Paper to be presented at the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, Denmark.
Dan, C. in Blum, P. (2021). Circular Fashion. Laurence King Publishers.
Chapter Dan, C. and Østergaard, T. (in press). From vision to practice in Design Educations for Sustainable Development and Circular Economy. In R. T. Clausen & A. L. Bang (Eds.). Building Better Business – Designing New Futures: New Sustainable Path in Design and Business Education. Denmark: Frydenlund Academic.
Dan, C in A’ Design Award & Competition (2019). Winner Designs 2018-2019, Award Winning Product Design. Designer Press.
Dan, C. (2017). Clothing that creates zero-waste while discouraging consumption through user-participatory design: Omdanne. Paper presented at Circular Economy International Conference, Department of Business Development and Technology at Aarhus BSS University, Herning, Denmark.
Dan, C. and Østergaard, T. (2021). Circling Round Circular Change. Paper to be presented at the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, Denmark.
Dan, C. in Blum, P. (2021). Circular Fashion. Laurence King Publishers.
Chapter Dan, C. and Østergaard, T. (in press). From vision to practice in Design Educations for Sustainable Development and Circular Economy. In R. T. Clausen & A. L. Bang (Eds.). Building Better Business – Designing New Futures: New Sustainable Path in Design and Business Education. Denmark: Frydenlund Academic.
Dan, C in A’ Design Award & Competition (2019). Winner Designs 2018-2019, Award Winning Product Design. Designer Press.
Dan, C. (2017). Clothing that creates zero-waste while discouraging consumption through user-participatory design: Omdanne. Paper presented at Circular Economy International Conference, Department of Business Development and Technology at Aarhus BSS University, Herning, Denmark.
In the press
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Collaboration
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Cristina continuously challenges people to think differently about designing our world, trough workshops, lectures or talks. She is the perfect public speaker to inspire your audience and stimulate their imagination in order to design a sustainable future.
Examples of keynote topics: Sustainability as a Design Tool Social Innovation in the Fashion Industry Lifestyle 4.0: The New Order of Life Social Innovation and Design Synergies A New Design Paradigm |
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