PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
As a designer, I operate between people and making. My work is driven by an interest in textile-based techniques, materials and production technologies. However, I also find motivation in creating concepts that are socially meaningful.
Throughout the bachelor I found myself gravitating between the two perspectives, but towards the end I came to the conclusion that my practice focuses specifically on finding possibilities for them to intersect.
Research-through-making represents one branch of my ideation, allowing me to explore and uncover technical opportunities. Human-centered design is the other branch, helping me understand where those opportunities become relevant and valuable. Then, the concepts I develop are the result of a continuous negotiation between the two.
This dialogue between making and asking, technique and experience, or technology and narrative is also reflected in my skills. I am a person who often alternated between analytical reasoning and intuitive thinking to make sense of complex situations. Over time, I stopped viewing these dimensions in contradiction, and instead began looking for ways in which they can enhance each other. This makes me able to adapt to different roles and challenges throughout the design process. Whether framing research questions, exploring technical possibilities, understanding different perspectives or translating insights into concepts, I am comfortable moving between different ways of thinking and connecting them into a coherent design direction. This ability to navigate and bridge seemingly different domains has become one of my main strengths as a designer.
'' FOR DESIGNING, I LEARN.
FOR LEARNING, I DESIGN. ''
MY 'SKILLS SUITCASE'
VISION
I envision design as a way of questioning how things could be done differently and making those questions tangible. Instead of accepting products, systems or behaviors as fixed, I believe that design can reveal alternative ways of interacting with the world and encourage people to imagine new possibilities for everyday life.
What motivates me is not innovation for its own sake, but the opportunity to create meaningful change. I am interested in how design can answer questions while still leaving them open-ended. Instead of proposing a "solution", design should open discussions in which people, through the lens of their own needs and perspectives, can engage and interpret a topic in their own unique way.
While reflection and discussion are important, I believe that ideas gain value when they become tangible, either through artefacts or experiences. The role of the designer therefore becomes not only asking and exploring questions, but also creating the means through which others can interact with those questions.
Textiles and wearables have become my preferred medium for pursuing this vision. They exist in close relationship with everyday life, making them relevant and accessible to people. They rely on a strong connection between production technology and materials, opening opportunities for technical and physical exploration. Therefore, they provide a powerful way of bridging questioning, realizing and proposing concepts that people can understand, use and respond to.
Looking ahead, I hope to contribute to a design practice where innovation is not only discussed, but experienced. While research and reflection are essential parts of the way I work, I am motivated by seeing ideas leave the design process and materialize into products and systems that become part of people's everyday lives.