Megan Eames

I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Materials at the University of Manchester exploring how the sustainable fashion industry can be more inclusive and accessible combining circular economy principles and human rights discourse.

The fashion industry is one of the most unsustainable and polluting industries in the world, producing billions of new garments every year which are ending up in landfill. However, simultaneously, there are millions UK households who are facing clothing deprivation. My research seeks to address this anomaly. The circular economy could provide a solution to both crises, as it aims to redistribute clothing that already exists. My research addresses a gap in the literature which seeks to offer an approach to sustainable fashion which not only has sustainability benefits but also increases clothing accessibility for the clothing deprived.

My passion for research was cemented during my Masters degree at the London College of Fashion in Fashion Cultures and Histories, in which I graduated with distinction. My thesis “From Welsh Plains to Welsh Pride: unpicking the material, mythical, and historical narratives woven into the fabric of the Welsh identity”, followed the journey of a Welsh woollen textile from its humble origins as a cloth sold to make clothing for enslaved individuals in the Transatlantic trade of these people, to today’s classic Welsh blanket – an expensive commodity and symbol of Welshness. As a Welsh-speaking native, I followed an autoethnographic approach, exploring themes of national identity, minority cultures, and the role of museums. I was awarded the Yarwood Research Grant, from the Costume Society for this research project, a national competition to support a high quality and original research project.

Prior to this, I worked within the fashion industry in the wholesale departments of several major premium and luxury womenswear brands. I gained invaluable knowledge and experiences of the fashion industry which continue to inform my academic work.