Stephanie Phillips

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Fashion Design from Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. She furthered her education by obtaining a Master of Arts in Textile Futures and Design for Material Sustainability from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art & Design in London, United Kingdom.

With a focus on functional composite textiles and sustainability, Stephanie’s design research practices revolve around developing innovative materials sourced from a single waste stream, particularly bio-derived sources. Since 2003, Stephanie has been actively working in the field of Textile Design. In 2010, she ventured into teaching, initially at OCAD University before joining Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2014. Her creative work has been showcased at notable events such as Tent during London Design Week and The Munich Craft Council’s Exhibition on Craft & Innovation. Stephanie has also contributed her expertise as a trend forecaster with WGSN and has conducted workshops in collaboration with organizations like Subtle Technologies, IDEO, and The University of Toronto.

Currently, Stephanie holds the prestigious role of the Sherman Jen Research Chair in Next Generation Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. In addition to her research responsibilities, she actively contributes to teaching in various programs within the Wilson School of Design. This includes the Product Design Bachelor program, Fashion & Technology Bachelor program, and the Technical Apparel Post-Baccalaureate program.

Stephanie’s multifaceted involvement in research, teaching, and design positions her as a key contributor to the advancement of next-generation design practices and sustainable approaches in the field of fashion and textiles.

Research Interests: Biomaterials, Sustainability, Textiles, Functional Materials, Creativity and Innovation