Sarah Mann, Director of Architecture, Design & Fashion at the British Council in London, will present the British Council’s latest projects on the theme of sustainability in fashion and design. This will be followed by an in-conversation with Margherita Cuccia from the Accademia Costume e Moda in Rome, who specialises in textiles and will open up the discussion to the Italian world of sustainability in fashion.
The themes to be covered include partnerships with sustainable fashion and design foundations and institutes which aim to create positive change in the industries globally in ways that value people, the environment, creativity and profit in equal measure.
Sarah Mann is the Director of Architecture Design Fashion at the British Council. She is the commissioner for the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale and is responsible for the creative direction of a series of global programmes. Previously, Sarah was Programme Manager for the British Council on Connect ZA, a three-year season of arts projects focused on building connections between the UK and South Africa. Between 2008 and 2012, Sarah was part of the curatorial team and Head of Learning and Participation at Somerset House, where she worked on a ground-breaking series of exhibitions and public programmes.
After gaining a degree in Political Science from the University of Roma 3 followed by one in Textile Design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona, Margherita Cuccia is now responsible for the Textile Department at the Accademia di Costume e Moda of Rome and an assistant lecturer at the IUAV in Venice. In her free time, Margherita collects and studies sustainable textiles. As part of her practice within the Coni Stella art studio, Margherita produces hand-made numbered collections from excess canvas which she recovers from fine art shops.
