Dr. Nkumbu Mutambo
Dr. Nkumbu Mutambo
- Lecturer, Researcher
- ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3118-0070- Job Title
- Lecturer, Researcher
- School or Academic Area
- School of Innovation and Technology
- School or Academic Area Supervised for
- School of Innovation and Technology
- N.Mutambo@gsa.ac.uk
- Professional Address
- Altyre Estate, Forres IV36 2SH.
Biography
Nkumbu is a design innovation lecturer and researcher whose work explores the power of creativity to shape culture and drive positive societal change. Centred on fashion and textiles, her research and practice examine how knowledge and lived experiences, particularly from the peripheries, can inform more equitable futures. Her PhD investigated the role and meaning of heritage for fashion designers, interrogating questions at the intersection of history, memory, dress, and identity. Drawing on extensive experience across interdisciplinary projects in the creative and cultural sectors, Nkumbu advances work focused on sustainability, transformation, and socially responsive design.
Research Interests
My research interest cover a range of interrelated topics:
Heritage and future making
Sustainability and circularity
African Fashion cultures
Responsible design innovation
Decoloniality
Grants
Project: Podcast Research project
Date: November 2022
Role: Co-I
Amount: £5991
Funder: Northumbria University
Co-I on a bid for pilot study exploring role of a podcast in supporting and enhancing research culture.
PGR Supervision Interests
I'm interested in supervising work that explores:
The role of heritage in creating equitable futures,
De-colonial approaches to sustainability and circularity, and
African Fashion cultures
Teaching
I'm a lecturer teaching Design innovation and Regenerative Systems design
Latest Additions
- James, Alana, Peirson-Smith, Anne, Mutambo, Nkumbu, Nicolson, Suzanne, Wetherell, Sophie and Irving-Munro, Abigail (2025) The Care and Repair Guide: Reducing Environmental Impact and Addressing Skills Gaps in Responsible Wardrobe Management. Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025) (6). ISSN 2794-9540
- Peirson-Smith, Anne, Wetherell, Sophie V, Singer, Erica, James, Alana, Irving-Munro, Abigail, Mutambo, Nkumbu and Nicolson, Suzanne (2025) Repairing and regenerating the community: A study in activating garment repair initiatives with stakeholders at local level. Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025) (6). ISSN 2794-9540
- Mutambo, Nkumbu, Peirson-Smith, Anne, KeChi-Okafor, Chimdia, Irving-Munro, Abigail, Sheridan, Kelly J., Prendergast-Miller, Miranda T., Namdeo, Anil, Stanton, Thomas, Gallidabino, Matteo D. and James, Alana (2024) Mapping the Environmental Impact Assessment Landscape in the Fashion and Textile Industries: Critical Gaps and Challenges. Sustainability, 16 (19). p. 8377. ISSN 2071-1050
- James, Alana M, Mutambo, Nkumbu, Sheridan, Kelly J, Prendergast-Miller, Miranda and Rogers, Abbie (2024) Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration Challenging Microfibre Fragmentation in the Fashion and Textile Industries. In: Microfibre Pollution from Textiles. CRC Press, pp. 331-348. ISBN 9781003331995
