It has been over a year since I last wrote in this space. Things have changed. I moved, I finished my PhD. ‘Becoming design’, the former title for this newsletter, was useful for me to think about the topics that mattered to me the most back then: those topics were crucial to finishing my PhD.
My PhD research was all about understanding and conceptualising transformation within a fashion retailer. I explored how new customer-centred practices were integrated into various teams’ existing processes, using participatory approaches. My main take is that, when designing for transformation, we must consider not only the design process but also the ever-evolving forces that affect it: the social structures of the organisation, such as the existing mindsets, values, practices, and emotions.1
Doing the research for a PhD and writing a thesis is a journey as fascinating as it is draining. Now, having completed my PhD, I realise how much I have changed. With that change, new interests arise, new ideas to explore. Somehow, wide as it is, the concept of design now feels constraining.
My focus on organisational culture within the fashion industry allowed me to explore broader aspects of fashion and its role in society. It also made me rethink my work as a researcher within this industry and to realise why I find it so fascinating. The short explanation is that, when people talk about getting dressed, they rarely talk about products: they talk about who they want to become.
And so, I am allowing myself to rebrand and propose a new concept, rooted in the same foundations as before, but open to broader subjects.
‘The Loom’ is still a quest and a space for exploring, but unlike ‘Becoming design’, its focus goes beyond design and designing. I will embark on an adventure to delve into new ideas on fashion from a cultural perspective, reflecting on the evolving role of garment and ornament creation in our society, on the cultural aspects of the fashion industry, and, finally, on the entanglements between fashion and design research.
It is still, at the end of the day, about becoming.
While my goal for this publication is to generate a newsletter every month, I will also allow myself to deviate from the initial plan, whether by taking on unexpected subjects or by letting myself rest.
This is a quest best done in company. I invite any companions to question and reflect on these issues with me, to discuss and enrich my thinking.
Welcome back.
Lourenço Viana, Transformation by Design, 2025.