Patricia Wu Wu

Patricia Wu Wu is a fashion designer, researcher and educator. Her practice integrates computational design, material research and emerging technologies to investigate new ways of thinking and designing with the body in response to planetary scale issues. Patricia holds a practice-based PhD in Design from the University of Edinburgh (2021), titled ‘An Expanded Fashion Practice Towards Interfacing the Anthropocene’. Through this PhD, she explored fashion as a geo-environmental force, leading to a range of outputs in the form of data-driven 3D printed wearables, diagrams, fashion visualisations, generative animations and installation.

Her work has been exhibited and presented at international events, galleries and museums, including Milan Design Week, Berlin Fashion Film Festival, Disseny Hub Barcelona, Fondazione Mondo Digitale, British Museum, Arebyte Gallery, Talbot Rice Gallery and the BBC Broadcasting House as part of the Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) Programme Launch. Key publications have appeared in peer-reviewed journals ELISAVA Temes de Disseny, international conferences The Association of Fashion & Textiles: Futurescan 5, and a contributing chapter in Radical Fashion Exercises book. 

Prior to joining the Fashion department, Patricia has taught postgraduate design studios such as Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh for 5 years, contributing to new teaching methods such as the integration of generative AI, data physicalisation workshops, as well as curating the ‘Data as a Material’ (2023) student exhibition, as part of the annual Edinburgh Science Festival. In addition, she has taught within the suite of Design and Screen Cultures courses at the School of Design, on subjects related to body, materiality and technology. Working across multiple disciplines and a breadth of student projects, has shaped a cross-disciplinary teaching approach grounded in critical making. 

Patricia has previously worked on diverse funded research projects, such as ‘AI Fashion Co-creation’ (2021), a collaboration between The University of Edinburgh, University of Arts London and fashion tech company Away to Mars, where she developed unique computationally designed datasets for an AI-powered commercial prototype. She has also worked as a research assistant on the ‘Experiential AI Pilot Study’ (2019) which subsequently led to the launch of The New Real hub. The Study investigated the role of artistic practice in revealing the complexities behind AI systems, involving an artist residency with Ars Electronica and showcase during Edinburgh International Festival.

Patricia was a reviewer for the 35th International BCS Human-Computer Interaction 2022 Conference ‘Towards a Human-Centred Digital Society’ at Keele University. Between 2023 - 2024, Patricia is the guest editor for RchD: Creación y Pensamiento (Creation and Thought), Vol. 9, No.16, a peer-reviewed design journal established within the Design Department at University of Chile. 

Patricia holds a Masters degree in Fashion & Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art, with previous industry experience at renowned fashion studios such as Iris van Herpen, where she developed experimental approaches to form-making.