Our collaborators
Our collaborators bring together expertise from across academia, industry, and practice to support the development of circular fashion ecosystems.
Paul Hooper
Paul Hooper is Research Lead for the Department of Natural Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University, specialising in sustainability
and environmental impact.
His work focuses on the relationship between
economic activity and the environment, particularly
in areas such as waste management, carbon
management, and sustainable systems.
He also contributes to regional sustainability
initiatives, including Manchester’s Zero Carbon Advisory Group and the Greater Manchester
Sustainable Consumption and Production Challenge Group.
Barbara Shepherd
Barbara Shepherd is a Reader in Fashion Business at Manchester Metropolitan University, with extensive experience across both academia and the UK fashion industry. Her work focuses on fashion supply chains, sustainable innovation, and textile waste.
She has led projects in wearable technology and is currently involved in initiatives addressing effective textile recycling and circular practices within the fashion sector. Her research on evaluating end-of-life garments in Greater Manchester contributes directly to understanding material flows and improving circular systems.
Explore her work on circular textiles and sustainability here
Sally Randles
Professor Sally Randles is Chair in Sustainability and Innovation at Manchester Metropolitan University and a leading expert in circular economy and place-based
sustainability. Her work focuses on how cities and communities drive circular change, with
research spanning Manchester, London,
and international contexts.
She coleads research on circular society
innovation exploring how social initiatives
intersect with circular transitions, and
contributes to interdisciplinary sustainability
programmes. Sally also supports the
Orchestrate project as mentor, bringing
strategic insight into ecosystem collaboration and innovation.
Learn more about Professor Randles’ work on
place-based circular society innovations here.
Paul Dewick
Paul is Professor of Sustainability and Research Director for the Faculty of Business and Law at Manchester Metropolitan University. As Faculty Research Director, he is responsible for setting the long-term strategic vision and leading and embedding research throughout the Faculty of Business and Law. He is a member of the Manchester Met’s Sustainability Strategy Group.
Paul is also leading the Place based circular society innovations project and acts as a mentor to the Orchestrate team.
Learn more about Professor Dewicks’ work on place-based circular society project here
Patsy Perry
Dr Patsy Perry is a Reader in Fashion Marketing, with expertise in corporate social responsibility within fashion supply chains.
Her work focuses on sustainable practices in the fashion industry, contributing to understanding how organisations can integrate responsibility and sustainability into their operations.
This work has also gained wider recognition, including coverage by the BBC:
Mohammad
Roohanifar
Mohammad Roohanifar is a Reader in Strategy at Manchester Metropolitan University, specialising in strategic management, entrepreneurship, and sustainable business models.
His research focuses on how organisations develop sustainable strategies and create value in dynamic environments. Within the Orchestrate community, Moe contributes to work on circular business modelling and strategy perspectives in the scope of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Flair Rugs.
Samuli Patala
Samuli Patala is an Associate Professor at the Aalto University, School of Business. His research focuses on in how businesses and other organizations address sustainability challenges. His specific interests relate to management and governance of sustainable resource use, circular economy, collaboration and partnerships for sustainability as well as institutional change and legitimacy in sustainability transitions.
Asha Nair
Asha Nair is an Assistant Professor at PSGIM, specialising in Strategy and Sustainability. She holds a PhD from the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai, where her research focused on how organisations can develop a sustainability mindset to strengthen capabilities and enable transformational change.
Her work explores sustainability and innovation in organisational contexts, with a particular interest in how knowledge and leadership can drive more sustainable practices. Asha is also a certified lead implementer of ISO 14064 carbon footprint standards, with expertise in helping organisations measure, manage, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
She is committed to applying her research and practice to support positive environmental and organisational change.
Andra Riandita
Andra holds a PhD in Industrial Management from KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) and Politecnico di Milano (Italy). Her research focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation management in the context of environmental and social sustainability.
She explores organisational and inter-organisational dynamics, with a particular focus on partnerships between start-ups and established firms to drive sustainability-oriented innovation. Her work also examines how collaborations across sectors address societal challenges such as food waste and labour conditions.
Andra has collaborated with industry partners across sectors and has teaching experience at institutions including KTH, Politecnico di Milano, and Bandung Institute of Technology.
Songyi Yan
Dr Songyi Yan is a Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Fashion Management at Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research focuses on circular fashion and sustainable consumption, with particular expertise in upcycling as a social practice, creativity-led value creation, and how sustainability narratives shape consumer and stakeholder engagement. She also researches microfibre pollution from textiles, examining responsibility attribution, governance challenges, and cross-sector solutions. Across these areas, she uses qualitative and interdisciplinary approaches to support more credible, systemic pathways to fashion sustainability.