Alexandra Sherlock

Dr. Alexandra Sherlock is a lecturer in the School of Fashion and Textiles and represents academic staff in the College of Design and Social Context on RMIT's Academic Board.

Alex's research and teaching intersect the fields of sociology, anthropology and fashion theory. Using footwear as a lens, she investigates the relationship between bodies, cultures, societies and the environment. Between 2010 and 2013 she held the position of postgraduate researcher for the ESRC-funded project 'If the Shoe Fits: Footwear, Identity and Transition' led by Emeritus Professor Jenny Hockey at the University of Sheffield. Her doctoral research used the iconic Clarks Originals styles such as the Desert Boot, Wallabee and Desert Trek to explore the relationships between popular representations and embodied experiences of fashion and footwear. In 2021 Alex founded the Footwear Research Network to support the ongoing development of academic enquiries into shoes and to enhance research impact and industry collaboration.

Alex is passionate about the value of higher education for producing critical thinkers who are prepared to challenge the status quo and effect positive social, cultural, political, economic and environmental change. She identifies fashion as an important medium for change due to its highly visible place in consumer culture and close relationship with all bodies. Using lectures, tutorials and practice-based studios as modes of delivery she demonstrates the value of blending theory and practice for understanding consumer culture and empowering students to produce meaningful designs that address real-world problems. Her recent research into the Affordances of Affordance Theory for Sustainable Design Pedagogy develops an innovative material-driven approach to the teaching of design for a circular economy. She is also currently exploring the ways indigenous knowledge systems might be incorporated into the higher education sector to better respond to emerging technological and environmental challenges.