Lee Mattocks

I’m a Senior Lecturer in Fashion Design at Nottingham Trent University, specialising in menswear, leather, garment construction and emotionally durable design. Working as a practitioner in leather product development and fashion on a practice research pathway, I combine both academic roles while developing my creative practice. This experience continues to shape how I teach and research, particularly my interest in making, materials, craft skills and and improving on the things we own.

My current research explores wardrobe studies, emotional durability and garment retention, looking at how design can encourage people to develop longer and more meaningful relationships with clothing. I’m particularly interested in connecting this research to sustainability discourse and the development of academic papers and my own creative practice to develop design frameworks for emotionally durable design.

I recently secured £80,000 in funding from The Leathersellers’ Foundation to develop leather education, industry masterclasses, staff research development and knowledge exchange projects within Fashion Design at NTU. This builds on ongoing collaborations with industry, including Billy Tannery and Universal Works, and my wider interest in supporting local skills, manufacturing and material knowledge.

My work brings together teaching, research, industry and making. I’m currently developing projects around local leather systems, garment longevity and emotionally durable menswear, alongside presenting and publishing my research internationally.