Douglas Atkinson

Dr. Douglas Atkinson is Reader in Fashion Technologies at Manchester Metropolitan University's Manchester Fashion Institute. His research examines how digital technologies transform garment design and manufacturing processes, with particular focus on touch perception, haptic interfaces, and sensory experiences in both physical and digital environments. He brings practical expertise as a former creative pattern cutter for luxury brands and sustainable fashion enterprises.

He holds a Ph.D. in Education from UCL (University College London), MA in Digital Fashion from London College of Fashion, and BA in Fashion from Middlesex University.

Atkinson's research investigates the sensory dimensions of fashion design, especially how touch practices during garment prototyping can be digitized through collaborative robotics and haptic technologies. His interdisciplinary approach combines design ethnography, sensory studies, and human-computer interaction to explore digital touch communication frameworks.

His publications analyze digital touch across multiple contexts: from developing sustainable design toolkits (2025) to studying haptic affective communication (2022). Recent work focuses on slow fashion through tactile assessment datasets and digital transformation of traditional garment processes.

Awards and Recognition

• European Research Council (ERC) Doctoral Bursary
• Harold Tillman Scholarship
• Featured in Science Museum's Energy Revolution exhibition

Dr. Atkinson leads the Robotics Living Lab (RoLL), a £3.8m facility developing agile robotic technologies for sustainable garment production. He has supervised PhD projects on digital co-design and zero-waste pattern cutting. As editorial reviewer for ACM, Bloomsbury, and Routledge publications, he advances discourse on digital materiality and sensory design.