Liz Barnes

Professor Liz Barnes is the Head of the Manchester Fashion Institute at Manchester Metropolitan University. She holds a BSc in Management & Marketing of Textiles from UMIST, a PhD in Design Management from the University of Manchester, and a PGCert in Higher Education. Her academic career includes leadership roles such as Divisional Leader at the University of Manchester’s School of Materials and Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning at the Faculty of Science and Engineering. She has extensive experience in teaching innovation, curriculum development, and academic administration.

Her research focuses on fashion production/consumption dynamics, fast fashion, omnichannel retailing, and sustainability. Notable contributions include co-authoring a seminal paper on fast fashion supply chains and editing special issues on the topic. She collaborates with institutions globally and serves on editorial boards for Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management and Textile Progress.

Barnes has supervised over 16 PhD completions and advises on regional economic initiatives like the Manchester Alliance Project. Her media engagements include BBC Radio Manchester and features in The Sun and De Correspondent. Recent publications address sustainability challenges in fast fashion and the evolution of omnichannel retailing.