Dr. Philip Sykas is an expert on the design, use, and various technologies of printed textiles. Currently, he is a Research Associate in the Fashion Institute of Manchester Metropolitan University (UK). He completed his doctoral thesis at the same institution in 2000 which examined the pattern books of 19th-century calico printers not only from a design perspective, but also from technological and business perspectives. He has worked previously as a museum curator and as a textile conservator.

Dr. Sykas’ 2016 research as a Gervers fellow was a continuation and expansion on his 2014 research at the ROM, pursuing areas he did not have time to study in sufficient depth. The objectives of his research were to conduct a close study of printed garments in the ROM’s collection, to select from these garments several that represent key developments in textile printing throughout the period, to investigate “the intersection of design, production, merchanting and consumption” in order to prove the significance and symbolic importance coming from these intersections, and “to contribute to a publication-ready draft about the printed garments in the ROM that would increase awareness of the collection, and inspire further research on print in fashion.”

Veronika Gervers Research Fellowship participant
Fellowship Years: 2014, 2016