Introducing our New Ambassadors: Abigail Egwunyenga

Society News

6 March, 2026

We are pleased to introduce the newest members of the Design History Society team: our new Ambassadors! Our third new Ambassador is Abigail Egwunyenga, a Nigerian PhD student at the School of Design and Creative Arts at Loughborough University.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your specific design history interests

My research into the cultural preservation and continuity of West African woven textiles is an extension of my interest in Design history, especially alternative knowledge systems embedded in indigenous African cultures. I am particularly interested in understanding the epistemologies within these craft practices, along with the cultural safeguards and traditional boundaries that they adhere to. I also strive to identify with the wider cohort of West African designers, Artists and indigenous design enthusiasts in navigating the tension between tradition and contemporary hybrid identities, utilising technology as a bridge for negotiation.

How did you get into design history?

From a young age, I have been fascinated by the designs on my mother's wrappers, African Dutch fabrics whose vibrant colours inspired many of my early creative pursuits. During my undergraduate studies in Art and Design, these interests evolved into an exploration of identity, place, and memory within the cultural landscape of African textiles. After completing my master's degree in Surface Pattern and Textiles, I worked within the textile, interior, and fashion industries, where I was exposed to different dimensions of product development. Inspired by the concept of trends and storytelling from my industrial experience, I began exploring the connection between indigenous textile craft history and its relevance in textile production today. Eventually, I began to understand that indigenous African textiles were independent knowledge systems that had somehow been overlooked in the discourse surrounding design history.

Is there a particular object that is key to your research? If so, please share your interest in it

While I love everything about indigenous African textiles, my research is particularly focused on Kente, a traditional Ghanaian woven cloth, and Akwete, a woven fabric from eastern Nigeria. Though indigenously West African, both textiles are grounded in different cultural contexts that share similar safeguards, such as symbolism, adhering to traditional mandates around their production, and most significantly, the technological evolution that has helped in achieving cultural continuity. It is this cultural continuity as a West African researcher that piques my interest and forms the basis of my research enquiry.

What are you looking forward to most about being a DHS Ambassador?

The Design History Society has been doing so much with engaging and discussing topics surrounding design history from the Global South. I look forward to engaging more in that space and learning along the way. I hope to contribute to DHS outreach initiatives in the involvement of Global South craft artisans and researchers, utilising my background in decolonial field research. It would offer an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals interested in alternative design histories, fostering international engagement through collaborative activities that connect material culture with design history. I believe that the Society would benefit from an increased engagement with indigenous craft custodians, cultural knowledge experts and makers. Outside my research activities at Loughborough University, I am very passionate about supporting student learning through my role as Textile Print Technician. I am eager to support efforts using my skills in teaching to expand the design history curriculum, particularly in decolonial methodologies and epistemology.