Luisa Mendes Arruda is a Doctoral Assistant Researcher at ID+, the Research Institute for Design, Media and Culture, and a designer with a multidisciplinary background that bridges art, technology, and innovation. She holds a PhD in Textile Engineering from the University of Minho (PT), a Master’s degree in History and Art Criticism from the Federal University of Espírito Santo (BR), an MBA in Business Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (BR), and a degree in Fashion Design (BR).
Her professional journey includes five years as a Project Manager at Fibrenamics – Institute for Innovation in Fibre and Composite Materials – where she coordinated research and development projects focused on advanced materials and design-driven innovation. From 2015 to 2017, Luisa also contributed to national cultural policy in Brazil as a Delegate of the Fashion Collegiate on the National Council for Cultural Policies at the Ministry of Culture (CNPC).
Between 2009 and 2017, Luisa worked as a fashion and footwear designer for various Brazilian brands. As a designer, she participated in several artist residencies under the Creative Europe programme, including Createx (No. 595936) and Fusion (EACEA-34-2018). In 2019, she received an Honourable Mention in the 13th International Design Awards (IDA), in the Fashion – Textile and Materials category.
Luisa’s research explores the intersections of smart textiles, wearable technologies, assistive design, 3D printing, and nature-centred design. Her work is informed by her background in fashion and product design, semiotics, and communication.

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• ORCID • 0000-0002-5172-459X