Elena Arzani
Profession
Lecturer, BA (Hons) Design Management
College
London College of Communication
Person Type
Staff
Biography
Elena is a Senior Lecturer and Year 1 Leader on the BA (Hons) Design Management at London College of Communication. She is also an Associate Lecturer in the Graduate Diploma in Fashion Management UAL: London College of Fashion, the UAL Short Courses, and the MA Arts and Cultural Enterprise at UAL: Central Saint Martins, where, alongside teaching to the UK and HK cohort of students, she has also designed and developed the Professional and Personal Development Unit.
Born in Italy, Elena is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Society for the Arts. As an internationally renowned creative practitioner with a strong background in luxury and retail fashion, art and music publishing, photography, and design. She is a member of the Art Directors Club Europe (ADCE), the Design Research Society, and the Experimental Pedagogies Research Group (EPRG). In 2022, she took part in the EPRG project's "24hrs on Earth", focused on Earth and Equity: integrating environmental and racial justice.
With 4 Master’s degrees (Master's in Academic Practice in Arts, Design, and Communication at UAL: Chelsea; Master's of Arts in Design Studies at UAL: Central Saint Martin's; Master's in Marketing and Communication for the Art world, and Master's of Arts in Fashion Photography, IED), and a diploma in Marketing and Communication for the Art world (Sotheby’s Institute of Arts), her areas of specialism demonstrate a broader understanding of the Arts and cultural sector, together with their business, research, and communication dynamics.
Elena collaborates with several courses across all UAL Institutes. Other academic collaborations have included leading the BA in Visual Design at the Istituto Marangoni, London, and teaching at the MIUR (Minister of Education and Research) in Italy, where she developed an EU-funded pioneering project on social justice, digital technologies, and cyberbullying in children's education, which has permanently changed the primary school curriculum.
Since 2019, her academic research has focused on music cognition, wellbeing, inclusive education, and multisensory learning, with a strong commitment to the values embedded in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to quality education, cultural diversity, mental health, and social inclusion. Former contributor to Shades of Noir and the UAL Centre for Antiracism and Practice-based social justice, her work is strongly informed by social justice advocacy. In 2020, in collaboration with Theaster Gates, she contributed to the publication of the academic publication: Inclusive Practice: Alchemy - Transformation in Social Justice Teaching, Shades of Noir. She's passionate about the role of culture and education in fostering resilient, equitable, and inclusive communities. In 2023, she presented her academic research at the UAL Exchange Education Conference 2023.
Recently appointed as an Advisor to the European Commission, Elena continues to work in the industry alongside her academic commitments. Internationally established as an Art Director, Photographer, and Cultural Editor. During her career, Elena headed the graphic department of Flash Art Magazine, co-directed Chitarre Magazine in Italy, and co-founded TuttoRock Music magazine. She exhibited her photographs worldwide (Art Basel Miami, MIA Fair Milan, Agora Gallery NY, and many others), and she has collaborated globally with leading cultural figures, design agencies, magazines, and institutions — including Giorgio Armani, Tina Turner, Guerlain, Universal Music Records, Warner, Sony Music, LiveNation, Flash Art, Vogue, Artribune, and major museums and galleries across Europe, such as Prada Foundation, MASI Lugano, MUDEC, V&A, Templon Gallery, Paris Photo, Photo London, and many others.
These experiences have shaped a practice grounded in cultural responsibility, cross‑cultural dialogue, and ethical design.
Related area
View the BA (Hons) Design Management course page.
Links
- Elena Arzani Portfolio website
- Elena Arzani: UAL Researcher Profile
- "We are all Internet Users" - Workshop on cyberbullying
- "24hrs on Earth" - EPRG project
- Musicodiscussionismo Part 2 - UAL Educational Conference EdEx
- Arzani, E. (2020). Inclusive Practice: Alchemy - Transformation in Social Justice Teaching, Shades of Noir p174-5
- Elena Arzani: LinkedIn Profile