Dr Manrutt Wongkaew
Profession
Senior Lecturer, BA Fashion Styling and Production
Person Type
Staff
Biography
Dr Manrutt (Manny) Wongkaew is a doctor of fashion and dance whose career spans research, creative practice, industry leadership, and pedagogical innovation. His interdisciplinary approach draws from academic backgrounds in fashion, dance performance, and art psychotherapy.
Celebrated for his leadership in the fashion and creative industries, Dr Wongkaew is known for producing politically charged and emotionally resonant conceptual and commercial artworks. His work has been featured in publications such as Vogue.com, British GQ, Elle India, Fucking Young, Kaltblut, The Guardian, and on the Photographer’s Gallery’s Instagram. He has delivered a TEDx talk on resilience and was interviewed by the BBC for the Queer Britain series.
Dr Wongkaew is committed to community engagement, collaborating with organisations such as Tower Hamlet council, Oxfam, East London Dance, and the V&A. He was nominated for and received a Volunteer Recognition Award from SMART Recovery. His therapeutic fashion workshops have reached diverse groups including children in care, individuals with learning disabilities, and male offenders. Notable initiatives include a drag workshop at HMP Dovegate and the Finding Your Inner Diva workshop as part of the V&A’s Friday Late – Diva Disrupted event.
In higher education, Dr Wongkaew serves as a Senior Lecturer in Fashion Styling and Production at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. His research and teaching focus on the transformative power of art, culminating in his framework Healing Pedagogies, which advocates for affective learning and the therapeutic potential of art.
As a practising Buddhist from Bangkok, Dr. Wongkaew brings a compassionate, values-led approach to both education and practice. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Therapeutic Arts (with Distinction) from the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education (IATE) and is a member of the Black, African and Asian Therapy Network (BAATN).