Photo: Juuso Noronkoski

Natalia Särmäkari is a Helsinki-based researcher and designer. At the moment, Särmäkari is a doctoral researcher at the Department of Design of Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, under the supervision of Prof. Annamari Vänskä and Prof. Hazel Clark. Recently she was one of the three curators of the Design Museum’s Intimacy -exhibition and one of the authors of a peer-reviewed Intiimin kosketus -book about contemporary Finnish fashion (English version coming soon). In her article-based doctoral thesis in the field of fashion and design research, Särmäkari explores the fashion designers’ profession and authorship in contemporary technological environments, with a particular focus on digital fashion. Natalia was also a visiting Fulbright researcher at the Parsons School of Design in New York and is currently working in a research project IDA – Intimacy in Data-Driven Culture, funded by the Academy of Finland’s Strategic Research Council (STN), in a work package investigating intimacy, digitalization and datafication of creative work.

Särmäkari holds MA in fashion design with an emphasis on future studies, trend forecasting, concept(ual) design, sustainability and art theory from Aalto University. Her Master’s thesis explored open-source fashion as an emerging interdisciplinary trend and alternative paradigm of fashion. Working in big and small fashion businesses as well as a freelance costume designer and occasional writer, Särmäkari obtains multilevel knowledge of the processes in the field. Besides work, she acquired her practical and technical skills in fashion design at Lahti Institute of Design (BA, 2006) and during exchange studies at the University of Buenos Aires (2005).

For further information or collaboration, please contact natalia.sarmakari@aalto.fi

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Natalia-Saermaekari

Aalto Research: https://research.aalto.fi/fi/persons/natalia-särmäkari

Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7848-084X

Twitter: @nataliasarmakar

Instagram: @nataaalias