In the second part of Virtual Design Festival's day of talks with What Design Can Do, designer Anoushka Khandwala and fashion curator Sunny Dolat discussed how colonialism has shaped design.

Khandwala and Dolat spoke to Richard Van der Laken, co-founder of Amsterdam-based design platform What Design Can Do, about how designers can enable radical systemic change to decolonise design practice and education.

The conversation is part of Virtual Design Festival's collaboration with What Design Can Do, which features three live talks focusing on social justice in design.

Khandwala is a London-based graphic designer, writer and educator whose work focusses on diversifying the design industry and decolonising design practice. Her writing has appeared in Creative Review, AIGA Eye on Design and Elephant Magazine, and she currently teaches at Central Saint Martins and Camberwell College of Arts.

Dolat is a fashion curator, cultural producer and creative director based in Nairobi. In 2012 he co-founded The Nest Collective, a platform for emerging creatives in Kenya. Dolat is also a founding member of HEVA, a fund that invests in creative entrepreneurs in East Africa.

About What Design Can Do

What Design Can Do believes that design and creativity can transform society. Its annual conferences in Amsterdam, Mexico City and Sāo Paulo are attended by designers and creatives, as well as businesses, NGO's and governments.

Previous speakers include Senegalese fashion designer Selly Raby Kane, MoMA curator Paola Antonelli and Google Lab’s creative director Robert Wong.

About VDF

Virtual Design Festival runs from 15 April to 10 July 2020. It brings the architecture and design world together to celebrate the culture and commerce of our industry, and explore how it can adapt and respond to extraordinary circumstances.

To find out what's coming up at VDF, check out the schedule. For more information or to join the mailing list, email [email protected].