Mr Dominic Akhavan-Moossavi
Dominic-Afsheen Akhavan-Moossavi is a London-based designer and educator working at the intersection of menswear, identity, and critical design practice. He serves as Lead Lecturer for MA Menswear and Associate Lecturer in Fashion and Textiles at Central Saint Martins. A graduate of the institution, he brings a contemporary and culturally informed perspective to fashion education, shaped by a deep interest in masculinity, emotional expression, and identity development.
His teaching is grounded in divergent thinking, reflective critique, and the importance of process. He encourages students to question conventions, assume ownership of their ideas, and build resilience through experimentation. His approach supports learners in developing clarity, confidence, and autonomy while maintaining a strong understanding of the professional and cultural landscape they operate within. He balances direct critique with empathetic engagement, creating an environment where students can push beyond expectations and articulate their individual position within the field.
Dominic’s professional background covers design, manufacturing, education, and consultancy. His experience working with factories and manufacturers has given him a detailed understanding of garment construction, technical development, and industry workflows. Starting his career in outreach and widened participation, he progressed into associate lecturing, short-course leadership, and international teaching. As an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, he continues to deliver global workshops, mentorship, and strategic creative guidance.
He is closely involved in mentoring emerging designers, offering support through the early stages of their careers and connecting them with key industry figures. His network spans designers, makers, artists, and performers, making collaboration central to his practice. He appeared in the BBC Four documentary Bauhaus Rules with Vic Reeves, contributing to wider discussions on the ongoing relevance of art-school education. His work reflects a commitment to authenticity, critical engagement, and the belief that creativity is a tool for cultural and personal transformation.
Dominic-Afsheen Akhavan-Moossavi’s research focuses on contemporary masculinity and the shifting ways it is constructed, performed, and communicated through fashion, culture, and visual language. His work interrogates the boundaries of masculinity, examining how these boundaries evolve as individuals transition from boyhood to manhood and how emotional literacy, social conditioning, and structural expectations shape this process.
He is interested in how identity is formed and negotiated within communities, cultures, and social groups, and how individuals understand their role, belonging, and agency within these environments. His research examines the tension between conformity and individuality, exploring how fashion reinforces or challenges these dynamics. Central to his work is a critical engagement with diverse masculinities and the need to expand beyond binary frameworks.
He analyses how creative practice can normalise fluidity, promote vulnerability, and support broader, more inclusive interpretations of masculine expression. He works across theory and practice, using material, visual, and cultural analysis to understand how design participates in shaping identity and cultural narratives. His research approach favours openness, authenticity, and a commitment to human-centred design. He is particularly engaged in how menswear can act as a site for disruption, subversion, and cultural commentary, offering alternative ways of understanding the self. His work encourages designers to recognise their influence on identity formation and cultural discourse, emphasising the importance of critical insight, social awareness, and emotional depth.
Across all areas, Dominic positions masculinity as a dynamic and complex field that requires ongoing questioning, cross-disciplinary thinking, and a commitment to inclusion. His research aims to support a richer understanding of the male experience and to contribute to more progressive, expressive, and socially aware approaches to menswear and identity creation.