Our Team

Dr. Esther Pugh

Esther is a senior lecturer at Leeds Business School at Leeds Beckett University and a circular fashion ambassador and practitioner. She is passionate about the retail experience and extending research in this area, to encapsulate emotional, subjective and symbolic shopping. Esther’s research interests are vintage, slow and circular fashion retail, consumer culture, visual merchandising, and the sensory retail experience in physical stores. Prior to entering the academic world, Esther was in charge of visual merchandising for global fashion retail brands, Oasis and Coast. Esther has also run her own vintage fashion business and continues to maintain a keen interest in vintage fashion, the circular economy and sustainable lifestyles. Currently, Esther is focusing on fostering student sense of belonging through student-centred pop-up events created as assessment activities.

Esther extends learning beyond the classroom into the world of fashion retail, marketing and business with real organisations and real live problems. Her network is always brought in to support the students with real projects, assignments and the opportunity to engage externally with future potential employers. This develops students’ transferable skills and confidence. Esther is also dedicated to creating popup shops and events with the students she teaches to develop their sense of belonging as well as their employability and enterprise capabilities.

Tran Thai Phuong Uyen

Tran Thai Phuong Uyen is a volunteer with a background in communication, event coordination, and media support. Currently pursuing in Public Relations & Strategic Communication at Leeds Beckett University, she is passionate about sustainability and circular fashion. She is committed to using her skills to support initiatives that drive positive change in the fashion industry.

Kevin Winkley

Kevin has been modelling since 2019, when he first stepped onto the catwalk. Before that, he had a successful career, including working in Brussels and the Netherlands, and served as a Chief Executive for 12 years. After early retirement, he transitioned into management consultancy and also established a chauffeur company. Within a year, he was given the opportunity to work in the world of film and TV and became a background actor. Kevin has appeared in over 75 films, including Hollywood movies such as “Wonder Woman” and “Mission Impossible”, as well as over 100 TV dramas such as “Peaky Blinders” and “Bridgerton”. He particularly enjoys working on period dramas which allows him to wear the fashions of the day, many of the costumes being original period pieces or made from materials specific to that era.

In addition to modelling and acting, Kevin also models for a local Art Society.

He is passionate about motorbikes— he passed his motorbike test 8 years ago and has since travelled nearly 16,000 miles solo around Europe on his bike.

His involvement with the circular fashion movement fits perfectly with his love for second hand clothes and furniture renovation, avoiding the need for unnecessary waste