Ben Barry (he/him) is a fashion educator, scholar and academic leader who is devoted to justice and decolonization in fashion education and the fashion industry. As Chair of Fashion at Ryerson University (Canada), Ben is leading the department through a deep transformation by embedding inclusion, decolonization and sustainability into the curriculum and culture. He is a tenured Associate Professor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Fashion who teaches courses that range from lectures on fashion theory to studios on design justice.
He has been awarded numerous grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to support his research program that explores the intersectional experiences of disabled, fat, trans and queer people and collaborates with them to co-design clothing and fashion media. Ben leads executive education programs on anti-racist and inclusive fashion practices for global brands and he frequently shares his insights on these topics with international media. He holds an undergraduate degree in women and gender studies from the University of Toronto and a Master’s in Innovation, Strategy and Organization and PhD in Management from Cambridge University.