Leo Santos-Shaw

Leo Santos-Shaw is an artist and designer teaching within the BA Hons Textiles with Business Studies course at University of Brighton. Leo teaches predominantely on the printed textiles programme specialising in design, visual research and hand embroidery. He also mentors on the MA Textiles course and teaches into the school Faculty Option programme. He is currently the admissions tutor for the undergraduate textile course.

After studying art and design in Liverpool and London, Leo worked extensively in the textile industry, designing and working within the European fashion textile market, including designing for Tierry Mugler in Paris for a number of years. He has also worked with fashion clients such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Azzedine Alaia, Chloe, Martine Sitbon, Jean Louis Scherrer, Claude Montana, Barneys New York and Japan, Whistles and Romeo Gilli.

He established the interior textile and surface design partnership ‘Santos & Adolfsdottir’ which rose to prominence in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, producing bespoke and experimental contemporary textiles together with interior mural design for private and corporate customers. Work has been featured extensively in the press including the Saturday and Sunday Times, Wallpaper, Frieze, Frame, The Independent, London Evening Standard, The Sunday Telegraph, Elle Decoration and World of Interiors. Work has also been featured in many publications including The International Design Year Book (2000 & 2001), 20th Century Pattern Design by Lesley Jackson; Designing The 21st Century by Peter & Charlotte Fiell and Where is God in our 21st Century World? by Chaiya Art Awards.

Leo has exhibited in galleries within group shows nationally and internationally including the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; the “Derwent Art Prize”, Mall Galleries London; “Re-Live Britain” by the British Council at Ozone Gallery, Japan; “Is. Design” at National Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland; “Modern Hybrid” at London Institute and has work in private and public collections including in the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. 

He has taught for over twenty five years within art and design at Universities/Art schools both in the UK and Europe including Royal College of Art; Central Saint Martins; University of Brighton; University of East London; Loughborough University; Icelandic College of Arts & Crafts, Reykjavik; Chelsea College of Art and Winchester School of Art.