‘We need people who intentionally poke and prod at the system,’ says award-winning designer, entrepreneur and social scientist Dr. Leyla Acaroglu. As the founder of Disrupt Design, UnSchool and Swivel Skills, Leyla has helped countless creative and social enterprises to gain the critical skills they need to contribute to a circular and regenerative future. She’s also a prolific speaker and educator, and was named UNEP Champion of the Earth in 2016 for her work in advancing science and innovation for sustainability.
Last June, we had the chance to see Leyla in action during the Make it Circular Challenge Winners Bootcamp in Amsterdam. She delivered one of the most energetic masterclasses of the week, leading our winners through a crash-course on systems thinking and circular design, and how these tools can be used to create transformation within the broader economy. Here, we ask Leyla a few follow-up questions about the responsibility of design, her approach to change-making, and what she’s learned about the ‘beautiful little dynamics’ of nature.
Hi Leyla! You’re often described as a ‘provocateur’ and an advocate of ‘disruptive’ design. What are you hoping to provoke or disrupt with your work?
I think that a lot of the problems we’re trying to solve in the realm of circularity and sustainability are systemic issues. They’re things that are very much maintained by the status quo. So, as a young person who desperately wanted to contribute to solving some of these complex problems, I realised how important it was that I approached them from a creative standpoint. And it became evident to me that we need people who intentionally poke and prod at the system.
So that’s the provocateur, and the disruption is really about understanding the system and then actively working to change the way that system operates. If these words come across as a little sexy and cool, that’s partly because I want to attract people to the idea that you can have a successful career while being a positively disruptive force.
