Regina Abán

I moved away of Mexico City for the first time when I was fifteen years old; Santiago de Chile became the second city I called home. At the age of twenty-two it was Milan, at twenty-five Nantes, then Brussels, and now again Nantes.

It is hard to say if through relocating I learned more about others or about myself, but I can say with no hesitation that with every move I packed priceless life lessons.

As for my design background, I studied part of my bachelor’s degree in industrial design in Mexico City. Interestingly enough, my university aimed to teach me the industrialization of design in a country where a lot of design is manual – in close relation to the artisans and their materials.

I followed another part of my bachelor’s degree at the Polytechnic School of Milan – arguably at the core of the industrialization of product design. There I learned about the value of “Made in Italy”, and I was surprised to see that there are countries where local is valued, because in Mexico we often look outside aspirationally. After this eye-opening experience, where I also got to learn a new language, I went back to Mexico City and graduated with honors.

I deeply love learning about design, other cultures – specifically their expression through food – and sustainability. So naturally, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Food Design at the School of Design Nantes Atlantique. As part of my end-of-studies internship, I left six months to Brussels where I further developed my personal and professional skills.

I am currently working within the Urssaf, in a public innovation laboratory, to help solve complex problems through the tools of Design.

Curiosity has driven my life so far and I am eager to know where it will lead me next.