A passionate creative who sits at the intersection of design, technology and education, Safir Bellali’s 25-year experience leading design and digital innovation initiatives spans across multiple brands and industries.
Safir was an early adopter of digital creation technology and carried his experience from the automotive world into the fashion and footwear industry. As Head of Innovation for the industry’s leading Action Sports brand, Vans, he oversaw initiatives that spanned across product and experiences, from highly technical footwear and equipment for action sports to the industry-leading Vans Customs platform. In his last corporate role, leading Digital Innovation for VF Corporation’s Apparel, Footwear, and Accessories brands (Vans, Timberland, The North Face and Dickies) he explored opportunities offered by digital tools and workflows and helped imagine the future of Product Creation and Brand Experiences. He led the Digital Innovation practice at Moonflare, consults for Epic Games and LVMH, and sits on the board of directors of several startups and non-profits.
He is an Aspen Institute First Mover’s fellow, chairs the 3D Retail Coalition’s Education Committee, and teaches Design and Innovation at Art Center College of Design and at USC's Iovine and Young Academy. An advocate of purposeful and responsible design, Safir believes that our society has an incredible opportunity to harness its collective creativity and today’s technological affordances to tackle the world’s social and humanitarian challenges.
He is the founder of Aliph, an educational program that aims to empower a new generation of African designers and innovators with the skills they need to shape their own sustainable future. As a non-profit organization, it aims to educate high potential African creative talent with critical skills and knowledge so they can become world class innovators and active contributors to a more sustainable, technology-aware world.