Textile & Apparel Innovation

Textile & Apparel Innovation 

The textile and apparel consortium focuses on teaching sustainable practices, specifically the use of natural fibers, including hemp and hemp-blended textiles for apparel, performance apparel, and quilts.

Current and past research

 

Dr. Colleen Pokorny

Dr. Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny is an Assistant Professor of Apparel Design at the Oregon State University College of Business in the School of Marketing, Analytics, and Design. Her research interests include sustainability trends impacting apparel product design and development; how cultural and technical innovations influence craft and design processes; and how design technologies can address gaps in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her current research examines how designers revalue material culture through sustainable design processes when upcycling quilt materials into fashion garments. Her research has been published in Uncoverings and Ergonomics in Design. Her quilt, "Finding Joy Amidst the Chaos," was exhibited at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. She is a member of the Costume Society of America (CSA), the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG), and the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA).

Before pursuing her Ph.D., Colleen was a Technical Designer with Thirty-one Gifts and Abercrombie & Fitch. She specialized in men's knitwear, thermal soft goods, home soft goods, and handbags. She earned her Ph.D. and MA in Design, Apparel Studies - Dress, Culture, and History at the University of Minnesota College of Design and her BS in Apparel Merchandising, Design, and Production from Iowa State University.

 

Dr. Bolanle Dahunsi

Bolanle Dahunsi is an Assistant Professor in the College of Business at Oregon State University. She teaches courses in Digital Design for Apparel and Apparel Design with Draping. She hopes to help her students learn to make design decisions based on aesthetics, functionality, accessibility, and sustainability.

She received a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Ado-Ekiti. She has a Master's degree in Computer Science from Louisiana State University and a PhD in Design from University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on accessible & sustainable apparel through personalized recommender systems, apparel ontologies, and generative AI for design & ideation.

 

Dr. Brigitte Cluver

Brigitte is an Instructor in Merchandising Management and the Professional Development Coordinator for the Merchandising Management and Apparel Design Programs.  Before serving as an Instructor, Brigitte worked in the textiles and apparel industry in roles related to textile product development, production, and quality assurance.  Now, in an academic setting, her research has centered on consumer behavior related to apparel purchase decision-making, consumption, and disposition.

 

Marianne Dickson

Marianne Dickson is a senior instructor in Apparel Design at the Oregon State University College of Business in the School of Marketing, Analytics, and Design. Her research interests include designing apparel utilizing natural fibers and natural dyes. Her primary responsibilities at OSU include teaching apparel courses and overseeing both the sewing and dye labs.