My research employs imaginative ways to rethink current systems (by design) through social change strategies, re-design scenarios and user-led creative developments.  Projects in which I have had the opportunity to put these ideas into action include:

• Co-designing “wearable narrative” garments customizing textile print design to encourage recall in elderly people experiencing memory loss.

• Visioning through material exploration, a compostable mushroom fabric.

• Leading product development research with a major athleticwear company to explore opportunities for “Made in the USA” production of athletic leisure wear.  

• Global multi-disciplinary research conducted in collaboration with a vertically integrated denim producer, involved tracing the denim supply chain with the objective of demystifying it, from a Texas field, to a Guatemala factory, to a New York City showroom floor.  

• Launching a mobile fashion workshop utilizing UD’s research tuk-tuk, introducing Philadelphia residents to upcycling as a means to capture from textile waste.

• Leading the development of a pop-up store featuring sustainable textile, apparel and accessory products developed by UD Alum.

I conduct research in the area of textile innovation through applied materiality. Derived from craft, and considerate of both social (labor, well-being) and environmental (material, EOU) impacts, this specialized approach encompasses fiber, weave, dye, print and technology as drivers for development, often co-designed with users. Materiality is a way of thinking about material and how might inform how we relate to each other and the world around us.