Design

Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny

Assistant Professor
colleen.pokorny@oregonstate.edu

Office: 541.737.8174

Milam Hall

Milam Hall 222

2520 SW Campus Way

2520 SW Campus Way
Corvallis, OR 97331
she/her
Curriculum Vitae: 
PDF icon pokorny_cv.pdf
Credentials: 
Ph.D. Design, Apparel Studies – Dress, History, and Culture. Museum Studies Minor. University of Minnesota, College of Design, June 2023
M.A. Design, Apparel Studies – Dress, History, and Culture. University of Minnesota, College of Design, May 2020
B.S. Apparel Merchandising, Design, and Production. Technical Design emphasis. Iowa State University, College of Human Sciences, May 2011

Profile Field Tabs

At OSU
Research/Career Interests: 

Research areas: apparel design, material culture, sustainability, quilt studies

Research interests: apparel design processes; sustainable design; craft & quiltmaking innovations; design technologies 

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.

Beyond OSU
Education: 
  • Ph.D. Design, Apparel Studies–Dress, History, and Culture, Museum Studies Minor. University of Minnesota College of Design (June 2023)
  • M.A. Design, Apparel Studies–Dress, History, and Culture. University of Minnesota College of Design (May 2020)
  • B.S. Apparel Merchandising, Design, and Production, Technical Design emphasis. Iowa State University College of Human Sciences (May 2011)
Employment: 
  • Assistant Professor, Oregon State University College of Business (September 2023-Present)
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Goldstein Museum of Design, University of Minnesota College of Design (2020-2023)
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Human Dimensioning Lab, University of Minnesota College of Design (2019-2020)
  • Graduate Instructor, University of Minnesota College of Design (2019-2023)
  • Technical Designer, Atrium Buying Corp. for Thirty-one Gifts, Columbus, Ohio (2014-2018)
  • Assistant Technical Designer, Abercrombie & Fitch, New Albany, Ohio (2011-2014)
Professional Affiliations: 
  • American Quilt Study Group
  • Association of Academic Museums & Galleries
  • Costume Society of America
  • International Textile and Apparel Association
Honors and Awards: 
  • Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, University of Minnesota College of Design, 2023
  • Robert C. Hillestad Fellowship: Outstanding Graduate Student in the Study of Historic Textiles Award, International Textile and Apparel Association, 2022
  • Student Team Academic Excellence Award for Apparel Studies Teaching Assistants, University of Minnesota College of Design, 2021
  • Student Academic Excellence Award - Apparel Studies, University of Minnesota College of Design, 2021
  • Mary Hoover Award for Teaching Excellence, University of Minnesota College of Design, 2020
  • Oris Glisson Fellowship: Outstanding Beginning Masters Student Award, International Textile and Apparel Association, 2019
Service: 
  • Board of Directors, American Quilt Study Group (2023-present)
  • Advisory Board, Goldstein Museum of Design (2021-present)
  • Student Liaison to Board of Directors, Costume Society of America (2021-2023)
Biography

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.

My Publications

I currently have no publications listed within this site.