Faculty
Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny
Assistant Professor
Design

Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny

541.737.8174

colleen.pokorny@oregonstate.edu

Faculty
Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny
Overview
Overview
Background
Publications

Overview

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.

Credentials

Ph.D. Design, Apparel Studies – Dress, History, and Culture. Museum Studies Minor. University of Minnesota, College of Design, June 2023

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.

Background

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)

Experience

  • 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
  • Costume Society of America
  • International Textile and Apparel Association

Service

  • Vice President for Awards and Honors, Costume Society of America (2024-present)
  • Board of Directors, American Quilt Study Group (2023-present)
    • Publications Committee Chair
  • Reviewer, Fashion Practice (2023-present)
  • Advisory Board Member, Goldstein Museum of Design (2021-2024)
  • Student Liaison to Board of Directors, Costume Society of America (2021-2023)

Honors & Awards

  • Best Ergonomics in Design Paper Award, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2024
  • 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

Publications

Exhibition
DSGN - Apparel Design

“Quilt along with me: Finding communal creativity "inside the block" [quilt]”

This design reaffirms the role of community in quiltmaking and brings a physical dimension to its influence on creativity and learning. The quilt is unique to its maker and shares an intrinsic connection with the collective creativity of the quilt along. Insights from this experience reveal new avenues for collaborative creativity and the need to study the design process within communal contexts. The experience of participating in the quilt along introduced me to foundation paper piecing, a technique that has since become a staple in my quilting process. The use of techniques and materials from previous workshops and quilt alongs underscores the cumulative impact of communal activities on skill development and creative exploration. This quilt embodies over a decade of personal learning and communal interaction. It reflects my continual learning to create a distinct creative voice “inside the block.”
Details

2024 International Textile and Apparel Association Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny

Exhibition
DSGN - Apparel Design

“Flow Pants [Garment]”

For my design, I wanted to create a wearable piece of art. In class, we had learned about hempfabrics, but had not used it for any projects. Therefore, I felt this project was a perfect opportunity to gain a better understanding of hemp. I patterned these pants on my own, using my skill set from school and practical experience. Using junk mail, I taped everything down and started patterning. With the rough idea of a pant pattern, I drew the pants and then created the patches down the leg as a tribute to my love for abstract art. I let my pencil guide me around the paper to create my pattern. Creating a muslin prototype to start off, I learned how hard this patched look was going to be. Sewing some of the tighter curves was a struggle due to the number of times the fabric caught under the needle, and I had to rip it out and redo it. The prototype pants fit, and I was confident that I had the look I desired, so I cut the final fabric. For the final design, I used a 50% hemp, 50% cotton blend fabric. I prewashed the fabric to minimize shrinkage and for better movement when sewing. From there, the process should have beensimple. I’ve made pants in the past, but due to a severe storm, I lost power. To finish the process, I had to hand crank most of the top stitching and waist band. This process taught me that clothing be more than function; it can be a fun way explore creativity.
Details

2024 Hemp Impressions Jackson Flint Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny Marianne Dickson

Exhibition
DSGN - Apparel Design

“Mülch [Garment]”

mülch is redefining outdoor wear that prioritizes sport and competition driven activities.
Reconnecting people with nature through simple, stylish, and function-driven clothing. Nature is a captivating medium for humans due to its necessity for self-sufficiency as well as propensity to inspire confidence and joy. We hope to inspire individuals of all abilities to go out and appreciate nature as everyone should be able to. To recapture the childlike carefreeness and innocence that the outdoors elicits. Through end-use driven design principles our products connect people with nature like no other outdoor brand.

The garden acted as inspiration for our design decisions, from the fiber content to the natural dyes, to the functional details. The look features a crossover top, and skirt made
from hand dyed 55% hemp/45% cotton blend fabric. The top was dyed with marigolds and iron-shifted. The skirt was dyed with a natural logwood dye. The skirt is an adjustable, full-length skirt with a tie/flap closure at the waist and adjustable cinch-ties at the bottom that allow the wearer to customize the coverage of the hemline. We designed the look with the end-use of harvesting in mind. The wide, open sleeves of the top provide sun coverage and allow for airflow. The top features a hidden interior pocket for storage. The skirt’s large panel pockets maximize storage capacity for harvested fruits and vegetables. The adjustable full-length skirt provides protection when farmers are on their knees and can be cinched up for ease of walking.

The nature of the dyes and coloration methods of the garments used invites stains, dirt, and sun-bleaching. Our garments are meant to be imperfect and to us, wear and tear is promoted.
Details

2024 Hemp Impressions Lucas Mazurik Zoe Reece Jackson White Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny Marianne Dickson

Academic Journal
DSGN - Apparel Design

“Body-product relationship for aging women examined through the lens of functional anthropometry”

The purpose of this research was to understand how measurements of the aging body change in the seated and standing positions. An integrated approach was taken to select the appropriate 3D scanning technology, develop a landmarking method, and position the body to analyze the waist–hip–thigh region. Each part of the method was developed to enable an in-depth analysis of circumference measurements and shape change, including the expansion and contraction of body shape across different postures. New 3D scanning methods to quantify diverse bodies can improve product fit and create inclusive, quality design for all.
Details

13-25 pages 2023 SAGE Publications Linsey Griffin Bethany Juhnke Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny Emily Seifert Elisheva Savvateev Minji Yu View on: Google Scholar

Exhibition
DSGN - Apparel Design

“Finding Joy Amidst the Chaos [quilt]”

Quilt exhibited in the "Block of the Month Club Round 3" exhibition at the National Quilt Museum from 4/13/22 - 7/5/22. 13% international acceptance rate (11/85).

Initially, this quilt was an excuse to use up a large stash of Asian-inspired fabrics that had been growing steadily over the years. Instead, this quilt became a little piece of joy and sanity every month, something to distract me from my Ph.D. studies, the global pandemic, my mother's cancer diagnosis, and the general chaos that was 2021. I looked forward to each block and spent weeks ideating how to modify the designs to fit my vision. I learned new skills, such as appliqué and curved piecing, challenged my relationship with color, and (occasionally) let go of my over-planning tendencies to embrace improv quilting. Through this process, I enjoyed expanding my domestic machine quilting skills. The quilt-as-you-go method allowed me to focus intently on each block and attempt new techniques in a manageable setting. This is especially evident in the whole cloth block representing the façade of the National Quilt Museum, the block of which I am most proud. Although, quilting each block with metallic gold thread presented its own set of challenges! The final composition balances out the light and dark elements of the quilt, giving each block space to shine. It was such a joy to share my quilting journey and watch the creative evolution of the Block of the Month community throughout 2021.
Details

2022 National Quilt Museum Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny

Academic Journal
DSGN - Apparel Design

“Jelly Rolls and Layer Cakes: The Rise of Pre-cut Fabrics”

Pre-cut fabrics are coordinating fabric bundles that provide contemporary quilters with quick and easy solutions when selecting fabrics and reduce the amount of cutting required. This paper presents a history of pre-cut fabrics assembled through interviews with quiltmaking industry professionals, newspaper articles, quilting magazines and books, and discussions with longtime members of the quiltmaking community. Key innovations that laid the groundwork for the rise in popularity of pre-cut fabrics are discussed, and the history of four types of the most popular pre-cut fabrics (charm packs, fat quarters, Jelly Rolls, and Layer Cakes) is detailed. Quilters' rapid adoption of pre-cut fabrics impacts contemporary quilters' designs and quiltmaking practices. This research provides future guilt historians with the context needed to interpret contemporary quilters and their designs.
Details

46-83 pages 2022 American Quilt Study Group Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny View on: Google Scholar

Conference
DSGN - Apparel Design

“A visible functional grasp to measure the complete hand”

Glove and tools are designed to protect our hands, but manufacturers
are limited by the available anthropometric hand data, which fails to reflect
functional measurement changes of the hand while performing tasks.
Advancements in 3D scanning technology have improved the ability to capture
data, but minimal research has focused on capturing functional hand dimensions.
The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive protocol to
capture the dorsal and palmar side of the hand in functional positions across a
large population using the Artec Leo. The development of this protocol considered
the following elements; scanning technology, hand positions, hand
support apparatuses, scanning platforms, and standardization across a population.
Two functional hand positions, splayed and grasp, were selected based on
clear visibility of the palmar side. The protocol and final scans contributed to a
robust anthropometric database to improve the design, fit, and function of
products for hands.
Details

589-596 pages 2020 Springer, Cham Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny Bethany Juhnke Linsey Griffin

Conference
DSGN - Apparel Design

“Development of a civilian 3D hand scan database”

Despite the complexity of the human hand, most large-scale anthropometric data for the human hand includes minimal measurements. Anthropometric studies are expensive and time-consuming to conduct, and more efficient methods are needed to capture hand data and build large-scale civilian databases to impact product design and human factors analyses. A first of its kind large-scale 3D hand anthropometric database was the result of this study with 398 unique datasets. This database was created at minimal cost and time to researchers to improve accessibility to data and impact the design of products for hands.
Details

995-999 pages 2020 Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting Bethany Juhnke Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny Linsey Griffin Susan Sokolowski