Faculty

Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny

Assistant Professor

Design

Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny

541.737.8174

colleen.pokorny@oregonstate.edu

Faculty

Overview

Background

Publications

Overview

Biography

Dr. Colleen Gelhaus Pokorny is an Assistant Professor of Apparel Design in the College of Business at Oregon State University, within the School of Marketing, Analytics, and Design. Her research explores sustainability trends shaping apparel product design and development; the ways cultural and technical innovations influence craft and design processes; and how emerging design technologies can advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her current work investigates how designers revalue material culture through sustainable practices, specifically by upcycling quilt materials into fashion garments. This research has been published in Uncoverings and Ergonomics in Design. Her paper "Integrating Generative AI in Design Ideation: Student Experiences with Mood Board Creation" received the Paper of Distinction Award in the Design/Product Development Track at the 2025 International Textile and Apparel Association Conference. She is an active member of the Costume Society of America (CSA), American Quilt Study Group (AQSG), the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA), and the Corvallis Modern Quilt Guild.

In addition to her scholarly publications, Dr. Pokorny’s creative work has been featured in both academic and creative venues. Her design "Crafting Community: A Kantha-Inspired Approach to Addressing Academic Loneliness," created in collaboration with two faculty colleagues, received the Sandra Hutton Award for Excellence in Fiber Arts at the 2025 International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Design Exhibition. A lifelong quilter, Dr. Pokorny’s quilts have earned national and international recognition for their creativity and craftsmanship. Her quilt "Finding Joy Amidst the Chaos" was exhibited at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. "Algorithmic Strictures of Deep Learning" and "Accidental Crossing" were accepted to QuiltCon 2026. "Modern Crossing" was selected for AQSG’s exhibition Quiltmakers and Designers: 1945–1979, and "Quilt Along with Me: Finding Communal Creativity 'Inside the Block'" was accepted into the 2024 ITAA Design Exhibition. Additionally, she earned first and third place honors at the 2025 Oregon State Fair and a third-place award at the 2025 Oregon Quilt Festival.

Before pursuing her Ph.D., Dr. Pokorny worked as a Technical Designer for Thirty-One Gifts and Abercrombie & Fitch, specializing in men’s knitwear, thermal soft goods, home soft goods, and handbags. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Design, Apparel Studies—Dress, Culture, and History from the University of Minnesota College of Design and her B.S. 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, AI for design ideation

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
Corvallis Modern Quilt Guild

Service

Vice President for Awards and Honors, Costume Society of America (2024-present)
Board of Directors, American Quilt Study Group (2023-2025)
- Publications Committee Chair
Reviewer, Fashion Practice; Clothing and Textile Research Journal; The Design Journal (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

Sandra Hutton Award for Excellence in Fiber Arts, International Textile and Apparel Association, 2025
Paper of Distinction Award Design/Product Development Track, International Textile and Apparel Association, 2025
1st place, Modern - 1 person, "Orange You Glad I'm Green?" Oregon State Fair, 2025
- 3rd place, Modern, Oregon Quilt Festival, 2025
3rd place, Pieced 1-person, "Quilt Along with Me: Finding Communal Creativity 'Inside the Block'" Oregon State Fair, 2025
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

“Algorithmic Strictures of Deep Learning [Quilt]”

This quilt was inspired by a Midjourney-generated image exploring shape, negative space, and Mid-Century Modern geometrics. Using Photoshop and Illustrator, I refined color placement, developed the pattern and templates, and mapped the quilting design. While co-designing with AI sparked bold ideas, its limitations, like poor color control and iteration overload, frustrated me. The final design reflects a layered process of digital experimentation and disciplined translation, transforming imperfect outputs into a precise, tactile composition.
23% International acceptance rate (470/2041)

Details

Exhibition

DSGN - Apparel Design

“Accidental Crossing [Quilt]”

This quilt grew out of leftover scraps from another quilt, "Radiant Crossing". I was arranging them for the backing when the layout caught my eye. Suddenly, it wasn’t just a backing, it was its own quilt! The bold yellow background gave me space to play with quilting, and I’m especially proud of the texture it creates: somewhere between fields and furrows and a circuit board. This quilt is a happy accident!
23% International acceptance rate (470/2041)

Details

Exhibition

DSGN - Apparel Design

“Crafting Community: A Kantha-Inspired Approach to Addressing Academic Loneliness [Garment]”

This project explores collaborative Kantha-inspired jacket making as a response to academic loneliness, demonstrating how communal handcrafting fosters social connection, supports well-being, and sparks curricular innovation among faculty in higher education. Awarded the Sandra Hutton Award for Excellence in Fiber Arts. 37.4% international acceptance rate (37/99).

Details

Exhibition

DSGN - Apparel Design

“Alice: Reimagining Suffragette Dress in the Modern Fight for Women’s Equality [Garment]”

This design reimagines suffragette dress through a contemporary feminist lens, using upcycled bedsheets to symbolize unpaid labor while prioritizing size adjustability, sustainability, and historical continuity. Inspired by Alice Paul, the look merges aesthetic strategies of early 20th-century activism with modern design practices to advocate for gender equity today.
40.4% international acceptance rate for undergraduate category (36/89)

Details

Exhibition

DSGN - Apparel Design

“Modern Crossing [Quilt]”

Quilt selected for a three year traveling exhibition for the American Quilt Study Group Biennial Quilt Study "Quiltmakers and Designers: 1945 to 1979." Double-blind juried competition. 62.5% international acceptance rate.
Inspired by Nancy Crow’s 1976 Crosses, my quilt reinterprets her early asymmetrical Log Cabin design using modern techniques. I drew color gradations from Oregon’s landscape and used strip piecing and matchstick quilting to emphasize form. This work honors Crow’s traditional roots while exploring scale, symmetry, and contemporary quilting aesthetics.

Details

Other

DSGN - Apparel Design

“Hemp Impressions: Sustainable Fiber and Fashion Reimagined”

Museum exhibition from March 22 - June 1, 2025. Exhibition call and initial display organized by Casey Stannard at LSU. Marianne Dickson and I collaborate with Casey to bring the exhibition to Corvallis. We secured funding from the Global Hemp Innovation Center, mounted the exhibition, and held an opening party.
Original exhibition:
Louisiana State University Human Ecology Building, October 1-21, 2025
Louisiana Old State Capitol Building, November 8-10, 2024

Details

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.
- Double-blind juried design exhibition. 72.7% acceptance rate for the undergraduate category
Exhibited at:
- Louisiana State University Human Ecology Building, October 1-21, 2024.
- Louisiana Old State Capitol Building, November 8-10, 2024.
- Corvallis Museum, March 22-June 1, 2025 https://bentoncountymuseums.org/exhibits/hemp-impressions/

Details

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.
- Double-blind juried design exhibition. 72.7% acceptance rate for the undergraduate category
Exhibited at:
- Louisiana State University Human Ecology Building, October 1-21, 2024.
- Louisiana Old State Capitol Building, November 8-10, 2024.
- Corvallis Museum, March 22-June 1, 2025 https://bentoncountymuseums.org/exhibits/hemp-impressions/

Details

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.”

50.7% international acceptance rate for professional category (38/75)

Details

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. Received 2024 Best Ergonomics in Design paper award

Details

Other

DSGN - Apparel Design

“Not just for dolls: Paper dresses”

Museum exhibition from March 2023 - August 2023

Details

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

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