Below is an archive of our department's recent media appearances, awards, funded grants, publications, presentations, and other news highlighting the work of our talented faculty, staff, and students.
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Media Appearances
Nov 03, 2025
The Not-So Secret Language of Fascist Fashion (Monica Sklar) - The Guardian
'Clothing is a powerful tool': How right-wing fashion has changed in the Trump era (Monica Sklar) - Alter Net -
Awards and Honors New
Feb 12, 2026
Pictured accepting the award are Shariful Islam Tushar (right) and Ray Weiss (left).
Dr. Suraj Sharma, Shariful Islam Tushar, and Dr. Smriti Rai have been honored with the Best-in-Class plaque and the Overall Dave Swormstedt, Sr. Memorial Award from PRINTING United Alliance for their article, “Functional Textile Coatings for Thermal Regulation.”
The award recognizes outstanding technical writing and industry insight across all areas of print technology. Presented annually, the Dave Swormstedt, Sr. Memorial Award honors the author(s) of an exceptional article published in the previous calendar year. Winners are selected by members of The Academy for their superior writing ability, technical excellence, and meaningful contribution to the printing and graphic communications industry.
The award-winning article explores the science and innovation behind functional textile coatings, with a particular focus on environmentally friendly aerogels. It highlights the unique structural and thermal properties of aerogels and examines their potential to transform thermal regulation in textiles. By bridging advanced materials science with practical printing and coating technologies, the research demonstrates how sustainable solutions can enhance performance, comfort, and energy efficiency in textile applications.
This recognition underscores the authors’ commitment to advancing knowledge at the intersection of printing technology and functional materials, while contributing to the development of more sustainable and high-performance textile solutions.
Feb 10, 2026
We are proud to announce that Grad Student Amit Talukder has received the 2026 TechConnect World Best Student Abstract Award for his reasearch. As a winner, he has been granted a complimenatary student registration to attend the 2026 TechConnect World Innovation conference & Expo which will be held March 10-12 in Raleigh, North Carolina. This recognition highlights the impact of his ongoing reasearch in advanced functional textiles and nanocomposite-based energy -harvesting systems, and he is honored to represent our department at one of the largest global innovation forums in science and technology.
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Grants Received
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Publications
Jan 29, 2026
Dr. Sha’Mira Covington and graduate student Mozhgan Soltanisehat have had a paper accepted to the American Collegiate Retailing Association (ACRA) Conference, to be held in March.
Congratulations to you both!!
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Presentations and Events New
Feb 12, 2026
Learn more about the Fashion Scholarship Fund from two time winner Leynie Hester!
February 24, 2025 at 11:35 am in Dawson Hall Room 202Feb 05, 2026
Feb 03, 2026
Jeyeon Jo presents “Vibe Coding for TMI” on February 4 at 1:15 PM in Dawson Hall, Room 308. The talk introduces vibe coding as an intuitive and exploratory approach to working with code that emphasizes creative flow, rapid experimentation, and conceptual thinking, highlighting how TMI researchers can use it to prototype generative design systems, material behaviors, trend mapping, and merchandising logic through self-invented digital tools.
Feb 02, 2026
Anne Barge Clegg, world-renowned bridal fashion designer and UGA alumna, will be in conversation with curator Noel Corbin for Fashioning the Classic Bride on Tuesday, February 24 from 6:00–8:00 PM at the Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries (285 S. Hull St., Athens). The talk explores Barge’s life and career alongside the exhibition “Fashioning the Classic Bride: The Life and Career of Anne Barge,” on view in the Hargrett Library Gallery from January 23 through July 3. A reception and exhibition tour will follow. This free event is part of UGA’s 2026 Spring Signature Lecture Series; registration is required.
Find more information hereNov 20, 2025
Hye Seung Jeong (Ph.D. in International Merchandising) and Dr. Yoo-Kyoung Seock presents a paper titled, "A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling (MASEM) for Understanding SustainableFashion Consumer Behavior (SFCB)" at International Textile & Apparel Association Annual conference at St. Louis, Missouri.
Danielle Rodriguez (M.S. in International Merchandising) and Dr. Yoo-Kyung Seock presents a poster titled, “Retro-Acculturation and Identity Expression of Later Generations of Mexican Americans " at International Textile & Apparel Association Annual conference at St. Louis, Missouri.
Ziyou Jiang (Class of 2024, Ph.D. in International Merchandising, Assistant Professor of Retailing at the University of South Carolina) and Dr. Jewon Lyu presents research titled, “How does Realism Shape Narrative Transportation and Persuasion in Fashion Virtual Influencer Advertising? Exploring the Underlying Mechanisms,” at International Textile & Apparel Association Annual conference at St. Louis, Missouri.
Seoyoung Choi (Visiting scholar from Seoul National University) and Dr. Jeyeon Jo present design work named Pulse in Yarn: A Tuft-Knit Diary of Daily Heart Rhythms at International Textile & Apparel Association Annual conference at St. Louis, Missouri.
Rashmi Balegar Mohan (Ph.D. In Polymer, Fiber and Textile Science) In International Merchandising) and Dr. Jeyeon Jo present design work named Seashell Architecture Inspired Auxetic Knitted Dress at International Textile & Apparel Association Annual conference at St. Louis, Missouri
Amanda Knisely-Medina (Ph.D. In International Merchandising), Gnyan Visarapu (M.S. in Computer Science), Rashmi Mohan (Ph.D. In Polymer, Fiber and Textile Science) and Dr. Jeyeon Jo present a paper titled, “LLM-based Chatbot for Knitting Machine Training" at InternationalTextile & Apparel Association Annual conference at St. Louis, Missouri.
Rashmi Balegar Mohan (Ph.D. In Polymer, Fiber and Textile Science) and Dr. Jeyeon Jo present a paper titled, “Strain-sensing Auxetic Knit with Embedded Elastomeric Optical Fibers" at International Textile & Apparel Association Annual conference at St. Louis, Missouri.
Nov 10, 2025
Join Rouge Magazine for "Swap Shop" with @depop this Tuesday, Nov 11 in Dawson Rm 306!
Bring an item to list, learn how to create a Depop post, connect with other sellers, and swap your pieces in collaboration with Depop.Nov 10, 2025
Into The Matrix. 11.21.25. ��️��️
The Agency is excited to announce their Fall 2025 runway show, Into The Matrix. Tickets will go live soon, so make sure to mark your calendars early so you don’t miss out!Nov 10, 2025
SMA is hosting a Fall lookbook film premiere! Doors will open at 5:00pm. Tickets will be $5 for SMA members and $7 for non-SMA members. Be on the look out for tickets and outfit inspo soon
Nov 10, 2025
The Final NKBA Meeting of the Fall 2025 semester will be next Tuesday at 5:30 pm!
Nov 10, 2025
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FDSA Presents: Hollywood Showgirl: All eyes on us. All eyes on you. ✨
The glitz. The glamour. The spotlight. November 8th at the Morton Theatre, they're bringing Old Hollywood to the runway.
Cocktail Hour: 6:30 PM
Show Starts: 7:30 PM
Tickets are Live Now!
Students – $8 | Non-students – $12 -
Alumni News
Nov 13, 2025
✨ Alumni Spotlight ✨
Caroline Flournoy majored in fashion merchandising and credits FACS for giving her the confidence to pursue her dream career in the fashion industry in New York City. She currently works as an Associate Designer at Cara Cara, and is a Cofounder of Fashion Circle.
View her spotlight on the FACS Instagram here!Nov 12, 2025
✨ Alumni Spotlight ✨
Carter Wilson, a TMI Alumni, currently works at The Home Depot as a Merchandise Planner for the Toilets & Seats class. He has been in this seat for a little over a year, and oversees SKU transition projects, assists the merchant in managing P&L and tariff mitigation strategies, executes SKU maintenance & price changes, and provides analytical insights to drive business growth to name a few.Nov 11, 2025
✨ Alumni Spotlight ✨
Bryce McAllister (Class of 2024, Product Development) works as an Assistant Designer at Carter’s after his internship at Off-white Men’s Wear Design Intern in Milan, Italy! He was also the winner of the Fashion Scholarship Fund Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholar!
Nov 10, 2025
✨ Alumni Spotlight ✨
Congratulations to Sophia Boyer (class of 2023) on accepting a new position as an associate designer at Lilly Pulitzer! -
Classroom Highlights
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Student Spotlights New
Feb 10, 2026
Congrats to TMI students Leynie Hester, Sophia Bradley, and Brandon Hopkins for presenting their work at Berlin Fashion Week on February 1, 2026. The students exhibited a photo and film concept as part of a collaboration facilitated by Dr. Sha’Mira Covington through the Circularity Council’s Fashion X:Change Program, in partnership with sustainable fashion design and management students from BSP Business and Law School in Berlin. While in Berlin, the students also attended runway shows, showrooms, and exhibitions, and engaged directly with designers and representatives from Fashion Council Germany. The students will also present this work at Atlanta Sustainable Fashion Week in April.
Feb 03, 2026
We are proud to highlight Joyjit Ghosh, whose outstanding commitment to research has distinguished him as a leader among our students. Since beginning his academic career, Joyjit has been deeply engaged in research, publishing nine peer-reviewed papers to date and recently submitting an additional manuscript. His productivity, intellectual curiosity, and dedication to scholarly excellence exemplify the impact our students can make through research.
Nov 20, 2025
We are thrilled to share that six of our outstanding UGA fashion merchandising students; Kennedie Owens, Landon Breedlove, Leynie Hester, Zoe Linert, Lillian Barrientos, and Natalie George have been selected as recipients of the Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) — standing out among 764 applications nationwide!
Nov 13, 2025
We are proud to announce that Caylin Payne (Class of 2025, Fashion merchandising) has been selected as a Semi-Finalist for the National Retail Foundation (NRF) Next Generation Scholarship, the premier national recognition for emerging leaders in retail. NRF offers several scholarships to support future generation of retail leader.
If you are interested in being the next person, check the NRF Foundation website or email Dr. Clair McClure for more info.
Nov 11, 2025
On November 13th Vijay Mohakar (Ph.D. Candidate in Polymer and Textile Science) has been selected as a finalist for the upcoming UGA Graduate School Three Minute Thesis Finals Competition, hosted at the historic Morton Theatre in downtown Athens. The stream will go live 30 minutes prior to the start of the event. Please support our graduate to be a winner: Livestream
Nov 06, 2025
The TMI Department's student-led pop up retail store, Couture a la Cart, had a successful day of sales during the FACS event, “Receipt for Success Event.”
Curious about the store? Visit the Instagram!
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Other News