In the spring of 2018 Teaching Specialist Bill Moran (Graphic Design) asked his students to design fabric wraps for the concrete pillars lining the basement of McNeal Hall. The project was a success, and it prompted Moran to ask himself, “Why not try this in the McNeal Hall Atrium?” The idea stuck with him and finally came to fruition in June 2022 when Moran solicited help from alumni, students, staff of the Goldstein Museum of Design, and received funding from the college’s Kusske Design Initiative to make his idea a reality.
From tackling the user experience design of the Metaverse to developing customized pediatric respiratory masks, our faculty are conducting research across the design fields and beyond. This spring, 12 faculty members received grants from the University’s Imagine Fund, which supports innovative research in the arts, humanities, and design fields.
Help celebrate our students’ hard work by joining the College of Design community for final reviews, exhibitions, and showcases featuring work from across our design disciplines.
The College of Design is pleased to announce the opening of the Eicher Dress and Fashion Library, which honors Regents Professor Emerita Joanne B. Eicher.
When the COVID-19 pandemic set in and drove more social interaction online, virtual reality (VR) platforms, like VRchat or SecondLife, exploded in popularity. These virtual environments allow users to make friends, play games, and participate in a virtual economy. For Claire Lumen (BS ‘20, Apparel Design), this technology provides more than just a social outlet.
Join College of Design students, faculty, and staff for virtual presentations and reviews showcasing final design projects and research from our various disciplines.
Breathe99 started making face masks before it was popular. Founded in 2018, the company’s original mask, the B1 Mask, was designed to protect users from air pollution. When the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread in early 2020, the team, including alumna Julia Duvall, put their experience to good use and redesigned the B1 Mask to create a higher protection face covering. With that, the B2 Mask was born and soon became one of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Inventions of 2020.
The College of Design is excited to welcome a number of new, full-time faculty and staff to the college this fall. In addition, a number of our current staff and faculty have moved into different positions within the college.
Sarah Klecker (BS ’17, Apparel Design) is putting her design degree to work creating functional apparel for athletes of all kinds.
The College of Design is pleased to introduce our new Interim Design, Housing, and Apparel (DHA) Department Head, Professor Hye-Young Kim.
To become more sustainable, Winsome Goods founder Kathryn Sieve (B.S. ’11, Apparel Design) knew she had to find a way to incorporate the leftover fabric scraps from her products into usable items. After discussing the problem with instructor Lindsey Strange (Apparel Design) it became clear that it was the perfect research project for students to tackle in the Apparel Studio I.
Driven by the acute need for N95 masks in hospitals, faculty from the University of Minnesota’s College of Design, College of Science of Engineering, and medical school worked together to create two face mask designs that could be assembled using available materials.
The need for N95 masks has skyrocketed in recent weeks in response to COVID-19. To address this challenge, an interdisciplinary research team at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities has designed two respirator mask prototypes from donated filter material by Cummins and bendable components from Bedford Industries.
The fields of medical device and apparel design may not seem to have a lot in common, but alumni from the College of Design are changing that.
Pushing the boundaries of traditional fashion, this year’s senior apparel design fashion show, Amplified, speaks to a variety of lifestyles and cultures. From modest formalwear to colorful street style and theatrical costume play this year’s show explores fashion’s influences on social responsibility, gender fluidity, virtual reality, modern cultural expressions, and much more.
What started as a class project for Ian Harris, Warda Moosa, and Mary Xiong (all Apparel Design) turned into the prize-winning entry at the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) Advanced Textiles Student Design Competition. Together the three seniors (then juniors) created an emergency avalanche transceiver garment that took first place in this national competition.
A breakthrough invention in wearable technology has the potential to change how we interact with the clothes we wear every day.
The current retail landscape is characterized by constant innovation, with new technologies connecting retailers and consumers in ways that were previously unimaginable. In this rapidly changing environment, small business owners are left vulnerable and under pressure to compete for consumer attention and patronage.
You’re invited to the College of Design’s 2019 final reviews! Join students, faculty, and staff at final presentations from across our design programs and see first-hand the fantastic work our students have produced this year.
When Professor Emeritus Karen LaBat (Apparel Design) met medical doctor Karen Ryan (M.S. ’06, Apparel Studies) in 2002, they found that they shared a passion for improving the design of wearable products so that all people can enjoy safe, fully functional, and innovative products.
The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund is an educational non-profit that focuses on creating career opportunities for apparel design students worldwide.
Accompanied by retail merchandising instructors Peggy Lord and Jaye Thompson, students from retail merchandising, apparel design, the College of Liberal Arts, and Carlson School of Management attended the 2019 NRF Foundation Student Program in New York City January 9 through 13.
Since 1968, apparel design students at the University of Minnesota have presented their final projects in the annual Apparel Design Fashion Show. Each year the students’ clothing lines draw hundreds of fashion industry professionals, students, family, and friends to the show, creating an opportunity to engage with the larger fashion community.
An anonymous faculty member and spouse have committed $1 million to support graduate students at the College of Design.
This fall, the students in Professor Lucy Dunne’s technical apparel design studio course will once again create new garments for vulnerable girls in Uganda. This is made possible only through the support of alumni and friends of the College of Design, whose donations help purchase materials and cover shipping costs to the girls at Blue House Uganda.
The global fashion industry is one of the most resource-intensive in the world. On Wednesday, April 25, apparel design students will re-imagine the industry and shine a light on its environmental impact at the Weisman Art Museum’s (WAM) (RE)generation showcase.
Home to some of the largest and most important clothing designers and retailers in the world, New York City looms large in the imagination of any design student. This year, 17 retail merchandising and apparel design students had the chance to spend their spring break in the city that never sleeps and get a behind the scenes look at some of the biggest retailers in the world.
From redesigning patient hospital gowns to creating a greenhouse for the winter months, College of Design faculty and graduate students work on the forefront of design research.
