Apparel Merchandising Faculty and Students Present Research at International Conference

Faculty and students from the U of A's apparel merchandising and product development program attended the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, in November, with several delivering scholarly presentations.

The 2025 conference, titled "Gateway to a Brighter Future," brought together students, educators and industry professionals to share research and pedagogical advancements focused on inclusivity, innovation and sustainability within the textile and apparel industry.

"Participation in the [ITAA] is important because it connects students and faculty to a broader scholarly and industry community," says Laurie Apple, associate professor and area coordinator in AMPD. "It provides concrete opportunities for networking, leadership, research dissemination and career development. ITAA is a venue to disseminate scholarship, share creative teaching ideas and collaborate with other institutions on projects and grants."

Representing AMPD, housed within the School of Human Environmental Sciences in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, were Apple, Lance Cheramie, Sarah Hixson, graduate student Jonah Graham and undergraduate student Annalise Robins. The group contributed both oral and poster presentations. In addition, Apple served as the 2025 ITAA Conference planning co-chair.

Apple's 18-month leadership role in conference planning included oversight of conference visuals, pre-conference tours, poster session coordination, transportation logistics and keynote speaker engagement.

"My two main takeaways from co-chairing and attending ITAA in St. Louis are a stronger sense of where the field is heading, especially around technology, sustainability and curriculum," Apple noted, "and a renewed commitment to connecting scholarship, teaching and student opportunities, especially for our honors and graduate students."

Research Presented by Faculty and Students

• Cheramie, teaching assistant professor, and Robinson, associate professor, delivered an oral presentation titled Enhancing Trade Data Literacy in Apparel Merchandising: A Data-Driven Pedagogical Approach.
• Graham and Hixson, assistant professor, delivered an oral presentation titled Development and Validation of a VStitcher Competency Assessment Instrument for Apparel Students.
• Hixson presented a poster in collaboration with Eunjoo Cho and Kyuree Kim of Oklahoma State University titled Shaping Future Textile and Apparel Professionals: The Role of Cotton Sustainability in Curriculum Development.
• Cheramie presented a poster titled A Comparative ESG Risk Analysis of Global Footwear Brands Using Sustainalytics Data.
• Robins and Cheramie presented a poster titled Historical Stitches and Sustainable Materials: Using Cotton and Soy-Based Materials to Explore the Principles of Patchwork and Quilting.

The university and AMPD's contributions to the ITAA conference reflect the department's continued commitment to research excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing scholarship within the global textile and apparel industry.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.