About Dr. Gwendolyn Michel

Dr. Gwendolyn Michel is an artist and writer who is fond of yarn, fabric, books, travel, multisyllabic words, very long sentences, and the Oxford comma. When not writing about herself in the third-person, Dr. Michel can usually be found working with fiber, fabric, or paper in some way. She is also autistic.

Art & Design

My work explores the intersection of fiber and textile arts and design, journaling, and analog paper collage. Much of my artwork is available in fine art prints, home and office décor, soft furnishings, and hard goods. I also design and sell printed textiles for apparel and interiors with a focus on sustainable fabrics for home sewing and d.i.y. makers; knitting and sewing patterns; and technical illustrations for apparel production.

Shop my fabrics, hand-woven tapestries, fine art prints, stationery, home and office goods, patterns, books, and technical illustrations.

Some of my artwork is available for licensing. Contact me here to inquire about licensing agreements.

Explore most recent artwork and projects on my blog.

Browse my antique and vintage photograph collection: Petticoat Thievery.

More: Background & Education

My creative projects are informed by my special interests, my experience as a late-diagnosed autistic adult, and my training as an educator and researcher. Happily post-academic, I worked for many years as a university and college educator in fashion design and merchandising. Building (on) my academic portfolio, I worked as an assistant retail buyer, museum collections assistant (dress and textiles), sewn products manufacturing production assistant, and retail store associate in apparel, fabrics, and needle arts.

My educational accomplishments include:

Ph.D., Apparel, Merchandising, and Design, Iowa State University (2018)

MS, Textiles and Clothing, University of California, Davis

BA, Art (Fiber and Textiles), Minor in Family and Consumer Science, San Francisco State University

AA, French, Saddleback College (2022)

PublicationS & Research

My scholarly research on dress history, social science theories of appearance, consumer behaviour, marketing, retail, and sustainability has been presented in Europe and across the USA at International Textiles and Apparel Association Annual Conferences, Costume Society of America Symposia, ACA/PCA Pop Culture, and Global Fashion Management Conference. My research findings have been published in the following peer-reviewed scholarly journals: Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Dress, and Fashion and Textiles (FATE). You may read some of my published scholarly works on my ResearchGate profile or get a hardcopy of my doctoral dissertation here.

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