Archana Mehta

Archana has been teaching at Kent State University since 2006. She loves to teach and interact with students and her subjects include pattern making, draping, sewing, and fabrics. Her career in fashion commenced in India where she worked in the Indian garment-export industry for a while before joining Academics. Before coming to Kent State, Archana taught at the Pearl Academy of Fashion, New Delhi, India and was a guest faculty with the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India.

Archana earned her Master’s Degree in Arts from the Akron University. She compared and evaluated storage techniques for eighteenth-century garments and helped reorganize the storage of eighteenth-century women’s garments at the Kent State University Museum. Archana’s undergraduate degree is in Fashion Design from Kent State University.

She is immensely interested in history, material culture, historic clothing and textiles, and art. She loves to read and travel.

Industry Experience

Fashion-Forecast Workshops

Developed and conducted fashion-forecast workshops for the design teams of:

• Ebony, New Delhi, India (1999)               
• Shopper’s Stop, Mumbai, India (1998)

Pattern making Consultancy

Patterns and size-set development for SKK and Associates, New Delhi, India.  (1997-2000)

Design Experience

Assistant Designer: Details, New Delhi, India (June 1994 – August 1995)

Juried Exhibition

• International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Design Exhibition (2018), Cleveland, Ohio
  • Argyle Reimagined: A study in upcycling using piecing techniques– An upcycled jacket

• Fashion Meets the Body: Juried KSU Faculty Exhibition (2018), Kent State University Museum, Kent, Ohio
  • Sense of Place– Upcycled denim dress with embroidery

• 32^nd Annual No Big Heads, 2017, Hugh McPeck Gallery, University of Alaska Anchorage
  •   Girl with Glasses– Thread embroidery, cross-stitch portrait – Honorable Mention $100

• Wearable Expressions, 2017,  International Exhibition at Palos Verdes Art Center, CA
  • Serene Sunset– Nuno-felt scarf – Held in private collection 
  • Firecracker– Nuno-felt scarf – Held in private collection

Awards

• Honorable Mention ($100 award) for Girl with Glasses exhibited at 32^nd Annual No Big Heads 2017, Hugh McPeck Gallery, University of Alaska Anchorage
• Outstanding Teaching Award, Finalist (2012)
• Dean's List, KSU (Fall 2001)
• President's List, KSU (Spring 2001)
• Full scholarship, Melbourne Institute of Textiles, Melbourne, Australia (1995, 1996)

Graduate

Archana is interested in working with graduate students on topics such as; sustainable pattern and garment construction; sustainable and fair trade practices; and machine knitting. She is particularly interested in studies involving experiential learning by engaging with members of DAWN, a non-profit organization working with refugee women in Akron area.