Jessica Ciarla is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Division of Textiles and Apparel and a fashion designer and entrepreneur who has worked in the private sector.  Dr. Ciarla worked in New York City for eight years as a fashion designer, entrepreneur and fashion publicist where she placed editorial coverage and backstage press for prominent fashion houses. In 2009, she moved to Austin and launched her second brand CIARLA bride, after receiving her Masters in Fashion Design Advanced at Italy’s Polimoda International Institute of Design and Marketing under the mentorship of the iconic Linda Loppa.

In 2015, Dr. Ciarla received her second masters in Mass Communications and Journalism with a Concentration in Public Relations and most recently a PhD in Apparel Merchandising and Design at Iowa State University. She is the Founder and Social Media Director of TXA (@UTAustinFashion) where she creates and manages content across multiple communication platforms. 

Dr. Ciarla enjoys mentoring students from diverse disciplines and continues to develop partnerships with industry leaders for collaborative learning experiences. She is dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders by creating course structures that include student-led activities and problem-solving focused briefs. She spearheaded the first-ever TXA 341E Accessory Design, Development and Merchandising course built in collaboration with the design team at Kendra Scott to bridge disciplines from across campus in an experiential learning environment. Dr. Ciarla strives to bring diverse technological advances into her courses and educate students from both a creative and entrepreneurial perspective. As a founding fellow of the WEL Institute’s Academic Committee, she is dedicated to empowering women across campus. She is the faculty mentor for the winning team of the 2019-2020 President's Award for Global Learning, researching sustainable embellishments for the fashion industry in partnership with academic and industry leaders in Copenhagen and Stockholm. She was the PI recipient for the NSF I-CORPS grant for her patent pending sustainable sequins and was most recently awarded the Stengl-Wyer grant to aid in the launch of a new sustainable fashion materials lab through the Freshman Research Initiative. 

Professional Affiliations and Global Community Involvement:

Faculty Director of Sustainable Fashion Maymester in Copenhagen, Denmark

Kendra Scott WEL Institute Academic Fellow

Environment & Sustainability BDP Faculty Panel Member

Climate Leap Advisory Board Member

ITAA member

Imagine-A-Way