In 1892, students of the State Normal and Industrial school (now known as The University of North Carolina at Greensboro) had the option to take courses related to clothing within the Department of Domestic Science. Some of the first classes offered focused on sewing, designing, and textile manufacturing. In 1917, the School of Home Economics created the Department of Clothing and Textiles. As the demands for the department changed, more courses were added including the history of textiles and costumes, economics of textiles, and clothing selection and construction. In 1988, the Department of Clothing and Textiles moved to the school of Human Environmental Studies and in 1997, changed its name to Department of Textile Products Design and Marketing. Substantial curriculum changes were implemented with the name change, including a new emphasis on fashion merchandising and textile science. In 2005, the department was renamed the Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies and became part of the Bryan School of Business and Economics in 2011. Today, the department offers concentrations in Apparel Design, Retail and Consumer Studies, and Global Apparel and Related Industries.
Department Heads:
Edith A. McIntyre (1892-1895)
Minnie Jamison (1896-1915)
Elizabeth Waters (1904-1907)
Katherine McNaughton (1907-1909)
Alma Long (1909-1919)
Christine South (1915-1916)
Blanche Shaffer (1919-1933)
Margaret Edwards (1933-1951)
Katherine Roberts (1951-1957)
Naomi Albanese (1958-1982)
Jacqueline Voss (1982-1992)
Edward Powers (1992-1993)
Helen Shaw (1993-1999)
Manfred Wentz (1988-1989)
Barbara Clawson (1988-1990)
Betty Feather (1991-1999)
Thomas Fitzgerald (1999-2000)
Charles Kim (2000-2002)
Carl Dyer (2000-2006)
Gwendolyn O’Neal (2006-2014)
Nancy Hodges (2014-current)
Department Names:
Department of Domestic Science (1892-1916)
Domestic Art Department (1904-1919)
Department of Clothing and Textiles in the School of Home Economics (1917-1988)
Department of Clothing and Textiles in the School of Human Environmental Sciences (1988-1997)
Department of Textile Products Design and Marketing (1997-2005)
Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies in School of Human Environmental Science (2005-2011)
Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies (2011-present)