Katya Roelse

Katya Roelse is an Instructor in the Fashion and Apparel Program at the University of Delaware. She obtained her Master of Science from Drexel University in 2007 and has worked since then in the fashion and apparel industry as a creative and technical designer for womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, uniforms, and wearable medical devices. She was the Head of Product Development at a vertically integrated, award-winning business committed to sustainability and social entrepreneurship. In 2016, she lectured for Master’s in Communication of Fashion and Beauty program at the Universidad de San Pablo in Madrid as a Fulbright Senior Lecturer.

She teaches computer-aided design, illustration, trend forecasting, and product development. Her scholarship integrates design, pedagogy, and technology in fashion and apparel. She recently co-authored The Book Pockets: A Practical Guide for Fashion Designers. Currently, she is the Director of the Design and Creative Making Certificate at Horn Entrepreneurship, whose goal it is to empower aspiring innovators as they pursue new ideas for a better world. She is also the Creative Director for Strictura, a Wilmington-based manufacturer that creates compression garments for children to help them achieve a better quality of life.