ABOUT
ME
Hello! I am a textile and apparel designer, materials researcher + craftsperson. I have over 20 years of professional experience in the apparel+ textile design industry; including apparel production, material sourcing, fabric design, product development + technical design.
My research and practice focuses on novel materials innovation and craft conservation. I am passionate about creatively bridging historical craft techniques + emergent fashion technologies to create innovative fabrics, clothing + accessories.
PRESS
Henequén
"The pilot...aims to preserve the technique of working with henequen and elevate it from the utilitarian to create fine artisanal products such as bags which use new patterns, woven on backstrap looms and using natural dyes. Collaborating with the local community, the practice of weaving is now being transmitted from the teachers to the students, women 29 and under."
A sweater that fools facial recognition cameras, and more ways designers are getting creative with tech- That doesn’t surprise Ashley Kubley, associate professor of fashion design at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP).
"A lot of this is happening in the classroom as we embed more educational content around digital pattern making, avatar creation, for our students in the fashion area in order to prepare them for an industry where people are going to be fitting their garments based off of a body-scanned avatar," says Kubley.
"Artisan. Traditional and historical textiles. Smart. Reactive. Wearable technology. Polar opposites, right? University of Cincinnati faculty researcher Ashley Kubley doesn’t think so—she likes to think about them together; designs for the future informed by the tried and true practices of the past."
...For apple leather to truly take off, the food and retail industries will need to communicate, much as they do with the production of animal leather. “Ninety-nine percent of real leather is made from byproducts of the food industry. It’s a symbiotic relationship,” says Ashley Kubley, assistant professor of fashion design at the University of Cincinnati and head of the fashion technology center at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). To that end, many meat processing plants have a tannery onsite to consolidate the process. This relationship saves around 7.3 million tonnes of biological waste from landfills each year.
State Grant Helps UC Researchers Improve Firefighter PPE
A nearly $1.2 million grant from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is helping fund a project to create cooling technology inside firefighters jackets, along with material testing and live burning. Training and data analysis are just some of the things Kubley’s team will be working on to make sure it’s perfect.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recognizes University of Cincinnati Fashion Technology Center project as part of their Education and Research Centers
The University of Cincinnati has developed the On-Demand Active Cooling (ODAC) Textile System, an intelligent fabric composition that offers integrated cooling and respirating function.
ACADEMIC
2022 - present | Associate Director of the Ullman School of Design, College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
2022 - present | Associate Professor of Fashion Design, College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
2021- Present | Head of the Textile Innovation Laboratory at the Myron E. Ullman School of Design College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
2018 - 2021 | Head of the Fashion Technology Center at the Myron E. Ullman School of Design College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
2015 - 2022 | Assistant Professor of Fashion Design College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
2013 - 2015 | Visiting Instructor of Fashion Merchandising & Apparel Design College of Health & Human Sciences, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
2009-2014 | Instructor of Continuing Education, Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, GA
2013 | Instructor of Fashion Design Department of Fashion, Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, GA
PROFessional
2013 - 2025 | Apparel/Textiles Design + Production Consultant | Haberdashery Consulting, Cincinnati, OH
2011 - 2013 | Founder & Designer | Haberdashery Eco Apparel LLC, Savannah, GA
2010 - 2012 | Sales Associate | Copper Penny, Savannah, GA
2010 - 2011 | Studio Instructor Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, GA
2009 | Sewing Technologist | Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
2008 | Product Development Intern | Working Class Studio, Savannah, GA
2008 | Apparel Design Intern | Alabama Chanin, Florence, AL
2006 | Technical Design Assistant | Wrangler Jeans, Greensboro, NC
2005 | Design Intern | Proenza Schouler, New York, NY
2005 | General Manager | Revolver, Raleigh, NC
EDUCATION
2011 | Masters of Fine Art in Fashion Design | School of Fashion, Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, GA
2005 | B.F.A. Art & Design | Summa Cum Laude | College of Design, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Minor: Textile + Apparel Technology Management | Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
2001 | Whiteville High School | Whiteville, NC
