Jessica Ciarla

Jessica Ciarla is an Associate Professor in the Division of Textiles and Apparel and a fashion designer and entrepreneur who has worked in the private sector. Jessica 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, Jessica 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.

She is the Founder and Social Media Director of TXA (@UTAustinFashion) where she creates and manages content across multiple communication platforms. 

Jessica 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 365 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. Jessica strives to bring technology into all of her lesson plans and educate students from both an artistic and entrepreneurial perspective. As the Co-Chair of the UT Faculty Women’s Organization and 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 recently received the NSF I-CORPS grant as technical lead for sustainable embellishments and has a patent pending.