Nadia Modjrian, Undergraduate Researcher
Nadia Modjrian is a senior majoring in Fashion Design with minors in User Experience Design and Marketing. Modjrian first became involved in undergraduate student research after a friend introduced her to the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program and the opportunity the program provides for students. Modjrian has been active in the SURE program for the summers of 2022, 2023, and 2024.
When Modjrian first began researching through the SURE program, her project “From Zero-Waste Design to Digital Knitting: A Journey” focused on zero waste, which is a collection of techniques used by fashion designers to utilize every piece of fabric they have in designs without having leftover material. For this project, Modjrian proposed an app and website called Fab Scrap. Fab Scrap was designed to measure and keep track of leftover material and provide users with the ability to exchange fabric scraps. Modjrian’s intention with Fab Scrap was to find a way to repurpose extra fabric left over from nonzero base techniques, therefore providing an opportunity for what once was waste material to become useful again.
Another aspect of Modjrian’s research with zero waste, under the guidance of Professor Linda Ohrn-McDaniel, was the use of digital knitting. Kent State University is one of very few institutions in the U.S. that offers access to, and education for, digital knitting. Modjrian was encouraged to take digital knitting classes and learned how to use Stoll M1 software to design knit garments. Modjrian explained that individuals in the fashion school are able to utilize the Stoll M1 software to design clothing or other items. Once the design is created, the design file is read by the digital knitting machine, and the machine will then produce the garments. Digital knitting allows for the exact amount of material to be used in a design, which is fantastic in terms of zero waste fashion design. Modjrian reflected on her experience and shared that “you can pretty much do anything with digital knitting, and it’s a very sustainable way of making clothes.”
For SURE 2023, under the mentorship of J.R. Campbell, Modjrian pivoted her research and worked to create a clothing collection utilizing print design. Modjrian was inspired to create designs relating to her Persian heritage. Her clothing collection was inspired by architectural landmarks, historical textiles, calligraphy, and ancient poetry. “I combined the ancient elements and motifs I wanted from those four categories and created my own visual vocabulary and new story out it—my present-day story,” Modjrian explained when asked how she created her designs.
The collection included three garments that complement each other through Modjrian’s use of cultural storytelling and advocacy, reflecting her support for the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement and the LGBTQ+ community in Iran. Modjrian emphasized the importance of honoring cultural origins and accurately and respectfully creating culturally inspired designs. Her thoughtful approach to representing her culture led to an extension of Modjrian’s initial research project, and she developed a survey to explore how individuals respond emotionally to digitally designed and printed textiles. The survey gathered responses from all of Kent State’s students regardless of major or background, and asked participants to consider their feelings and emotions when presented with a print piece. Modjrian has been able to utilize the data collected from her survey to explore the impact of a print piece on a broad audience, effectively allowing her to understand how different prints impact different people.
Modjrian’s experience with undergraduate student research shaped her academic career and helped her solidify her ultimate career goals. She stated that “When I started Fashion Design, I didn’t know I was this interested in print and textile design. Now I know that I would love to work in it.” When asked if she recommends undergraduate research, Modjrian responded by saying “Absolutely. I really loved my experience, and I recommend it to everybody, especially those who are interested in research and discovering more about themselves and the diverse community around them.” Undergraduate research allowed Modjrian to develop new technical skills and helped her gain a clearer sense of her identity and future path in fashion.
Written by Lenore Kohl