Dr. Jessica Ridgway, the Carol Avery Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies for the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, is a design scholar whose focus is both creative and functional design research that utilizes a variety of technologies including body scanning and digital textile printing. She splits her efforts between traditional research publications and submission of designs to juried exhibitions. She is highly awarded, having won six research awards including the 2023 ITAA Award for Innovative Design Scholarship, the 2022 Atexinc Award for Excellence in Marketable Textile Design, and the 2021 ITAA Award for Creative and Innovative Employment of Techniques. 

Dr. Ridgway is known for her creative design research which utilizes psychomimicry to emulate the neurological phenomena of synesthesia. Dr. Ridgway does this by mimicking color hearing, a variation of synesthesia, which manifests when an individual sees color when they hear music. Dr. Ridgway has a digital textile printing lab which she uses to print her digital textile print designs to the fabric she uses for her designs. 

Additionally, Dr. Ridgway's functional design work focuses on the development of breastfeeding and kangaroo care garments, specifically for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit environment. This line of research has yielded two patent-pending inventions. Her goal is to reduce barriers to breastfeeding and kangaroo care within the NICU through the use of clothing. Dr. Ridgway has collected both survey and interview data to help inform her design decisions. Dr. Ridgway has over 1000 citations and has received both internal and external funding for her design scholarship, totaling over $200k, most recently receiving a 2023-2024 Cotton Inc. grant to explore design solutions for kangaroo care in the NICU. Dr. Ridgway welcomes applications from graduate students to work with her on her current research projects. Furthermore, Dr. Ridgway currently serves as the Associate Editor at the Clothing and Textile Research Journal for the apparel science and technology track. 

Dr. Ridgway teaches CTE 3055 Computer Applications and CTE 3416 Retail Technologies at the undergraduate level. She teaches CTE 5815 Advanced Retail Technologies at the graduate level. Dr. Ridgway’s teaching has been recognized at the university level, in fact, she has received the 2023 FSU University Teaching Award for Community Engaged Teaching, 2017 FSU Transformation Through Teaching Award, and the 2017 FSU Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising. 

PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES

PATENTS

Ridgway, J. L. 2023. Double Nursing Bra Clip. TH 930603-8190. Filed September 7, 2023. Provisional Patent.

Ridgway, J. L. 2022. Clip System for Nursing Bra. TH 930603-1240. Filed October 25, 2022. U.S. Non-Provisional Patent.

REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES (*graduate student, ** undergraduate)

Ridgway, J. L. (In Press). Psychomimicry: A creative design process exploring synesthesia in textile print design. Clothing and Textile Research Journal. 

*Kharkwal, A., Clayton, R., *Park, J., Ridgway, J.L., & Merle, P. (In Press). Are Instagram gym advertisements working out? An experimental study of model body-size and slogan-type. Health Communication.

Compton, C, Clarke-Sather, A., Ridgway, J.L., & Naylor, L.  (2023). Body Map Image Coding to Support Wearable Design for Skin-to-Skin Contact, The Design Journal. Manuscript published online. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2023.2257559.

Hendrickse, J., Clayton, R. B., Ray, E. C., Ridgway, J. L., & Secharan, R. (2021). Experimental effects of viewing thin and plus-size models in objectifying and empowering contexts on Instagram. Health Communication, 36(11), 1417–1425. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1761077 

Ridgway, J. L. (2020). The “use of lines in your clothing will work magic”: Advice to women from 1914 to 1961 on using line to design an ideal body type. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 38(4), 270–284. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302x20905358 

*King, M. C., & Ridgway, J. L. (2019). The Female Fan Goes Shopping: Satisfaction, involvement and utilitarian value when shopping for women’s Star wars merchandise. The Journal of Fandom Studies, 7(3), 229–244. https://doi.org/10.1386/jfs_00002_1 

*King, M. C., & Ridgway, J. L. (2019). Costume evolution during the development of romantic relationships and its impact on the positions of power in the star wars prequel and original trilogies. Fashion and Textiles, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-018-0167-8 

Ridgway, J. L. (2018). Before and after avatar exposure: The impact of body scanning technology on body satisfaction, mood, and appearance management. Clothing and Textile Research Journal, 36, 91-103. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X17749924

Clayton, R. B., Ridgway, J. L., & *Hendrickse, J. (2017). Is plus size equal? the positive impact of average and plus-sized media fashion models on women’s cognitive resource allocation, social comparisons, and body satisfaction. Communication Monographs, 84(3), 406–422. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2017.1332770 

*Hendrickse, J., Arpan, L. M., Clayton, R. B., & Ridgway, J. L. (2017). Instagram and college women's body image: Investigating the roles of appearance-related comparisons and intrasexual competition. Computers in Human Behavior, 74, 92–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.04.027 

Ridgway, J. L., Parsons, J., & Sohn, M. H. (2017). Creating a more ideal self through the use of clothing: An exploratory study of women’s perceptions of optical illusion garments. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 35, 111-127. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302x16678335

Manchiraju, S., Sadachar, A., & Ridgway, J. L. (2016). The Compulsive Online Shopping Scale (COSS): Development and validation using panel data. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 15, 209-223 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-016-9662-6

Ridgway, J. L., & Clayton, R. B. (2016). Instagram unfiltered: Exploring associations of body image satisfaction, Instagram #selfie posting, and negative romantic relationship outcomes. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19, 2-7. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0433

Ridgway, J. L., & Myers, M. B. (2014). A study on brand personality: Consumers’ perceptions of colours used in fashion brand logos. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 7, 50-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2013.877987 

JURIED EXHIBITIONS

Ridgway, J. L. (2023). Nursing Bra Clip System [Juried Exhibition]. Baltimore, MD: International Textile and Apparel Association. Retrievable: ITAA 2023 Design Catalog 

Ridgway, J. L. & Palmer, M.* (2023). Clip for Care: A NICU Kangaroo Care Garment [Juried Exhibition]. Baltimore, MD: International Textile and Apparel Association. Retrievable: ITAA 2023 Design Catalog 

Ridgway, J. L. & Kane, L. (2023). Color Hearing: Somewhere Over the Rainbow [Juried Exhibition]. Baltimore, MD: International Textile and Apparel Association. Award Received: ITAA Award for Innovative Design Scholarship. Retrievable: ITAA 2023 Design Catalog 

Ridgway, J. L. & Cobb, K. (2022). Two Sides to Every Story: A Reversible Kangaroo Care Garment Designed for a Mother and Infant's Shared Lived Experience in the NICU [Juried Exhibition]. Denver, CO: International Textile and Apparel Association. Award Received: ATEXINC Award for Excellence in Marketable Textile Design. Retrievable: ITAA 2022 Design Catalog

Ridgway, J. L. (2021). Color Hearing: Brahms’ Lullaby [Juried Exhibition]. Virtual Conference: International Textile and Apparel Association. Award Received: ITAA Award for Creative and Innovative Employment of Techniques. Retrievable: ITAA 2021 Design Catalog 

Ridgway, J. L. (2021). A Better Dress: Ideal Illusion [Juried Exhibition]. Virtual Conference: International Textile and Apparel Association. Retrievable: ITAA 2021 Design Catalog 

Ridgway, J. L. (2018). Color Hearing: Baby it's Cold Outside [Juried Exhibition]. Cleveland, Ohio: International Textile and Apparel Association. Retrievable: ITAA 2018 Design Catalog 

Ridgway, J. L. (2018). Relativity of a Woman [Juried Exhibition]. Cleveland, Ohio: International Textile and Apparel Association. Retrievable: ITAA 2018 Design Catalog 

Ridgway, J. L. (2017). Color Hearing: Bridal Chorus. International Textile and Apparel Association Design Exhibition. St. Petersburg, Florida. Retrievable: ITAA 2017 Design Catalog 

Parsons, J., & Ridgway, J. L. (2014). Guardians of the Garden. International Textile and Apparel Association Design Exhibition. Charlotte, North Carolina. Retrievable: ITAA 2014 Design Catalog 

Ridgway, J. L. (2014). Oh Fish in the Sea. International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Design Exhibition. Charlotte, North Carolina. Award Received: Alvanon Creative Design. Retrievable: ITAA 2014 Design Catalog 

Ridgway, J. L., & Link, S. (2014). A Sunday Afternoon. International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Design Exhibition. Charlotte, North Carolina. Retrievable: ITAA 2014 Design Catalog 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS