蜜桃APP

Saba Mohammadzadeh
Graduate Assistant
Saba.Mohammadzadeh@lsu.edu

Saba Mohammadzadeh has an interdisciplinary background in architectural engineering and fashion design. She received her B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Tabriz and her M.A. in Fashion Design from the University of Science and Culture. She later earned her Master of Fashion Industry Studies from Kent State University, where she worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and supported fashion education through teaching and research.

Saba has experience in fashion design, collection development, and visual storytelling for independent brands. Her digital designs have been featured in Kent State University's Virtual Fashion Shows and knitting exhibitions at Kent State Fashion Week. These academic and professional experiences have shaped her interest in the intersection of design, technology, and sustainability.

She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Apparel Design at 蜜桃APP. Her research interests include sustainable apparel design, zero-waste approaches, user-centered design practices, and digital innovation in fashion. Her master's thesis, 鈥淲oven Meanings: Crafting Emotional Bonds through Culturally Rooted Co-Designed Clothing,鈥� explored how participatory and culturally informed design approaches can foster emotional connections between people and clothing. Drawing from her background in architecture and fashion, she is interested in exploring how structural and creative perspectives can be integrated into apparel design to create more meaningful, user-centered experiences.

Irina Milke Pavlova
Graduate Assistant
ipavlo1@lsu.edu 

Irina completed six years of fashion design training at the Moscow Art-Industrial Institute, earning a Bachelor of Design degree. During her senior college years, she launched her own fashion project and participated in four seasons of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia and one season of Milan Fashion Week. After graduation, Irina worked as a lead lingerie designer for a small body-positive start-up and later as a womenswear and print designer for two of Russia鈥檚 largest apparel brands.

After a few years in the industry, Irina became concerned with how the current fashion design and production model mistreats resources, producers, and consumers, prompting her to pursue a career in academia. She earned a Master of Fashion Industry Studies degree from Kent State University, where she taught Sustainable Fashion Thinking (FDM 10044) and Fashion Fabrics (FDM 10034) and worked as a Research Assistant at the Kent State Digital Knitting Lab.

During her Master鈥檚 studies, Irina presented her research at three major conferences, including the 2024 International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes Conference. Her research focuses on fashion sustainability, particularly environmental and social justice in the fashion industry, zero-waste and circular methods, fashion activism, and the intersection of fashion and politics.

Mfon-Abasi Obong
Graduate Assistant
Mfon-Abasi.Obong@lsu.edu

Mfon-Abasi Obong is a Costume Designer and Technologist. She received her MFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Virginia (UVa)in 2017 and her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University (ASU) with a BA in Theater, concentrating in Costume Design in 2014. 

Mfon-Abasi enjoys telling stories through costumes and mentoring students on their theatrical costume designs. She has designed costumes in both regional and educational theatre settings, and she was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Georgia, serving as a Co-English Teacher in a public school. She is a member of the International Textiles and Apparel Association (ITAA), the Costume Society of America, and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT).

She is a Ph.D. candidate in Textile, Apparel, and Merchandising, with a concentration in Historical/Cultural Textiles and Apparel. Her research interest focuses on West African textiles and the social-psychological aspects of dress. Her goal for this program is to develop various research methodologies and apply the skills to conduct research for organizations.

Cordelia Sonnenschein
Graduate Assistant
Cordelia.Sonnenschein@lsu.edu

Cordelia Sonnenschein is originally from Los Angeles, California. She completed her M.A. in Anthropology, emphasis in Archaeology, from San Diego State University in 2026. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from California State University, Los Angeles in 2023.

During her undergraduate program, she conducted honors research into Chancay textiles from Peru. Her M.A. thesis examined Hohokam spindle whorls from Tucson, Arizona. She presented this research at the Society for American Archaeology conference in 2026. During this time she also worked as a graduate research assistant for a National Parks sponsored project on pre-contact agave cultivation and utilization in Saguaro National Park East. In addition to her thesis, she also conducted research into local practices of 20th century dress through the La Mesa History Center, which won the Arts and Letters Dean鈥檚 Award for Research from San Diego State University. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Historic Costume and Textiles. With this degree she hopes to pursue her long-term goals of becoming a professor or working in a museum setting. 

Morgan Strzynski
Graduate Student

Morgan is originally from the small town of Hemlock, Michigan. She completed her undergrad at Central Michigan University (CMU) in December of 2021. Here, she obtained a B.A.A. in Fashion Merchandising. Her classes at CMU paired with her lifelong interest in history inspired her to pursue further education. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Historic Costume. Her research at 蜜桃APP will better prepare her to meet her long-term career goal working in museum curation or in the film and television industry.

Rui Zhao
Graduate Assistant
zrui3@lsu.edu

Rui Zhao was born and raised in northern China (Zhangjiakou). He has studied in both the south (Guangxi) and the north (Beijing) of China. He has studied and lived in Beijing, China for more than ten years. His undergraduate major was for knitted clothing design, and the masters is in ethnic costume research.

During his undergraduate period, he planned and participated in clothing exhibitions. During his master's degree, he participated in multiple fashion design competitions, such as knitting design competition, fur design competition, underwear design, etc. He also used 3D software to conduct restoration research and field surveys on the styles and patterns of ethnic costumes, and publish relevant academic papers.

His current interests are in sustainable clothing development and marketing models. He is also interested in textile history, textile culture and textile dyeing and weaving.

Momo Zhou
Graduate Student

Mo Zhou is a Beijing girl from China. She graduated from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Marketing (Fashion Manager Orientation). After that, she went to the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom to study Fashion Marketing and Branding, where she received a master's degree in Merit in 2020. Beginning Fall of 2021, she is now a PhD student in Textiles, Apparel, and Merchandising at 蜜桃APP. Mo Zhou is a passionate girl, willing to make friends and help others. She hopes that focusing on the textile market for middle-aged and elderly women can make female consumer groups feel respected and cared for in her research. She also hopes that through her work and research, an equal and comfortable consumer experience can be gained by female consumers in the textile market.

Maryam Abedi
Graduate Student

Avery Oates
Accellerated Masters Student

Avery is originally from Lone Tree, Colorado, but now resides in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, during breaks. She is currently finishing up her undergrad at Louisiana State University and is expected to graduate in May 2027 with a Bachelor of Science in Textiles, Apparel Design, and Merchandising with a concentration in Merchandising and a minor in Business Administration. These past three years at 蜜桃APP have motivated her to continue her education to receive a Master's in Apparel Merchandising. She wants to pursue research in styling, trend forecasting, and retail buying. 

Anna Scurria
Graduate Student

Gabriel Venturini
Graduate Assistant
Gabriel.Venturini@lsu.edu

Md. Nazmul Haque
Graduate Assistant
Md.Haque@lsu.edu