Sha'Mira Covington

College of Family and Consumer Sciences

Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors

Assistant Professor in Fashion

Dr. Sha'Mira Covington is a scholar-artist with a focus on Black liberation studies within the fashion-industrial complex.

Education

Degree Field of Study Institution Graduation
Ph.D. Polymer, Fiber, and Textile Sciences- International Merchandising emphasis, African American Studies The University of Georgia 2023
M.S. Communications- Public Relations Syracuse University 2018
B.S. Fashion Merchandising, Art History The University of Georgia 2011

Research

Dr. Covington's research explores the cultural, historical, social, and political significance of fashion and dress within the contexts of colonial domination, anti-colonial resistance, and processes of decolonization. 

She brings a wealth of experience from her decade-long career in the fashion retail industry and based on her experiences, her work is deeply influenced by her dedication to decolonizing the industry. Dr. Covington is committed to challenging the traditional paradigms of the fashion-industrial complex by promoting ethical practices, advocating for equitable labor rights, and supporting sustainable production methods. In addition to her research pursuits, she is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of industry leaders and hopes to drive forward-thinking that addresses contemporary challenges in the fashion retail sector, with a focus on creating a more equitable and inclusive industry.

Teaching

TXMI 3210: Fundamentals of Fashion Merchandising

TXMI 3220: Fashion Ethics and Sustainability

TXMI 4230: Dress, Society, and Culture

TXMI 6900: Special Topics in Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors: Sustainable Fashion Systems

Awards

Award Name Awarded By Year Awarded
Campus Sustainability Grant UGA Office of Sustainability 2021
SEC Emerging Scholar Southeastern Conference 2021
Graduate Research Award Willson Center for Humanities and Art 2021
Graduate Education Advancement Board Fellowship UGA Graduate School 2020
Myron G. Burney Service Award The Black Faculty & Staff Organization 2019
New Approaches Grant for Diversity and Inclusion UGA Office of Institutional Diversity 2019

Service

Organization Title Year(s) Service Type
FACS Faculty Advisory Committee Assistant Professor Representative College
Institute for African American Studies Affiliate Faculty University
Institute for Women's Studies Affiliate Faculty University
FACS DEIB Committee Member College
HAUTE Creatives Collective Faculty Advisor College
International Textile and Apparel Association Member, Secretary of Black in ITAA Affinity Group Professional
Association of Black Women Historians Member Professional
Costume Society of America Member Professional
Black Women Studies Association Member Professional
National Black Council of Black Studies Member Professional

Advisory Committee

Current Advisees:

Dominique Shaw

Nadia Abdallah

Mozhgan Soltanisehat

Cammie Hedley, Interdisciplinary Studies Undergraduate

Hobbies and Passions

Yoga, pole dance, and burlesque dance

Current Research

Dr. Covington is currently interested in the myriad of ways that Black women have used embodied modes as liberatory praxis. 

Other research interests include:

  • Black material culture and museums
  • Racial representation within the fashion-industrial complex
  • Ecofeminism/ecowomanism and fashion sustainability
  • Afrofuturism and fashion sustainability
  • Blackness and media
  • Afro-Indigenous studies
  • Dance performance, politics, and identity
  • Black political/protest dress and efficacy
  • Fashion and aesthetics as political tools
  • Social justice pedagogy in fashion studies
  • Contemplative and culturally sustaining pedagogy
  • Race and decolonization pedagogy
  • Critical analysis of corporate social responsibility

Dr. Covington is open to working with students and colleagues on interdisciplinary and adjacent projects to these areas.  

Journal Articles

Covington, S., Medvedev, K. 2024. “A Woke Brand?: An Analysis of Nike and the Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Fashion-Industrial Complex. Fashion, Style, & Popular Culture

Weigle, B., & Covington, S. 2022. "The Role of Clothing and Textiles in Defining ‘Family’, a Study of the Narratives from the Former Slave Project". Fashion Studies. https://www.fashionstudies.ca/the-role-of-clothing-and-textiles-in-defining-family

Reed, J., Covington, S., & Medvedev, K. 2022. "Creating Room for Social Justice Pedagogy in Fashion Education". Clothing and Textiles Research Journal. 

Covington, S., Medine, C. 2022. “Africana Yogi Personae: Black Yoga Practitioners’ Aesthetic Negotiations in Dress”. The Arrow: A Journal of Wakeful Society, Culture, and Politics. 

Covington, S. 2022. “The Narrative Bodies of James Baldwin: A Discussion of Sartorial and Literary Style". Religions

Covington, S., Medvedev, K. 2019. “Dressing for Freedom and Justice”. Clothing Cultures, 6(2), 215-235.

Publications

Covington, S. “Decentering and Decolonizing Fashion”. [Edited textbook chapter introduction for Meanings of Dress].

Interested in graduate studies?

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