Dr Paula Wren

Senior Lecturer (Fashion Technology)

Dr Paula Wren

Senior Lecturer (Fashion Technology)

Email: p.wren@mmu.ac.uk

Telephone: 0161 247 3552

Biography Research Office

Academic and professional qualifications

Having previously worked in the UK clothing industry for 18 years in the fields of garment design, pattern development and garment technology and fit, I decided to return to academia to pursue a career as a researcher and educator.

Using my knowledge and experience of working with many High Street clothing retailers I now teach fashion communication design, and pattern development to undergraduates and supervise postgraduate research and PhD student projects.

I am a clothing practitioner and educator with 35 years experience.

Undergraduate teaching

I teach and supervise students on the BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Technology Programme.

Postgraduate teaching

I supervise dissertations for the following programmes:

MSc - Fashion Buying and Merchandising Management
MSc - International Fashion Business Management
MSc - International Fashion Marketing
MSc - Luxury Fashion Management

Postgraduate research supervision

I am a PhD supervisor at MMU with student completions.

I am also a PhD external examiner. I have been lead examiner in a Viva setting and have provided feedback and detailed written thesis amendment requirments for PhD candidates. 

I welcome both national and international PhD candidate applications and will provide support and guidance in both your PhD journey and subsequent publications. 

Projects and initiatives

I have collaborated in 3D bodyscanning projects for Charnos, SpineCor, Shop Direct and ASOS.

I have also facilitated clothing industry training days for Adobe Illustrator.

I have also wrote research Rise projects.

Exhibitions

Exploring the accessibility and public perceptions of clothing retailers online measurement guidance @ The Museum of Science and Industry 21 October 2019.

Practioner roles

Pattern cutting, garment consturuction, garment fit analysis and amendment, anthropometric practice, size chart development and analysis, manual grading, technical drawing and CAD.

Prizes and awards

  • MSc Advanced Clothing Product Development with distinction
  • PhD
  • SFHEA

Membership of professional associations

  • Member of the Textile Institute

Research

Research Interests

My areas of research interest include the study of female gerontology (aged 55+) and its effect on anthropometric landmarking definitions required for body measurement extraction and garment pattern development. Anthropometric measurement techniques both manual and non contact, used by both clothing practitioners and fashion retailers. Garment pattern development using direct measurements and assessing garment fit. I have published work around these areas.

Academic collaborations

I have collaborated and published with colleagues from University of Manchester within the Department of Psychology and School of Materials and with colleagues from Keele University's School of Psychology. 

I am keen to work with academics from others disciplines whose interests involve digital fashion and fit, anthropometric practice and new developments and zero waste pattern development processes. 

Expert reviewer for journals and publishers

An expert reviewer for the International Journal of Fashion Marketing and Managment.

Conference Papers

Hayes, SG., Gill, S., Spragg, J., Wren, P., 2014. 'Creating visual means to map and communicate sizing practice and theory', The 89th Textile Institute World Conference - Innovation from Fibre to Fashion, Wuhan, China., 2/11/2014 - 6/1/2015.

Gill, S., Parker, CJ., Hayes, S., Brownbridge, K., Wren, P., Panchenko, A., 2014. 'The True Height of the Waist: Explorations of Automated Body Scanner Waist Definitions of the TC2 scanner', 5th International Conference on 3D Body Scanning Technologies, Lugano, Switzerland, 21-22 October 2014, Lugano, Switzerland, 21/10/2014 - 22/10/2014, in Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on 3D Body Scanning Technologies, Lugano, Switzerland, 21-22 October 2014, pp. 55-65.

Posters

Wren, P., 2023. 'Sustainable procedures in collecting Anthropometric Data: Efficacy in remote body measurement of School Children for Sizing', The Textile Institute World Conference, University of Huddersfield, UK. 4th July-6th July 2023..

Office Location

Room C2.30
Cavendish South
Manchester Fashion Institute
Manchester Metropolitan University
Cavendish Street
Manchester M15 6BG