Expertise:
Apparel Industry, Circular Functional Apparel Design, Thermoregulatory Garments, Sustainable Fashion, Textile Production, Fiber Science, Specialized Workwear, Sustainable Workwear, Bio-Based Materials, Post-Consumer Textile Waste Management, Apparel Customization, Technical Textiles, Circular Apparel Models, Apparel Design, Fashion Product Management, Global Fashion Management, Fashion Product Development, Apparel MerchandisingCindy Cordoba is a fashion and textile expert specializing in sustainable practices, innovative functional apparel design and the cultural and economic dimensions of fashion. At Cal Poly Pomona, she blends fiber science with creative design to advance next-generation apparel that meets both performance and environmental goals.
Her research explores how fashion intersects identities and local economies, with a focus on circular entrepreneurship models and sustainable textile production. Through projects like the Fashion Heirloom Project, she encourages students to explore personal and cultural narratives with artifacts and oral histories — reshaping how fashion education is taught and understood.
Cordoba leads the HeatShield Apparel initiative, a climate innovation project funded by the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation aimed at developing protective clothing for agricultural workers facing extreme heat. Her work in thermal comfort, adaptive cooling systems and user-centered design directly addresses climate resilience and labor equity.
As a passionate educator, Cordoba teaches apparel production, industry research methods, and courses on fashion and marginalized communities. She emphasizes experiential learning and community collaboration, preparing her students to be the next generation of leaders for a socially conscious and sustainable fashion industry.
Recent Grants and Fellowships:
- Special Projects for Improving the Classroom Experience (SPICE) Classroom Modernization program, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, $29,500, 2025
- Generative AI Course Integration Grant Kellogg Legacy Endowment, Institutional Capacity Building fund, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, $2,000, 2025
- Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation Awards – Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program, $398,926, 2025- 2027
- USDA Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Education Grants Program, $400,000, 2023- 2028 (Co-Pi)
- Provost’s Teacher-Scholar Support Program California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, 2024-2025
- Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (RSCA) Mini-Grant Program, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, $5,000, 2023- 2024
- Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, $9,959, 2023
- Special Projects for Improving the Classroom Experience (SPICE) Classroom Modernization program, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, $10,949, 2023
- Reese Miller Scholarship, Telluride Association, 2021- 2022
- Building Future Faculty Program Fellow, North Carolina State University, 2022
- Women Leaders in Sustainability Fellowship, Cornell University, 2021- 2022
- Hill Scholarship, Cornell Branch of Telluride Association (CBTA), 2019- 2022
- International Peace Scholarship, P.E.O. Sisterhood International 2016 Group Fellowship-in-Residence (“Arts for a Culture of Peace”), Women’s International Study Center, U.S., 2017- 2019
- Student Leadership and Civic Engagement Leader Medal, The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute, University of Pittsburgh, 2014
- Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) Scholarship Program for Western Hemisphere Leaders, US Department of State, 2013
- Martin Luther King Fellowship, U.S. Embassy in Colombia and Centro Cultural Colombo Americano, 2011- 2013
Selected Publications:
- Book Chapters with Diaz, M., George-Williams, G., Taylor, L. (in press). Implementing ethnic studies across disciplines in higher education: Faculty voices and pedagogical insights. In Ethnic Studies in Educational Leadership. California Polytechnic University Pomona.
- Race and Ethnicity in Fashion. Kendall Publishing (in preparation)
- “Luxury Fashion and Peace Restoration for Artisans in Colombia.” Sustainability in Luxury Fashion Business (pp. 173-192). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8878-0_10, 2018
Interviews:
- “Emerging Technologies Conference at ATA Expo 2025,” Textile Technology Source, Nov. 10, 2025
- “Cal Poly Pomona professor wins grant to design agricultural work wear,” Claremont Courier, July 8, 2025
- “Cal Poly Pomona Professor to Co-Design and Distribute HeatShield Cothing for Agricultural Workers,” Textile World Magazine, June 26, 2025
Education:
B.S., Environmental Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
M.S., Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising, Louisiana State University
Ph.D., Apparel Design, Cornell University
Languages:
English, Spanish