Karen Cross

Karen Cross is an Academic Strategic Lead in the School of Creative and Cultural Business at Robert Gordon University (RGU), with specific responsibility for the Fashion Management, Tourism, Hospitality and Events subject area. She serves as Subject Leader for Fashion Management within Gray's School of Art and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority with Aurora Women in Leadership certification. Dr. Cross maintains active external roles as an advisor, examiner, and panel member for multiple UK higher education institutions including Coventry University, Glasgow Caledonian University, and the University of Westminster.

Her educational background includes a BA (Hons), PG (Cert), and a PhD completed in 2021 with the thesis titled 'Comfort in clothing: a Baumanian critique of how clothing contributes to the well-being of women in the United Kingdom.'

Dr. Cross's research explores the positive impacts of fashion through multiple lenses: employment opportunities, cultural and heritage preservation through artisan textile practices, and the role of clothing in providing identity, community, comfort, and wellbeing. She investigates how immersive technologies can enhance storytelling about fashion provenance and sustainability. Her work consistently focuses on Scottish fashion heritage, particularly Harris Tweed, examining how traditional practices can be preserved through sustainable business models while leveraging digital innovations.

Her recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate a clear trajectory focusing on Scottish textile heritage, sustainable fashion practices, wellbeing through clothing, and the integration of digital technologies with traditional fashion practices. These works frequently involve collaborations with Scottish heritage brands and explore practical applications for preserving artisan techniques while developing economically viable, year-round business models.

• Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Authority (2016)
• Aurora Women in Leadership Program Completion (2014)
• External Examiner for University of Westminster (2015-2019)
• Multiple External Panel Member appointments at Coventry University, Glasgow Caledonian University, and Heriot-Watt University

Dr. Cross actively supervises PhD students, with T.O. Uti's 2025 thesis on social media beauty trends being a current example. She has secured significant research funding through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, notably with Harris Tweed Hebrides, which focused on developing sustainable year-round business models through design-led product innovation. Her research often involves interdisciplinary collaborations between fashion, textiles, and computing disciplines, as seen in the Augmented Fashion project.

Through the Augmented Fashion research project and her Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Harris Tweed Hebrides, Dr. Cross leads initiatives that bridge academic research with industry application. These projects focus on preserving artisan hand-weaving practices while developing sustainable business models that reduce seasonality and explore new markets. Her team integrates digital technologies to enhance storytelling about provenance and heritage, creating innovative approaches to maintaining traditional craftsmanship in the modern fashion industry.