UNT Special Collections is excited to announce the recipient of our spring 2026 Coursework Development Grant – Dr. Kelcie Slaton, Assistant Professor, College of Merchandising, Hospitality, and Tourism.
Dr. Kelcie Slaton is an educator and researcher specializing in apparel merchandising, luxury retail, and consumer behavior. She earned her Ph.D. in Apparel Merchandising and Design from Iowa State University, with a focus on developing shopper typologies for Millennial luxury consumers. Her research explores topics such as the secondary luxury market, sustainability, digital product passports, and the integration of physical and digital (“phygital”) retail strategies, with publications in leading journals including the Journal of Retailing, International Journal of Consumer Studies, and Sustainability.
Dr. Slaton has presented her work at national and international conferences, frequently addressing innovations in retail technology and evolving consumer motivations. In addition to her research, she teaches courses in merchandising analytics, luxury fashion retailing, and research methods at the University of North Texas and Parsons School of Design, often incorporating industry partnerships and experiential learning. Her professional background includes buying and merchandising roles at Neiman Marcus, as well as consulting in trend forecasting and AI-powered retail strategies. Dedicated to bridging academia and industry, she brings a global, forward-thinking perspective to preparing students for careers in a rapidly changing retail landscape.
Partnering with UNT Special Collections to utilize the Dale T. Smith Neiman Marcus Collection, students are provided the rare opportunity to work directly with historic primary sources that exemplify luxury branding in practice. By engaging with the Neiman Marcus Fortnight posters in the Smith Collection, students move beyond textbook definitions of luxury and instead analyze original artifacts that shaped consumer perceptions of global sophistication in the twentieth century.
Congratulations, Dr. Slaton! Special Collections staff are excited to work with you and your students this spring!
The UNT Special Collections Coursework Development Grant is supported by the Toulouse Archival Research Program Endowment. For more information and questions, please reach out to Special Collections Instruction and Engagement Librarian, Meagan May, at Meagan.May@unt.edu.
