Dr. Roman came to Marist University from University of the Arts London, where he completed his Ph.D.  Prior to his current role, he was the Visiting Lecturer in Fashion History and Costume at Marist University, and he taught courses on consumer culture, fashion media, and visual research methods at London College of Fashion and Parsons School of Design.  Through his transatlantic teaching style, he seeks to expand students’ understanding of fashion as multiform rather than monolithic and created through material and symbolic practices.

Dr. Roman’s research focuses on the intersection of celebrity and fashion in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, how these worlds became inextricably linked, and how they continue to inform one another.  Their research also explores how the media represents the labor of celebrities and fashion industry professionals.  The work that these groups do is often dismissed as not being real work or disguised behind the glittering veils of entertainment and fame.  Dr. Roman, however, seeks to reveal that being a celebrity and working in the fashion industry are subject to the same practices as public and private sector workers.

During his visiting role, he began to oversee Marist’s Fashion Archive, which is a collection of historic garments and accessories from the late nineteenth century through the present.  Objects in the Fashion Archive support the educational experiences of Marist students to make history dimensional and tangible rather than purely mediated. 

Before pursuing their advanced degrees, Dr. Roman worked in the New York fashion industry as a print and embroidery designer and colorist for companies such as Ann Taylor, Dana Buchman, and Naeem Khan.