Valerie grew up in the Bay Area on a steady diet of creative endeavors. Throughout her childhood she danced and sang around the house, designed and sewed clothes and accessories (including her Bat Mitzvah dress), wrote poems and sci-fi stories, skiied and hiked in the mountains.

After graduating with a BA in Feminist Studies and Theater Arts from University of California at Santa Cruz, Valerie worked with children in academic and recreational settings. During that time she decided to go live in Spain and travel for 6 months. Inspired to go back to school and learn more about textiles and fashion, she returned to California and attended a 2-year Certificate program in Apparel Design and Merchandising at the College of Alameda. Those studies led her to look at the Industrial Design graduate program at Philadelphia University (now Thomas Jefferson University). 

Valerie completed her Masters of Science degree in Industrial Design with an emphasis in Textile Design from Philadelphia University. Her work is focused on the overlap of feminism, creative solutions through material exploration, and environmentalism.

Having explored many different disciplines, Valerie is committed to bringing her unique intersectional viewpoint to every project. As an avid sewist, Valerie enjoys finding creative uses for non-traditional materials and product solutions specific to textiles. As a feminist, she looks to cultivating the social impact of her work, whether it be through sustainable/recycled materials or through improving ergonomics. 

Resume available upon request.