Shantel McGowan

• Vice President of Design
• Joined Momentum in 2003
• Textile Design
  Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science

Growing up in a suburb of Philadelphia, Shantel was intrigued with Haute Couture and runway style.  In high school she studied fashion and figure drawing at Moore College of Art and Design.  As she ventured into her college years at Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, she realized that her passion was not found in the shape of the garments, but in the textiles that made up those garments. Shifting her focus to textile design, she quickly found her passion in hand weaving, a perfect balance between woven structure, yarns and color. 

During college, Shantel was introduced to the contract industry through an internship with a local weaving mill. Handweaving designs for them, she fell in love with building new structures and creating new colorways.

After college, her goal was to work for a contract mill, one where she could work along side of the yarn making equipment, the dyehouse and the weaving looms. Relocating to Winston- Salem NC, she gained invaluable knowledge from her hands on experience and from coworkers who had spent their lives working for the mill. Still young in her career, she became the Contract Design Manager.

After working in a textile mill for 8 years, Momentum Group offered her the opportunity to join their design team as the Director of Product Development. In 2006, she became the Director of Design, helping to lead the design team to new heights in product design; leading to industry awards and acknowledgements.

She has a passion for creating an environment where talented designers can thrive and produce their best work.