www.universityoffashion.com

UNIVERSITY OF FASHION…APRIL 1, 2013

As the Founder and CEO of the University of Fashion I would like to thank each and every one of our devoted fans who have been patiently waiting for our launch by  following us on our blog, on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and on  Pinterest.

Francesca Sterlacci Founder/CEO University of Fashion

AFTER 5 YEARS OF PREPARATION

           THE U of F SITE IS UP!

We are the first online fashion video library, ever!

Log on and be taught fashion design by the best fashion college instructors and fashion industry pros right in the comfort of your home, office or school.

We know that you’ll agree that the wait was worth it!

Hear from Trend Forecaster Marieke van der Poel and other top industry experts while you learn to perfect your skills at drawing, draping, pattern making, sewing and product development.

We continually bring you new releases to keep you in the know!

We now have over 100 videos on the site in the areas of Draping, Pattern Making, Fashion Art, Sewing and Product Development. With tons more to come!

Here’s some of our fashion drawing and  illustration lessons

We even have a Fashion Connections series where you will be able to hear fashion lectures and go on location to a series of fashion venues.

University of Fashion is where you will learn about all things fashion design related: fashion terminology, the best fashion books, blogs, magazines, trade papers, museums and fashion schools.

AND…..

We’re partnered with the best tools and suppliers in the business!

The mission of the University of Fashion is to preserve the art & craft of the fashion design industry for years to come. Our goal is provide fashion education at an affordable price and provide a valuable research tool for current & future fashion designers, home sewers and the fashion curious.

So sign-up and click away at www.universityoffashion.com

Fashionably Yours,

Francesca Sterlacci

The face of online education is rapidly changing! 

Recently, Bill Gates, co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Microsoft, joined the Summit Innovation in Education in discussion regarding the future of higher education and his personal vision for how the college learning experience can be transformed through technology.

The Gates Foundation‘s current project is awarding grants to educational reformers and those looking to mitigate “inefficiencies” in the current model of higher education.  He argued for radical college reform, where students watch video lectures from premier professors as homework and in turn use class time for interactive learning activities.  Gates described the foundation’s proposed educational process as one of continual refinement, with a clear directive “to improve, to learn, make mistakes, [and to] try new things out…”

One example of Gate’s learning method in action can be seen at The Khan Academy; an excellent example of success in the aforementioned field of online education:http://www.khanacademy.org/.  The Kahn Academy is a non-profit company seeking to, “change education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.”  The site’s resources are open to the public and provide over 3,200 videos on everything from arithmetic to biochemistry to fashion, finance, and history.

During a recent webinar called “Going Digital”, sponsored by the Chronicle of Higher Education and Pearson publishing, CEO Mark Sarver of EDU KAN provided very impressive data on why schools are in search of digitally embedded content in their courses. He enumerated the reasons:

• better retention rates
• students don’t have to go outside the classroom to get information
• keeps students engaged
• studies show that digital content is more exciting to students
• digitally embedded content results in higher grades according to several studies
• faculty benefit from digitally embedded content since they don’t have to search for outside resources to help students
• it is much less expensive for students who save money on textbooks, a great way to capitalize on various learning styles.                                                                                   

University of Fashion-a revolution in online fashion education!

Francesca Sterlacci Founder/CEO University of Fashion

The University of Fashion, the world’s first online fashion video library, is about to revolutionize fashion education. Our mission is to provide superior online fashion education, taught by fashion industry professionals and college professors from established intuitions such as Parsons, the Fashion Institute of Technology and many others. We provide beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons designed to provide designers and aspiring designers, a chance to learn the basics, as well as to provide growth opportunities to those hoping to improve their current skills. In addition to our tutorials, we offer lectures on fashion relevant topics and tours at key industry locations. The University of Fashion is also partnered with the best fashion industry suppliers such as Mood, Sew True, B & J, Brother Sewing Machines, Wolf and Fabulous Fit dress forms, to name a few.

The demand for top-tier fashion design education has shown rapid growth over the past decade, yet it is nearly impossible for most to gain entrance to a major design school. In addition, design schools have trouble finding qualified teachers since teachers with hands-on skills are hard to come by thanks to the migration of jobs overseas. The founder of the University of Fashionâ, Francesca Sterlacci, experienced this problem first hand when she was chair of the Fashion Design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Francesca made it her life’s mission to change that when she left FIT to start her new business, an online fashion how-to video library. Students, schools and industry will be able to access a full range of hands-on lessons in draping, pattern making, sewing, fashion art and production development, 24/7 in the comfort of their own home or office. Teachers will be able to embed these lessons into their current curriculum, which will be a huge cost savings to schools since they won’t have to hire additional teachers to teach certain lessons. The University of Fashion’s commitment to excellence will guarantee a level of education equal to the best fashion colleges in the country and our connection to the New York fashion industry brings fashion industry professionals within reach to those who have never before had that experience.

Stay tuned for news about our official University of Fashion January 2013 launch!

Hear how the Dean of the School of Art & Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology endorses the library at the  U of F.

Fashion Group International, ‘Clotheslines’, and the University of Fashion!

MaryLou Luther

MaryLou Luther, the famous fashion writer and the University of Fashion are friends, thanks to their longstanding membership to Fashion Group International.  Some of you may be asking yourselves , ‘Who is MaryLou Luther?’ or ‘What is Clothesline?’ We are here to inform you of MaryLou’s illustrious history within the fashion industry in addition to her latest projects and involvement with Fashion Group International and the University of Fashion.  Where to begin?  Let’s start with MaryLou.

Clotheslines by MaryLou Luther

Luther’s “Clotheslines” column has appeared in The Plain Dealer’s style section of the New York Times magazine since the 1980s, and is known by designers, fashion writers, and the fashion curious for her duration in the business, her extensive understanding of the industry, and notably, her kind disposition.

Luther first studied journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and then went on to work for the Lincoln Journal, then to the Des Moines Register.  It was in Des Moines, of all places, that she received her ‘big break’; she was assigned to the style beat.  By 1957, she was at the Chicago Tribune; an up-and-coming fashion reporter interviewing Christian Dior!  When Yves Saint Laurent debuted his first collection for Christian Dior in January 1958, Marylou Luther was there.  She met Coco Chanel.  Does fashion journalism get any better than that?!?  Well, in 1968, Luther was hired to be the Los Angeles Times’ fashion editor, so she and her husband moved to Beverly Hills and quickly befriended Edith Head, the legendary Hollywood costume designer.  I don’t think it gets better than that!

A sketch from Clotheslines

By 1985, Luther and her husband decided to return to Manhattan where she became a syndicated columnist and creative director for Fashion Group International, for which she covers the New York, Paris and Milan ready-to-wear shows and puts together bi-yearly narrated films and informative packages each year revolving around key runway trends.

Fashion Group International began in 1928 when 17 women, led by Edna Woolman Chase, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, ‘met for lunch in a modest midtown New York restaurant…united in belief that fashion needed a forum, a stage, or a force to express and enhance a widening awareness of the American fashion business and of women’s roles in that business’.  Some of those Founding and Charter members were: Elizabeth Arden, Margaret Case, Eleanor Roosevelt, Helena Rubinstein, Julia Coburn, Lilly Dache, Jessica Daves, Nan Duskin, Edith Head, Eleanor LeMaire, Claire McCardell, Clare Potter, Virginia Pope, Dorothy Shaver, Adele Simpson, Carmel Snow, and Miss Tobé.

So, we’ve covered MaryLou’s fabulous career, and a bit about Fashion Group International, but did you know our own Francesca Sterlacci is also a member?

Well, Francesca has been a member of FGI since 1975, has utilized their extensive image library for all of the books that she has written: Leather Apparel Design, The Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry, The A-Z of the Fashion Industry and Leather Fashion Design.  To quoteFrancesca, “the FGI library is a fashion treasure trove and one of the best kept secrets

in the industry.  Make a date, sit in their library, and take a fashionable stroll down memory lane. Their collection of slides and prints, dating back to the the 1940s, will awe and inspire!  It is the perfect research tool for designers or anyone who is seriously interested in the fashion industry.”  In regards to her fellow FGI member MaryLou, Francesca for years, has attended her bi-annually collection presentations and now catches up on ‘Clotheslines’.  According to Francesca, “MaryLou’s wit, style, great eye for fashion, and spot-on trend analysis make her THE  person to go to for what is happening in fashion!”

Fashionably yours,

Liz

Social Media Director, University of Fashion

The Bodymetrics Pod

As a student, designer, and overall fashion fiend, I often wrestle with issues of fit.  Whether designing for myself, a client, or buying something from a manufacturer, fit is proprietary.  Ill-fitting blouses, skirts that are too tight, finding the right fitting bathing suit, or dealing with the issues of a perfect fitting pair of denim plague women…like the plague.  No one wants the dreaded muffin-top, the wedgie-pant, ‘Mom Jeans’, or a serious “garment malfunction” when it comes to their clothes, yet we women (and men) have to deal with these and other fit issues every day.  Even those not ingrained in fashion culture know there is a major problem with fit in fashion.

Brad setting up the video equipment while Bodymetrics CEO Suran Goonatilake chats in the background

A couple of days ago, University of Fashion videographer Brad and I headed to Bloomingdale’s Stanford for the exclusive before-hours press event for Bodymetric’s fourth in-store scanner installation. Some of you may have heard about Bodymetrics body scanning device, as it has been in the news quite a bit, but here is the low-down.  Essentially, the Bodymetrics Pod scans and then carefully maps your body into hundreds of measurements and contours to determine your overall ‘body metrics’ and to find the best fitting garment for your size, shape, and style needs.  The main mission for the company was to help women to “find the perfect-fitting jean” from a variety of leading brands, but the use for the product extend far beyond this small realm.  Let me lead you through the process so you can see for yourself what the scanning experience and aftermath consists of!  As it is one thing to hear about burgeoning technology Pods and quite another to try one out for yourself!

After Brad and I shot the raw video and still footage respectively, it was my turn to try out the system.  Prior to the event, the Bodymetrics rep told me to wear my hair up -which I forgot to do- and to be dressed in tight fitting clothes, in this case, spandex leggings and a camisole; optimally the technology is best used wearing only ones underwear or completely nude.  I entered the scanner and closed the curtain. It had the feeling of a spray tan or standup tanning booth with plenty of room for a person of any size to move about comfortably, and hooks on the wall inside the Pod on which to hang your garments.  Footprints in the center of the Pod and a quick 30 second video prep you for the scan which in and of itself takes under five seconds…way faster than airport security, though you are still required to take off your shoes…oh well.

Myself stepping out of the pod after experiencing my first scan

Once the scan is finished, you are sent an e-mail containing a link with which to access your Bodymetrics account from your computer or mobile device, and upon exiting the Pod a rep is standing ready with your body scan and measurements in hand!  On the screen you see a miniature chrome version of yourself spinning around ominously or paused at any angle desired. Below the scan you also will see your key measurements i.e. bust, waist and hip, as well as multiple other commonly used body measurements. A full set of 200+ measurements is available if you simply e-mail a Bodymetrics Representative.  A third tab below reveals the names of many key brands and styles of denim which will flatter your shape and figure.

I was amazed at the way the salespeople were then able to get their customers in the right denim almost immediately, and let me tell you, the next day when I returned for the launch party, women were buying up denim like mad.  I myself tend to wear more skirts, but was able to find several pairs of denim that looked spot-on, and was thrilled to find the measurements produced by the Bodymetrics Pod, such as the hip to knee-length or waist circumference, could also be used for determining optimal skirt length, cuff width, etc.  For the designer, consumer, and fashion industry the information gathered by Bodymetrics will allow for an entirely new angle on their respective modes and goals.  Clearly, the technology allows the consumer to make better sartorial choices as far as pants go, but Bodymetrics also provides advice in regards to proportion and styling that can be applied to the waistline on a dress, or the hemline on a skirt.  If a customer desires a garment to be tailor-made, but cannot physically be at all or any of the fittings, one can simply send their measurements and avatar to the designer, and the fit will be near perfect.  This makes clear how Bodymetrics and designers will be able to work hand in hand.  Just thinking of the time saved taking the hundreds of measurements provided is something at which to marvel.  Additionally, if these measurements are collected by big clothing manufacturers and sizing Czars, the technology could guide the industry to a much better understanding of body-shapes, realistic sizing and a total revision of U.S. and worldwide standardized sizing.

Check out a short film from my test run at Bloomie’s…what a trip!

The Bodymetrics Pod will be installed for 3 months at Bloomingdale’s Stanford in Palo Alto.  If you are in the area, I strongly recommend exploring the Bodymetrics technology and free scanning service.  A true fash-o-phile couldn’t ask for a better fitting product.

Fashionably yours,

Liz

Social Media Director, University of Fashion

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Cullen Mo
Designer

Cullen’s Fashion Discovery

In our last post, we mentioned the many people and hands that went into creating the University of Fashion.  Among the contributors to the process were current and future students of fashion who felt the need for and had benefited from the University of Fashion’s online fashion video library.  One of those students was the young and promising Bay Area  high school student Cullen Mo.  As a young man with great aspirations at a young age, we felt he was a great representative of the fashion curious youth of America.  As one of the first students of the University of Fashion method, Cullen has been gracious enough to share his experience and advice regarding the program with us, and we would like to pass it on to you…

Cullen utilizing the Beginning Illustration Female Frontal Pose lesson

When I first entered high school, I was not sure exactly how I would choose amongst the many courses, clubs, and opportunities presented to me.  I have always been interested in the design arts, and was ecstatic to discover that there was an extracurricular club devoted to creating fashion. This club, which was run by none other than Francesca Sterlacci, facilitated the product ideals of the participating students from their sketches to final product.  I was thrilled to find out that as member of this club I would be able to showcase my designs.

It is worth noting that, before joining this club, I had taken several summer courses at Parsons and wondered just how much I could gain from Francesca’s professional knowledge of the fashion industry.  Throughout my three years learning and creating under Francesca’s instruction, I’ve learned many things from her instruction in person as well as from her gracious sharing of the University of Fashion’s video library. From the beginning, I learned how to translate my ideas into a clear and stylish illustration with Francesca’s lessons on drawing the fashion figure. I also learned how to manipulate the drape of different fabrics on the dress form, and how to properly ascertain a conceptual design onto a real human form.  I remember distinctly, and use often, the efficient shortcuts Francesca introduced me to when attempting to construct a particularly full garment.  I really appreciated being able to reduce a full week’s worth of work into a couple days. With her knowledge of crafting garments, and my yards of fabric, I was able to learn and understand how to construct my vision.

 Not only technically was Francesca an excellent instructor, but she was also instrumental in helping me articulate my design identity. I had a lot of disparate and idealistic ideas about my designs going into freshman year.  Learning from Francesca and the wide spectrum of University of Fashion films helped me to find a cohesiveness to my designs. She helped guide my vision in a realistic and executable manor, as well as suggesting design techniques which related to my aesthetic, to each other, and helped to tell a story, developing my collections by the year.  I was very pleased to see my own skills progress and to see each garment look more unified and strong than the one before.

In my Junior year I produced  a mini-collection that was the headliner at the school’s annual fundraising auction.  Not only was I proud of what I had accomplished from an artistic standpoint but knowing that I helped raise funds for my school was the icing on the cake!  Without Francesca, I would not have been as proficient in fashion design and would not have been able to go out on my own to create clothes. I thought that a few weeks of instruction each summer was enough for me to create my designs, but Francesca revealed to me an extensive personal study as well as years of practice and experience into the fashion industry is needed to make a collection work.  To have this opportunity at the high school level has given me a huge leg-up on my career goals and on the design school competition.  I am indebted to Francesca and the University of Fashion team, and am thrilled to be a part of bringing news of the great project and its creator to you!

Thanks Francesca

Respectfully,

Cullen Mo

Class of 2013

How is the University of Fashion different from other fashion design programs?  Wondering how the project was conceived, constructed, and created?  With the Corporate launch just weeks away, we want to share with you a bit more about the project, the many hands, early mornings, and late nights which made our concept a reality.

At the University of Fashion, we have left nothing to chance. Before the first frame was shot, we conducted surveys and focus groups with high school and college students, instructors at fashion schools, and fashion industry members from around the country.   With their input, we prioritized which lessons to film and categorized each film into of the five fashion design disciplines: Draping, Pattern making, Sewing, Illustration, and Product Development. We tested the videos at schools to be sure that they were easy to follow and that they produced great results.

  Students in a high school classroom learning how to draw the female fashion figure:

Using industry connections, we reached out to current working fashion industry pros who were willing to share trade exclusives on camera.   The instructors were recruited based on their area of expertise and on their peer and student evaluations.  New York garment manufacturers are also polled regularly to keep up with current techniques and questioned as to which film lessons they would like to see produced.  We capture the needs of the home sewing market by interviewing hundreds of shop owners and customers at alterations, tailoring, and fabric stores to learn about their particular needs and interests.

The research done by the University of Fashion Team has resulted in a list of videos that will surely please everyone from the high school novice to the fashion industry pro.  If you are among the Fashion Curious, you will definitely want to tune in to our website’s Fashion Connection series where you will get to view lectures covering trend forecasting, how to pad a dress form, how to choose the right dress form, and other industry and marketing related topics.

Erin Algeo
Museum Manager/Curator
Lacis Museum

With our Fashion Location series we will take you on virtual tours of museums, showrooms, factories, designer ateliers, fashion schools. and behind the scenes at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week!

As for suppliers, we provided our instructors with the best equipment to work with, we reached out to the best in the business: Sew True, Brother, Baby Lock, Wolf and Fabulous Fit dress forms. They, and other industry resources like  B & J, M & J, Global Leathers, Mood and Libra Leathers are now official University of Fashion corporate colleagues.  We use their tools and equipment, exclusively and support their quality products. Thanks to our associations with these great companies, our subscribers are entitled to earn discounts on their purchases!

The Production Process

Brad at Fabulous Fit

Utilizing our studios in New York City and in Silicon Valley, and with state-of-the-art cameras, lighting, recording, and editing equipment’ we produce exemplary videos for our viewers.  Our executive videographer and his team carefully frame each shot, using multiple cameras, to make sure that the instructor’s every step is captured in a clear, concise, and visually pleasing way.

Instructor Barbara Arata-Gavere with Francesca

Once each lesson is filmed and the script finalized, we lay down a voice-over track before starting the final edit process. Each lesson is designed to use clear, concise language to provide the viewer with easy step-by step instructions.  To further reinforce the leaning experience, the University of Fashion offers a free transcript with every lesson. Students can also buy a pictorial, step-by-step lesson guide separately for a nominal fee.  In addition to our videos, we will offer a resource guide where viewers can find the best of everything in the business!  Schools, tools, books, trade magazines, machinery, dress forms, periodicals, and museums.

Once the University of Fashion officially launches you’ll be able to become a member for free and then sign up for a monthly or yearly subscription by visiting us at:  www.universityoffashion.com.  Get friendly with us and leave comments on our blog or on Twitter, You Tube and Facebook anytime.

You are only a click way!

Fashionably Yours,

The University of Fashion Team

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York, New York

The Costume Institute Gala, or Met Ball, is an annual event which celebrates the anniversary of the opening of the Costume Institute at Metropolitan Museum in 1948.  This red carpet event is known as the ‘Oscars of Fashion’ and rightfully so, as the looks seen at the Met are generally more avant-garde and daring than looks seen on most any red carpet, royal, or head of state affairs across the globe.  Celebrities, politicos, and fashion icons from around the world arrive dressed to impress, and at $25,000 a seat, one definitely wants to impress!  The event, hosted by Vogue, Conde Nast Publications, and Chanel is regarded as the top annual social event in New York City.

Current Jean Paul Gautier exhibit at the DeYoung: San Francisco

Each year the event has a theme, and the evening includes a cocktail hour and a formal dinner.  While the fashion parade and the discussions over sartorial choices extend for days after the event, the true focus is the fundraising and support of the efforts made to preserve the history and craft of fashion.  This thrills all of us here at University of Fashion as we seek in the desire to proliferate fashion knowledge and education across the globe.  With world renown museums such as the Kyoto Costume Institute, the DeYoung in San Francisco, and the Met in NYC choosing to feature fashion as a legitimate art form, we are all provided with a much better look at the actual world of fashion beyond reality TV, runway productions, and film premiers.

This is not meant to discredit other fashion fueled but not necessarily fashion-centric events. the Cannes Film Festival and the Oscars have major ‘star power’ and do draw a huge amount of attention to the fashion and design world by way of stars on parade in glorious couture, and in the awards given to the talented designers who dress these stars on set as well as for the red carpet…the costume designers.  Katniss would not have been half as believable without those killer Frye boots on.  Guaranteed.

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology: New York New York

At the University of Fashion, providing the public with a behind-the-scenes look at the world of fashion production is one of our primary objectives.  We discussed in an earlier post the ‘Fashion Connections’ series which we have been producing for the U of Fashion library.  In this series we strive to bring different aspects of the working world of fashion into your home.  We have already filmed and produced segments on a lace-making company in the Bay Area, have interviewed several ‘influencers’ at Andrew Marc, have toured a leather artisans shop in NYC -he designs bespoke garments for Lenny Kravitz and Steve Tyler, just to drop a few names, and are working on a full video tour of the museum facilities at FIT.  Did you know their museum is free!  Get over there New Yorkers!

Here’s where we need your help.  In our search for facilities to tour and fashion leaders to interview, we have become overwhelmed.  So many fabulous locations and talented people from which to gather information!  So, who or what would you like a better look at from ‘behind the lines’?

Shoot us a comment or note on the blog, Facebook, or Twitter and let us know what we can film for you!

Yours in Fashion,

Liz

Social Media Director, University of Fashion

Click on the video to learn more about the University of Fashion and how you can contribute to our mission!

With your support we can preserve the craft of fashion design, educate and inspire future designers, encourage American garment production and ultimately create American jobs.

Please donate what you can.  Helping us will actually help you! We hope you will recognize the wonderful personal, national, and global benefits of the University of Fashion.

Fashion Star level

Fashion Icon level

Together we can craft and design America back into the the fashion industry!

Thank you for donating to the cause,

Francesca Sterlacci

President/Founder

University of Fashion

After 4 years of planning, recruiting teachers, hiring videographers, editors, and polling students and teachers to find out what they wanted to learn when it comes to fashion education, investing in a state of the art design and film studios on both the east and west coasts, creating and writing scripts, completing voiceovers for each lesson, and investing in a super website so that we can live stream our fashion how-to videos to the public, the University of Fashion is almost ready to launch.

The University of Fashion is a fashion how-to website packed with easy to follow instructional videos taught by working fashion industry professionals and fashion college professors. The videos appeal to high school students, college students, teachers, home sewers, working professionals and the fashion curious. Those viewing these videos will get to go behind the scenes to experience the fashion industry through video tours of New York City showrooms, design rooms and fashion shows.  We have filmed 45 videos thus far in all areas of fashion design: draping, pattern making, sewing, product development and fashion drawing.  We have a fashion lecture series and we have filmed tours of various fashion locations in New York City as well as on the west coast. Viewers get an inside look at design rooms and showrooms of major Seventh Avenue manufacturers and are given the opportunity to learn from Fashion Leaders who form the backbone of the industry.  By creating a website with hundreds of affordable “how-to” fashion videos, we plan to quintuple Americans’ access to fashion education.

If you have been following the University of Fashion blog, you should have a pretty good grasp on the project at hand, but you may be wondering how this ambitious endeavor was seeded.  Francesca Sterlacci—University of Fashion founder, fashion designer, and former chair of the fashion design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology, has witnessed  firsthand the rapid extinction of the craft of fashion design within the U.S.  As a fashion designer in NYC with her own collection and label in the 1980s, she manufactured exclusively in New York’s Garment Center.  It was a time when fashion upstarts like Francesca and her contemporaries: Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, and Yeohlee all worked within a 10-block radius of the best fabrics, buttons, trims, skilled craftsman, and factories.  Today such access to American resources is nearly lost.

You may not know this but the American fashion industry is dying; In 1960, 95% of garments were manufactured in the US — today production is at an astonishingly low 5%.  Textile mills have all but shut down,  hand-made goods by skilled American artisans are hard to come by, and the New York Garment Center has shrunk to a fraction of its size despite various movements like Made in Midtown and Save the Garment Center which are putting forth great effort to preserve NYC production.  Fashion schools in America are among the best in the world, but not everyone lives in a major metropolitan center where the majority of these great schools are located, and many others people don’t have the resources to fund a formal fashion education.

As an industry insider, author of several fashion books, and proud supporter of the Made in America, Save the Garment Center, and Made in Midtown projects, Francesca has realized a unique and thoughtful way to preserve American craftsmanship and to provide worldwide fashion education.  She has rallied the best teachers and industry pros and has invited them to share their knowledge & expertise on video by creating a digital media library of lessons, providing behind the scenes access to the fashion industry, and a wonderful collection of ‘how-to’ videos documenting garment construction skills and techniques.  The University of Fashion’s educational videos will not only help preserve the craft of fashion design in this country for future generations, they will ultimately bring jobs back to American shores.  Francesca and the University of Fashion team have commited much time and energy to this endeavor and she has personally funded this entire project,  all for the preservation of the American fashion industry. You can help. Stay tuned…..

Together we can craft and design America back into the the fashion industry!

Thank you for donating to the cause!

Fashionably Yours,

Liz

Director of Social Media, University of Fashion

Where is the reality in Fashion Reality TV?

If you follow reality television, especially fashion-oriented reality TV, you are surely aware of the recent increase in popularity and near ubiquity of  fashion designers aspiring for success on the small screen over the past decade.  For example, one can choose turn on the Tv and between the news, sports, sitcoms, and dramas find ‘the original’ fashion design reality TV show Project Runway, TLC’s What Not to Wear, Isaac Mizrahi’s The Fashion Show, and most recently NBC’s Fashion Star.  

As historians, videographers, and creators of ‘fashion-in-action’, we at the University of Fashion, we have noticed the similarities and different ways in which these shows depict the fashion industry, but have also noticed the attention the shows are garnering in general, and how these fashion design and styling programs are changing the American garment industry.  The desire to create and produce garments in America is growing and due to these television programs, many talented individuals have gained well-earned exposure.  The University of Fashion’s mission, and passion of founder Francesca Sterlacci, is to empower burgeoning designers by giving them the necessary tools they’ll need to succeed through our fashion how-to videos, and are thankful for the spotlight reality TV has shone on the creative process of fashion design and styling.

Among the Fashion Reality programs, Project Runway was the first show to take us backstage revealing the trials and tribulations of designing garments giving the viewer insight into the creative design process, with the help of fashion world stalwarts and celebrities such as Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, Tim Gunn, & Nina Garcia.  The Fashion Show followed in the format of predecessor Project Runway, bringing attention to garment design and production through the use of  ’challenges’ and through the use of celebrity judges, most notably Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland.

I mention What not to Wear even though it is not technically a garment design show, because it has been on the air for nearly a decade and was one of the first personal styling shows on TV.  Stacy London and Clinton Kelly have opened the eyes of the American clothing consumer to the many flattering and fashionable options available in the mass market.  WNTW covers clothing design for all types and also gives marketers and designers a better look at major target markets.  Most recently, we have been introduced to Fashion Star.  Fashion icon Elle Macpherson hosts the show along with designers, celebrities, and business owner/mentors John Varvatos, Jessica Simpson, and Nicole Richie.  The twist here is the addition of retail buyers Nicole M. Christie from H&M, Caprice Willard from Macy’s, and Terron E. Schaefer at Saks Fifth Avenue.  This show is invaluable for the glimpse it gives designers into a world where garments must be presented and sold to a mass market.

Francesca Sterlacci

In many ways, the University of Fashion -not unlike these popular programs- will be guiding you through the steps of fashion production.  Francesca Sterlacci, former Chair of Fashion Department at FIT, author, and founder of the University of Fashion, has designed and sold her own line through Barneys, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue, and has also taught some wonderfully talented designers herself!  Kara Laricks, current season of Fashion Star is one of Francesca’s graduates from the Academy of Art University and Austin Scarlett was a student of hers from FIT.

Austin Scarlett: Project Runway Alum

The world was first introduced to Austin on Project Runway’s Season One.  Austin made it to the finals and when proclaimed ‘OUT’ by the judges, responded with a vibrant “you have not seen the end of Austin Scarlett!”; he was right.  After starring in the hilarious On the Road with Austin and Santino allong with PR alum Santino Rice, Austin returned to this year for Project Runway All Stars.  In addition to his fabulous television persona and talent, Austin has forged a brilliant career for himself, creating amazing eveningwear under his own name and opening his own bridal collection exclusively sold at Neiman Marcus. According to Francesca, “Austin was an amazing student, a cut above the rest.  His designs were always focused and glamorous.  Austin’s love for the technical aspects of design, as well as his design aesthetic, places him in the family of great American designers Ralph Rucci and Adolfo.  Austin Scarlett is definitely not going anywhere!”  The respect clearly mutual; In an article written on Austin for FIT’s Network magazine, Austin noted that Francesca was one of the biggest influences in his early career.  He noted Francesca’s personal design skills and helpful professional guidance.

Kara Laricks-Fashion Star (courtesy Tyler Golden)

Fast forward 7 years later and enter Fashion Star, the NBC show currently airing Tuesday nights.   On Fashion Star designers get to work with actual pattern makers and sample makers, and buyers as is ‘de rigeur’ in the ‘real’ fashion industry.  Kara Laricks, a contestant and former student of Francesca, credits Francesca with inspiring and challenging her with regards to her fashion design aspirations.  Kara was a 4th grade teacher for 10 years before she enrolled online at AAU, through which she was introduced to Francesca, and ultimately gave up her teaching career to complete her graduate degree in fashion and moving to  New York.  Kara began her formal career creating signature menswear tie accessories for women as well as men, and sold her pieces at a design cooperative on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  Responding to an ad, Kara was chosen as a contestant on Fashion Star and has proved to be a force to be reckoned with!

Stay tuned…Kara won’t be disappoint!

Fashionably Yours,

Liz

Director of Social Media, University of Fashion