University of Fashion Blog

Category "Holiday Gift Subscription"

UNIVERSITY OF FASHION COMING ATTRACTIONS 2023

- - Draping, Fashion School, Holiday Gift Subscription, Pattern Making, Special Offer

 

fashion illustration of pants

UoF’s upcoming pant-drafting lessons  (Illustration credit: Steven Broadway)

You asked and we’re delivering. For the past two years we have been collecting your requests for certain new lessons. We’ve heard from teachers, students, schools, libraries, associations and individual subscribers. We compiled a list of the most requested lessons and set out to film them, specifically, drafting pants, jumpsuits, cut & sew knits, coats and cape, 3D design and of course, draping. We’ve been hard at work – planning, scripting, filming and are in the process of editing over 50 new lessons to be added to our existing library of over 500 fashion educational videos.

We’d like to give you a sneak of what you can expect in 2023, but before we do…remember…you only have 3 more days to take advantage of our once-yearly discount offer of $40 off a yearly subscription (was $189/now $149 – using promo code WIN1 ) and/or $5 off the first month of a monthly subscription (was $19.95/now $14.95 – using  promo code WIN2). Sign yourself up (you’re worth it!) OR how about a unique gift for that special fashionista in your life?

To get in on the the discount click this link to get started: https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/ Remember this offer expires 1/1/23 and doesn’t happen again until next year. Really!

 

PANT & TROUSER LESSONS

Among the many requests we received from our fans were for more trouser and pants lessons, so we filmed: how to draft bell bottoms, palazzo pants (both gathered and flat waisted), a culotte, a pleated trouser and a jumpsuit.

 

UoF’s upcoming pant drafting series-Gathered Waist Palazzo Pant & Culotte (Illustration credit: Steven Broadway)

 

CUT & SEW KNIT LESSONS

Included in the new batch of lessons that we’ll be rolling out throughout 2023 are a series of cut & sew knit-drafting lessons, starting with learning how to draft a fitted T-shirt from measurements. This knit sloper will become the foundation for many of your future knit designs. We also added a lesson on how to turn the sloper into a unitard/catsuit.

Our subscribers have also asked us for a lesson on how to draft an easy T-shirt from measurements and so we filmed: Drafting a Relaxed Fit T-shirt (with 2 different necklines: a crew neck and a cross-over V-neck).

KNIT NECKLINE LESSONS

What started out as a request for a lesson on how to draft a hoodie, turned into an entire knit neckline series e’ve also created a series on how to draft a variety knit necklines, using the fitted T-shirt sloper as the foundation. We’ve created 17 neckline lessons all together. Here’s a sample:

(Three of 17 upcoming neckline-drafting lesson series: Off Shoulder Gathered Cuff  – Hoodie – Surplice Wrap)

 

COAT & CAPE LESSONS 

We’ve had many requests for lined coats, so we filmed: how to draft a wrap coat and a hooded cape.

(UoF’s upcoming wrap coat & cape lessons – Illustrations by Steven Broadway)

 

ADVANCED DRAPING LESSONS

Our subscribers absolutely love our draping lessons. And so, we’ve combined several new details, such as how to draft multi-tiered flounces, fit and flare princess-seamed dresses and how to create a handkerchief hem. We hope you enjoy these lessons. They can work for day or evening depending on the fabric you choose.

UoF’s Multi-tiered Flounce Dress (Illustrated by Steven Broadway & Handkerchief Hem Dress – (Illustrated by  Miguel Angel Reyes)

 

3D DESIGN SOFTWARE LESSONS: BROWZWEAR & CLO 3D

We’ll continue to add additional Browzwear 3D design lessons and will introduce a new CLO 3D series.

Stay tuned for these and other lessons throughout 2023. Hope you’re as excited as we are!

CELEBRATING KWANZAA: FASHIONABLY

- - Current Topics in Fashion, Fashion Events, Fashion History, Festival Season, Holiday Gift Subscription, Special Offer

 

A lit kinara – celebrating each day of the 7 guiding principles during Kwanzaa Dec 26-January 1

 

KWANZAA –  is a weeklong celebration held in the United States that honors African heritage in African-American culture and is observed from December 26th to January 1st, culminating in gift giving and a big feast. We’d like to take this opportunity not only to celebrate it and discuss its history and its cultural significance, but also what to wear while celebrating the week long event. We’d also like to remind everyone that our once-yearly subscription discount expires on 1/1/23 and is a subscription to UoF is  great gift for yourself or for that fashionista in your life.

Get $40 off a yearly, was $189/now $149. Use discount code WIN1. Click on this link to sign-up https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/

Kwanzaa History 

The holiday is relatively new, compared to other holidays celebrated in the U.S. Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Africana Studies at California State University, first created Kwanzaa in 1966. He created this holiday in response to the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1965 as a way to bring African-Americans together as a community.

The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means first fruits, or harvest in Swahili. Celebrations often include singing and dancing, storytelling, poetry reading, African drumming, and of course, feasting.

The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa

Dr. Karenga created seven guiding principles to be discussed during the week of Kwanzaa. The seven principles represent seven values of African culture that help build and reinforce community among African-Americans. Each day a different principle is discussed, and each day a candle is lit on the kinara (candleholder). On the first night, the center black candle is lit, and the principle of umoja, or unity is discussed. On the final day of Kwanzaa, families enjoy an African feast, called karamu.

image od 7 Kwanzaa Principles

7 Kwanzaa Guiding Principles

 

What to Wear to Karamu

image of Tongoro's Spring 2022 Collection.

Looks from Tongoro’s Spring 2022 Collection. (Photo Credit: Tongoro)

 

Looks from Ahluwalia’s Spring 2022 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue Runway)

 

image of Naomi Campbell at Kenneth Ike's fashion show 2019

Naomi Campbell walks Kenneth Ize’s fashion show at Arise Fashion Week in 2019. (Photo Credit: Kenneth Ize)

 

 

Have you Watched our African Textiles Series? 

In early 2022 we announced our new 5-part lecture series on West African textiles created by Mina Dia-Stevens. We are thrilled to announce the launch of part three,West African Textiles: Senegal-Manjak Cloth. Stay tuned in 2023 for parts 4 and 5: WestAfricanTextiles-Ivory Coast and WestAfricanTextiles-Ghana.


UoF lesson preview- West African Textiles: Senegal-Manjak Cloth

 


UoF lesson preview – West African Textiles: Bogolanfini of Mali

 


UoF lesson preview –  West African Textiles: Faso Dani Cloth of Burkina Faso

For more information on Africa’s burgeoning fashion industry, view our blog post OUT OF AFRICA: AFRICAN DESIGNERS ARE FINALLY ON THE FASHION MAP.

KNIT MANIA: KNITTING HISTORY, TRENDS, INSPIRATION AND HOW-TO KNIT

- - Fashion History, Holiday Gift Subscription, Knits

Looks from Brandon Maxwell’s Resort 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

It’s the holiday season and what better way to stay warm and toasty than to knit your own sweater? Or better yet, give the unique gift of a ‘handmade’ knitted sweater or poncho scarf?

In the spirit of giving, UoF is offering their once-yearly subscription discount so that you can learn how to knit (plus 500+ other videos to learn from). A UoF yearly subscription was $189 is now $149, or take advantage of our $5 off the first month of our monthly subscription (was $19.95). But the offer expires on Jan 1, 2023, so get a move on!

Here’s how to sign up: https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/

If you are looking for inspiration, we’ve compiled some knit looks to whet your appetite, followed by links to our lessons that will teach you knitting techniques. Have a ball!

 

A look from Stella McCartney’s Resort 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

Knit History & Fun Facts

The craft of hand knitting has been practiced for thousands of years. Where and how this art was originated is still a mystery but many believe that Arabian nomads carried the craft into Europe. Still others think knitting originated in Persia, but regardless of where the craft began knitting is one of the original ‘textiles’.

Knitting is the practice of using two or more needles to pull and loop yarn into a series of interconnected loops. The word is derived from the Dutch verb ‘knutten’ or ‘knot’,  which is similar to the Old English ‘cnyttan’, “to knot”. Originally, knitting, like woven textiles, fulfilled the basic human need for protection against the elements, but as we all know, hand knitting has become less a necessary skill and more of a hobby.

The oldest knitted artifact are socks that date back to the 11th century Egypt. They are a very fine gauge, done with intricate color work and some have a short row heel, which requires the purl stitch.

1,700-Year-Old Sock –  Ancient Egyptian Fashion. (Photo Credit: British Museum)

The predecessor to knitting and crocheting was a process known as Nålebinding, a technique of making textiles by creating multiple loops with a single needle and thread, much like sewing. Some artifacts, for example 3rd-5th century CE Romano-Egyptian toe-socks, used the “Coptic stitch” of nalbinding.

During Medieval times, knitting was controlled by guilds. Knitted garments were worn only by the wealthy class. But by the 16th century knitting had advanced into a craft. During the Elizabethan era, knitting schools were established in Britain. Knitted stockings provided a revenue for the poor. These stockings were exported to Germany, Holland and Spain. During this time period men wore short trousers, so fitted stockings were a fashion necessity. A knitting technique, known as Dales knitting, began at the end of the 16th century. Items from this cottage knitting industry are preserved in the Museum of Hawes in Wensleydale.

Knitting is also significant in Scottish history. During the 17th and 18th centuries entire families were involved in knitting garments, especially sweaters, which were important to the fisherman of the Scottish Isles. Fair isle and cable patterns were used to knit sweaters. In addition, during the French-Napoleonic wars, woman gathered together to knit socks and mittens for the soldiers. This practice continued through both World War I and World War II.

Fair Isle knitting, named after one of the Shetland Islands north of Britain, is an intricate pattern believed to be knitted around 1850, yet some historians believe that fair isle knitting was inspired in 1588 when a Spanish ship was destroyed off Fair Isle and the crew encouraged native knitters to create new knitting patterns. The Prince of Wales wore a fair isle sweater in 1921.

The famous image of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, wearing a Fair Isle sweater in 1921. (Photo Credit: Fraserknitwear)

Machine Knitting

The invention of the knitting machine, during the Industrial Revolution, over took the craft of hand knitting, as hand knitting was unable to compete with the speed of these knitting machines. As a result, knitting as an art and craft fell to the wayside and was mainly kept alive as a hobby.

A look from Marni’s Resort 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

Today, however, there is a renaissance of hand knitting. Various techniques from around the world are being combined and specialty yarns have been created from various fibers. The results have been quite impressive. Knitting has become fashionable, even celebrities including Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, Dakota Fanning, and Cameron Diaz have been seen knitting, which has helped popularize the revival of the art of knitting.

So, why not cozy up with a cup of tea and watch our instructional videos on how to hand knit and crochet. Each lesson lists the yarn amounts and the tools you’ll need. Oh, by the way, Marcie, our instructor is a knit/crochet pro. Let these resort 2023 looks inspire your next creation.

BOLD STRIPES

A look from Christopher John Rogers’ Resort 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

CRAFTY CROCHET

A look from Moschino’s Resort 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

COLORBLOCK

A look from Gabriela Hearst’s Resort 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

NAUTICAL STRIPES

A look from Sacai’s Resort 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

MARBLED KNITS

A look from Louis Vuitton’s Resort 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

EMBELLISHED SWEATERS

A look from Max Mara’s Resort 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

Check out these UoF lesson previews to inspire you!

KNITTING A PONCHO SCARF

 

KNITTING A RAISED RIB STITCH

KNITTING A SWEATER

KNITTING A TRELLIS LACE STITCH

So tell us, what would you like to hand-knit this holiday season?

 

 

IT’S HERE! OUR ONCE-YEARLY LIMITED TIME DISCOUNT OFFER

- - Current Topics in Fashion, Field Trip, Holiday Gift Subscription, Special Offer, Uncategorized
UoF Holiday Sale

UoF’s once-yearly Holiday Sale is here in time for celebrating Bergdorf Goodman’s 2022 holiday dressmaking window (Photo credit: Carol Bernheim)

Bergdorf Goodman’s holiday 2022 store window theme is a Celebration of Crafts! And, we love it!

What better way to kick off UoF’s once-yearly limited time subscription offer than to get an assist from Bergdorf Goodman? If you happen to find yourself in NYC, then you must visit the windows of Bergdorf Goodman whose theme this year is in celebration of crafts: scrapbooking, paper sculpture, metal craft, paper mache, dressmaking, wood craft and mosaic-making.

We especially love the window that is dedicated to art & craft of dressmaking. This window is filled with tape measures, buttons, irons, pincushions, mannequins and blinged-out sewing machines and scissors. It reinforces what we already know…that fashion is still made with ‘hands’.

Bergdorf’s holiday windows premiered on Nov 17th at 6pm. They are the most anticipated windows of the 5th avenue retailers. Hollywood and Broadway set designers, together with Bergdorf’s own visual merchandisers, plan the windows a full year in advance. For those of you who love the art of visual merchandising, check out this behind the scenes video of how these windows were assembled.

And, to explore how you can become a visual merchandiser yourself – subscribe to UoF and learn from our expert instructor Marcie Cooperman in her 9-part visual merchandising series.

Bergdorf Goodman 2022 Holiday windows behind the scenes video (Video credit: You Tube )

 

All of the Bergdorf Goodman 2022 Holiday Windows (Video credit: You Tube The Megan Daily)

According to the National Retail Federation – online shoppers outnumbered in-store shoppers 88 million to 67 million on Black Friday 2021 and that number is expected rise exponentially for 2022.

So, why not give the gift of fashion education to both yourself and that fashionista in your life? Full access, 24/7 to more than 500 videos in fashion design and business. Learn from fashion college professors and industry pros in 13 different disciplines.

Our video subscription discount happens ONLY ONCE A YEAR so get going!

Offers expire 1/1/23

$40 off our yearly subscription (was $189 now $149)

https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/

Promo Code: WIN1

$5 off the first month of our Monthly subscription (was $19.95 now $14.95)

https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/

 Promo Code: WIN2

And remember, you can now earn a certificate for each lesson that you complete at UoF – FREE!

 

Move now, these offers expire 1/1/23

LOOKING BACK & AHEAD AT UNIVERSITY OF FASHION

- - Holiday Gift Subscription

As 2021 draws to a close and with only 5 days left to take advantage of our once-yearly subscription promo offer, I thought I’d take a moment to thank all of our wonderfully talented UoF instructors and staff, as well as our schools, groups and individual subscribers. We love sharing our collective passion for fashion!

I’d also like to reflect on UoF’s 2021 accomplishments and give a sneak peek at what we have planned for 2022.

When the global pandemic extended into 2021, UoF experienced a record number of new schools subscribing and accessing our content library. We were honored to be able to help so many students and teachers as they navigated the world of remote teaching and learning. As it’s likely that Omicron will be with us into 2022, schools that aren’t currently subscribed may want to check out our Group Subscription rates and how to apply for a free trial. With UoF entering its 14th year in the fashion education business, I think we know a thing or two about online learning, don’t you? Just read our testimonials.

NEW LESSONS ADDED IN 2021

The Delta variant didn’t slow us down in 2021. In fact, we added more than 30 new lessons, like Draping a Cascade Ruffle Dress, Draping a Cascade Ruffle Sleeve, Leather Sewing Techniques, Creating Custom Brushes in Adobe Illustrator and our Procreate series starting with Introduction to Procreate for Fashion Design, just to name a few.

We also added lessons in three new learning categories: Swimwear, Textile Design and Visual Merchandising. As always, these new lessons are all taught by industry pros and college profs.

Our swimwear maven, Jessica Krupa, is a New York City-based design entrepreneur and professor of design focusing on swimwear and intimate apparel. She has over 15 years of experience creating swimwear and intimate apparel collections for Fortune 500 Enterprises, such as Victoria’s Secret and Li & Fung, and has been awarded a bra design patent for innovation during her tenure at VS. Jessica currently runs her own luxury swimwear company called Krupa Couture Swim and most recently founded an intimate apparel company called Panty Promise, focused on women’s feminine hygiene in panties, in which she received the “Favorite Brand Award” through Eurovet’s Curve Tradeshow Competition in November 2020. Jessica’s lessons encompass design and product development with many more to be launched in 2022.

Our textile design lessons are taught by Lindsay Boehl, a New York-based textile designer who began her career as a CAD artist at a textile converter, designing men’s shirting stripes, plaids, prints and patterns for major brands such as Ralph Lauren, American Eagle and Wrangler. She is currently Manager of Customer Advocacy at Aquario Design, a leading provider of fashion, textile, CAD design and printed products solutions for Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Stay tuned…more lessons from Lindsay will follow in early 2022.

Our 9-part visual merchandising series is taught by Marcie Cooperman. a highly regarded professor at Parsons in the Department of Fashion, where she has taught classes such as Visual Merchandising, Fashion, Fashion Marketing Management, Color Theory, Branding, Social Commerce, and Entrepreneurship. Her textbook Color: How to Use It for Pearson: Higher Education is an essential color resource for all design professionals.  It has been successfully classroom-tested through years of Marcie’s Color Theory classes at Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design. Watch for more of Marcie’s lessons to launch in 2022.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2022

We’ve got big plans for 2022. We will be adding additional visual merchandising lessons, swimwear design and technical design lessons and textile design lessons. We will also be adding an Intimate Apparel series, additional advanced draping lessons, product development lessons, an entire series on drafting cut and sew knits and lessons in 3D design.

As we move back into the studio to film these new lessons, please know that we are always open to your suggestions. And, remember that if you need help or have questions about any of our existing lessons, we are here for you.

Wishing you all a very happy and fashionable 2022

Francesca Sterlacci
Founder/CEO
University of Fashion

THE CLOCK IS TICKING,
DON’T MISS OUT,
OUR ONCE-A-YEAR HOLIDAY PROMO ENDS SOON !

- - Holiday Gift Subscription

(Graphic courtesy Mark Higden: @mark_higden – www.markhigden.com)

Having trouble finding the right gift for that fashionista in your life? Well, search no more, we’ve got you covered. More than 500 lessons to learn from in 13 different disciplines like drawing, sewing, draping, patternmaking, menswear, childrenswear, knits, product development, accessories, CAD art & CAD patternmaking, fashion business and fashion lectures in color theory, trend forecasting, fashion history, influencer marketing, visual merchandising, sustainable design and much more!

And now, with a new coronavirus variant forcing teachers and students back into remote-learning, it’s the perfect time to subscribe to our fashion education video library. All of our teachers are either fashion industry pros or fashion college professors. Learn from the BEST!

We offer our video subscription discount ONLY ONCE A YEAR so get going!

Offers expire 1/1/22

$40 off our Yearly subscription (was $189 now $149)

https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/

Promo Code: Deal21

$5 off the first month of our Monthly subscription (was $19.95 now $14.95)

https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/

 Promo Code: Promo21

Don’t be a Scrooge – get that special someone (it could even be yourself) the gift of fashion education!

CAN’T FIND THE RIGHT GIFT FOR THAT FASHIONISTA IN YOUR LIFE?

- - Holiday Gift Subscription

The University of Fashion is the largest online fashion education resource for over 13 years and used by high schools, colleges, fashion groups and associations and fashionpreneurs! Don’t just take our word for it…read our testimonials https://www.universityoffashion.com/about/testimonials/

Search no more, we’ve got you covered – no supply chain delays here!

Give a unique gift this season… the gift of fashion education:

  • Learn from more than 500 lessons in 13 different disciplines like drawing, sewing, draping, patternmaking, menswear, childrenswear, knits, product development, accessories, CAD art & CAD patternmaking, fashion business and fashion lectures in color theory, trend forecasting, fashion history, influencer marketing, visual merchandising, sustainable design, fashion careers, fashion entrepreneurship, portfolio development and much more!
  • Our lessons are all taught by fashion college professors and fashion industry pros.

We only offer our video subscription discounts ONCE A YEAR so get going!

Offers expire 1/1/22

$40 off our Yearly subscription (was $189 now $149)

https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/

Promo Code: Deal21

$5 off the first month of our Monthly subscription (was $19.95 now $14.95)
https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/

 Promo Code: Promo21

Online fashion design and business video tutorials from beginner to advanced

Designer drapes fabric on dress formDraping

Rendering Camouflage
Fashion Art

Image showing sample of lesson Pivot Front Shoulder Dart to Side SeamPattern Making

Image showing sample of lesson Sewing Leather Jacket
Sewing

Woman's Hands Measuring A Men's Jacket Shoulder
Menswear

Female tailor working at desk
Fashion Business

Image showing sample of lesson Knitting A Poncho Scarf
Knit

Image showing sample of lesson Introduction To Adobe Illustrator
CAD Fashion Art

Tech Pack Leather Jacket
Fashion Product Development

Picture of Valerie Steele
Fashion Lectures

4 happy children
Childrenswear

Image showing sample of lesson Introduction to Photoshop for Accessory Design
Accessories

Image showing sample of lesson Introduction To TUKAcad
Pattern Making

GET IN ON OUR ON OUR ONCE YEARLY OFFER. IT EXPIRES 1/2/22

Introducing our ITAA Sustainability Design Winner Lynda Xepoleas

- - Contest, Holiday Gift Subscription

Lynda Xepoleas of Cornell University – winner of the UoF/Alvanon/Motif Sustainability Award

The University of Fashion, in partnership with the Alvanon dress forms and MOTIF, were proud sponsors of this year’s Sustainability Award presented at the annual International Textiles & Apparel Association (ITAA) conference Nov 16th – 18th.  If you are unfamiliar with the ITAA, they are a professional, educational association composed of scholars, educators, and students in the textile, apparel, and merchandising disciplines in higher education. The association dates back to 1935, when the United States Office of Education cooperated with institutions of higher learning in studying the curricula. As a result of these curricula studies, conferences of textile and clothing professors have been held annually in the U.S. since 1944.

The recipient of this year’s Sustainability Award is Lynda Xepoleas, a Ph D candidate in the Fiber Science and Apparel Design Department at Cornell University, for her sustainable dress design entitled “Collision”. The Sustainability Design Award is a $3279 value and includes: 1) a one-year subscription to the complete catalog of Alvanon’s virtual AlvaForms via the Alvanon Body Platform, https://abp.alvanon.com/ ($2500 value).  2.) an all-access pass to the entire library of professional apparel courses on MOTIF https://motif.com ($590 value), and 3.) a one-year full access subscription to over 500 fashion design and business education videos via University of Fashion, https://www.universityoffashion.com ($189 value).

Lynda Xepoleas “Collision” sustainable dress design front view. (Photo credit: Lynda Xepoleas)

Lynda Xepoleas “Collision” sustainable dress design detail. (Photo credit: Lynda Xepoleas)

Lynda Xepoleas “Collision” sustainable dress design back view (Photo credit: Lynda Xepoleas)

Lynda’s “Collision” dress design was borne out of an opportunity where she witnessed the ecological footprint of the fashion industry firsthand while visiting several manufacturing facilities in different regions of India. Lynda was surprised by the amount of textile waste created during the cutting process. This experience not only led her to undertake upcycled design scholarship using cut-offs (production scraps), but also to think about how sustainable practices could be incorporated within the cutting and manufacturing of mass-produced apparel.

Currently, sustainable fashion is quite exclusive and unattainable for most individuals who can’t afford to spend $100 on a t-shirt. Therefore, Lynda hopes to work with several manufacturing facilities in India to identify ways whereby they can work with local vendors to transform production scraps into products for the domestic market. For Lynda, this really embodies the nonlinear nature of the upcycle design process, which she feels often requires us to reshape and rethink how we approach apparel design. This is also something that is reflected in her Collision dress design, which she attempted to capture visually, by positioning each cut-off at a different angle to create the illusion of intersecting diagonal and vertical lines.

Like many of us who chose fashion as a career, Lynda has had quite a unique and interesting past. In her own words:

“Initially, fashion served as another creative outlet that allowed me to express myself in ways that differed from my association as a high-performance athlete and competitive tennis player. From the ages of 10-18 I trained 6 hours a day and attended school online. My decision to attend school online was based on the fact that I started to play tennis quite late. Most competitive tennis players start at the age of 4 or 5. I started around the age of 8, so I had a lot of catching up to do. In the end this paid off, I was one of the top ranked tennis players in the United States for my age and was sponsored by Wilson for a couple of years. The transition from high school to college was actually quite easy for me since I was already in charge of staying on top of all my coursework and assignments. A typical day for me would consist of two, three-hour training sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon with a one-hour lunch break in between. Afterwards, I would do about three hours worth of schoolwork every night. I didn’t have the chance to attend a school dance or anything like that, but I was able to travel the country and meet people from all over the world. I have trained with coaches and hitting partners from countries like Egypt, Uganda, France, England, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, Thailand, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Bolivia. 

“In my spare time, I would often make my own clothing to wear on and off the court. When faced with the decision to play on the professional tour or attend college, I decided to pursue a career in the field of fashion. I attended Purdue University on a full athletic scholarship and earned my B.S. in Apparel Design. Even though I enjoyed designing apparel, I was also interested in exploring the two-dimensional representation of fashion in art and photography. I decided to pursue a M.A. in Art History at Arizona State University. This experience allowed me to investigate the representation of fashion in 1930s fashion photography for my M.A. thesis.”  

“As a Ph.D. student in the Fiber Science and Apparel Design Department at Cornell, I have begun to bring together my interests in apparel design and art history. My dissertation examines the ways in which several museum collections in New York City informed the design of early twentieth-century American fashion and simultaneously contributed to the normalization of cultural appropriation in the American fashion industry.”

Lynda Xepoleas “Collision” sustainable dress design side view (Photo credit: Lynda Xepoleas)

As part of her Collision project, Lynda utilized Optitex fashion design software and found it to be quite user-friendly compared to other systems that she had used before. In the future, Lynda also plans to use CLO3D to identify additional methods for upcycling production scraps, since much of her design scholarship seeks to use technology as a means of identifying sustainable solutions for the design and manufacture of apparel.

Upon receiving her Ph.D. in Apparel Design, Lynda hopes to become an Assistant Professor in the field of fashion studies or apparel design. While conducting research for her dissertation, she discovered that the very practices and systems which have informed the development of fashion education in the United States, continue to perpetuate Western ideals related to beauty, race, sexuality, gender, and indigeneity. Her objective therefore is to create more inclusive teaching practices in hopes of destabilizing the exclusive foundation of fashion education.

On behalf of Alvanon, Motif and University of Fashion, we wish Lynda all the best for a successful and productive career in fashion!

 

AT LAST! OUR ONCE-A-YEAR HOLIDAY PROMO IS HERE!

Having trouble finding the right gift for that fashionista in your life? Well, search no more, we’ve got you covered. More than 500 lessons to learn from in 13 different disciplines like drawing, sewing, draping, patternmaking, menswear, childrenswear, knits, product development, accessories, CAD art & CAD patternmaking, fashion business and fashion lectures in color theory, trend forecasting fashion history, influencer marketing, sustainable design and much, much more!

We only offer our book & video subscription discounts ONCE A YEAR so get going!

Offers expire 12/31/20

$40 off our Yearly subscription (was 189 now $149)

https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/ Promo Code: Learn1

$5 off the first month of our Monthly subscription (was $19.95 now $14.95) https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/ Promo Code: Learn2

35% off any of our books: Beginner Techniques: Draping or Pattern Making or Sewing

https://www.universityoffashion.com/3-book-series-ad-lkp-discount/ Promo code: Uof35

(Graphic courtesy Mark Higden: @mark_higden – www.markhigden.com)

INTRODUCING OUR NEW INSTRUCTOR: NOOR BCHARA Upcycle Design School

- - Designer FashionSpeak, Holiday Gift Subscription

Noor Bchara – Founder Upcycle Design School – upcycledesignschool.com (Photo credit: Michael Cooper @mcoopercreative)

For years, the fashion industry insisted that upcycling would never be able to scale to the level of volume & profitability. And then along came climate change, irresponsible landfill overages, a global pandemic and sustainable-focused brands like Eileen Fisher, Reformation, Patagonia and Mara Hoffman. Brands like Alexander McQueen and Eckhaus Latta had experimented with upcycling for years, while other ethics-focused companies began using deadstock fabrics. By the end of 2019, sustainable design began trickling down to even more brands like Prabal Gurung, Tanya Taylor, Jonathan Cohen, Gabriela Hearst, Marine Serre, Coach, Collina Strada, PH5, Stella McCartney, Miu Miu, John Galliano for Maison Margiela and Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga.

But the real challenge our industry faces is how to educate aspiring designers on the importance of designing sustainably. And that is where Noor comes in.

Noor Bchara is a New York based fashion designer, sustainability consultant & educator. She is the founder of Upcycle Design School where she offers on-demand video classes specializing in the scalability of upcycling and repurposing. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and Polimoda in Florence, Italy.

Noor got her start in fashion by interning at Marc Jacobs and has since designed for Zac Posen, Tahari, Ellen Tracy and Kate Spade. In 2015, she founded NOORISM, after being disheartened by the volume of poorly-made, practically disposable clothes produced every year by the fashion industry.

NOORISM is a Brooklyn based women’s wear brand that produces clothing and accessories using repurposed jeans, all made in New York. Her mission is to inspire and educate people on upcycling and repurposed design and how to do it on a bigger scale.

Noorism by Noor Bchara (Photo credit: Michael Cooper @mcoopercreative)

Noor is a former Venture Fellow at the Brooklyn Fashion Design Accelerator, a Pratt initiative, as well as an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is also an Alumni of the Arts Envoy Program where she travels through the U.S. Embassy and teaches about upcycling in other countries. She is a frequent guest lecturer at fashion industry events, as well as at major art and fashion colleges around the world.

We are proud and honored to announce that Noor has generously offered to share her knowledge about sustainable fashion design and upcycling with University of Fashion. As a UoF subscriber, you will have full access to these three lessons:

Introduction to Sustainable Fashion Design

Sustainable Materials for Fashion Design

Designing, Producing & Marketing a Sustainable Collection

Fun fact: Noor was a student in the late 1990s of our founder Francesca Sterlacci, while at the Fashion Institute of Technology.  We are all very proud of Noor and her accomplishments, especially as a pioneer of fashion sustainability.

You may contact Noor at info@upcycledesignschool.com

On Instagram: @upcycledesignschool

 

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We only offer our book & video subscription promo discounts ONCE A YEAR!!!

Offers expire 12/31/20

 

$40 off our Yearly subscription (was 189 now $149)

https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/ Promo Code: Learn1

 

$5 off the first month of our Monthly subscription (was $19.95 now $14.95) https://www.universityoffashion.com/holiday-offer/ Promo Code: Learn2

 

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