Category "Instructor Spotlight"

Celebrating World Teacher’s Day – October 5th

Francesca Sterlacci - October 3, 2026 - Current Topics in Fashion, Fashion Art, Fashion Business, Fashion Design education, Fashion Education, Fashion Events, First & Largest Online Fashion Education Library, Instructor Spotlight, Pattern Making, Retail Marketing, Retail Math, retail merchandising, Sewing, The Making: University Of Fashion, Visual Merchandising

Did you know that October 5 is World Teachers’ Day?

Today, we celebrate the remarkable educators who have chosen one of the world’s most meaningful professions—especially the exceptional instructors of University of Fashion.

Becoming a fashion educator, in any specialty, requires far more than formal education. It takes years—often decades—of hands-on industry experience, continued learning, creative problem-solving, and a genuine commitment to sharing knowledge. Our roster of fashion professionals reflects that dedication, bringing real-world expertise, hard-won insights, and invaluable tips and tricks directly to our students.

From sewing beautifully tailored handmade buttonholes and draping on the bias to illustrating camouflage prints, mastering color theory, and exploring retail through visual merchandising, University of Fashion instructors teach the skills that bring fashion ideas to life. They are true sharers: generous with their knowledge, passionate about their fields, and committed to helping the next generation succeed.

Many of our instructors teach at leading fashion colleges around the world. Others have spent more than a decade in the industry—some more than 40 years—and many balance both professional practice and academic teaching.

On World Teachers’ Day, we extend our deepest gratitude to all 72 University of Fashion instructors. Thank you for your lasting contributions to the fashion industry and for inspiring our global community of subscribers over the past 18 years.

As the first and largest online fashion education library, University of Fashion is proud to celebrate the teachers who make learning possible.

Introducing our Team

UoF Launches Adaptive Fashion Series

Francesca Sterlacci - May 30, 2026 - Current Topics in Fashion, Fashion Business, Fashion Education, Fashion History, Fashion Innovation, Instructor Spotlight, Marketing, New University of Fashion Lessons

Poster frames of UoF 5 lesson Adaptive fashion series University of Fashion launches their 5-part Adaptive Fashion Series taught by Tracy Vollbrecht of Vollbrecht Adaptive Consulting (Photo courtesy: University of Fashion)

Did you know that there are more clothing options available for dogs than there are for people with disabilities? It took a long time coming, but the fashion industry is finally addressing the needs of the disability community, which is known today as Adaptive Fashion.

Thanks to our expert Tracy Vollbrecht, the University of Fashion is launching its 5-part Adaptive Fashion series to help educate the industry in the Adaptive Fashion marketplace. Our new series covers: the history adaptive fashion, how to design & develop adaptive fashion and how to merchandise and market product for the adaptive fashion consumer.

Tracy Vollbrecht of Vollbrecht Adaptive Consulting and University of Fashion instructor (Image courtesy: Vollbrecht Adaptive Consulting)

Our series begins with the terminology used when referring to various types of disabilities. Ms. Vollbrecht also offers a downloadable Terms and Definitions document to help understand appropriate language and terms used is this specialized market segment.

Molly Farrell, a white woman with brown hair, is shown in this photo wearing ULEX, one of the brands Tracy designed and helped launch. Molly is wearing a royal blue wrap cardigan and gray pants, while seated on bleachers. She is smiling brightly and her pink forearm crutches are visible in the photo.

Adaptive fashion designed by Tracy Vollbrecht for Yarrow featured on the Canadian TV show Fashion Dis (Image courtesy: Tracy Vollbrecht)

Ms. Vollbrecht’s history of the adaptive market covers such innovators as Helen Cookman, who in 1955, began researching the market potential of adaptable clothing at New York University’s Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation after being recommended for the role by New York Times style editor Virginia Pope. Cookman would spend the next four years developing a collection called Functional Fashions, which was a collection of 17 items designed to help disabled people dress independently. However, Ms. Vollbrecht explains that upon the passing of Helen Cookman and Virginia Pope the functional fashion movement began to fade and was replaced with clothing intended to make dressing easier for the elderly. It wouldn’t be until 2004-2007 that The Adaptive Fashion Showroom and the company Wheeliechix-Chic, founded by Louisa Summerfield, came into being and would take adaptive fashion to the next level.

Monica Engle Thomas, a white woman with curly auburn hair, is shown in this photo wearing a white Yarrow sleeveless button down that Tracy designed. Monica sits in her black and white manual wheelchair. She also wears sunglasses and jeans, while holding the leash to her small dog.

Monica Engle Thomas wearing a white Yarrow sleeveless button down designed by Tracy Vollbrecht (Image courtesy: Yarrow)

Tracy Vollbrecht Interview

UoF founder Francesc Sterlacci sat down with Tracy Vollbrecht to learn why she became interested in designing for the adaptive market and her thoughts on where the market is headed.

Francesca: Were you formally trained as a fashion designer and if so, where? What motivated you to pursue a career in adaptive fashion?

Tracy: I am! I graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design. At Kent, I had the opportunity to conduct research on adaptive fashion, which was still in its second-wave infancy. I say second-wave as there was a first wave of adaptive fashion in the 60s (check out the history of adaptive fashion lesson to learn more!). Within the research I conducted, I spoke to over 75 people with varying disabilities to learn about their challenges with clothing. My research culminated in a universally designed collection shown at Kent’s annual fashion show, a published research paper, and presenting my research at various conferences, including the International Textile and Apparel Association’s annual conference. The work I did at Kent showed me that clothing challenges weren’t just an issue my dad, who had MS, had experienced, but an issue that so many people face. This motivates me every day to continue the work I do – clothing should allow everyone to express themselves and feel good, not just some of us.

Francesca: How in demand are designers with adaptive fashion expertise? How did you connect with the companies that you have designed for in this space?

Tracy: Unfortunately, adaptive fashion is still very much a niche portion of the fashion industry, which is what myself and others are working to change. There isn’t a high demand for adaptive fashion designers yet. I’m hopeful that the niche will grow and there will be more demand for designers, merchandisers, buyers, marketers, etc with adaptive fashion experience. The companies I’ve worked with have either sought me out, were referred to me, or that I connected with them through network connections.

Francesca: Can you name the companies that you have designed for and/or who you are currently working for? Are their dedicated online and brick & mortar stores exclusively selling adaptive fashion?

Tracy: My first adaptive fashion role was with Juniper Unlimited where I designed and helped launch their brands’ Yarrow and ULEX. In my consulting work with Vollbrecht Adaptive Consulting, I’ve developed training resources for Target, taught lectures at IFA Paris, conducted research for Open Style Lab, and more. I can’t share who I’m working with at the moment, but I am definitely excited for what’s to come! At this stage, adaptive fashion is almost exclusively online. As we talk about in our merchandising lesson, online shopping has both pros and cons for the Disabled consumer. It’ll be great to see brands start to carry adaptive products in store, where the shopper can find them organically.

Francesca: What are the biggest challenges in designing for people with physical challenges?

Tracy: The biggest challenges for creating adaptive fashion are the variety in needs and the fashion cycle. Within the disability community and even within the same disability (physical or not), there is so much variety in clothing needs, body shape, and challenges. No two disabilities are the same, which is why it’s so important for brands to work with people with disabilities. However, the time and effort needed to properly develop clothing that actually works for all is at odds with the fast-fashion, trend driven nature of the fashion industry currently.

Molly Farrell wearing a top designed by Tracy Vollbrecht from ULEX- one of the brands she helped launch (Photo courtesy: ULEX)

Francesca: Do you see the adaptive market growing since companies like Tommy Hilfiger and other big brands have become more inclusive?

Tracy: Definitely! There is so much potential for brands to tap into the unmet needs of consumers with disabilities. Just because a few brands have gotten into the space doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more brands, all brands really, to get into the market. There will be “enough” adaptive fashion when consumers with disabilities have the same amount of choice in brand, price, and style as consumers without disabilities.

Francesca: What advice do you have for our students who may be interested in designing adaptive fashion?

Tracy: My advice to any student is that adaptive fashion is more than just adaptive design. Every role within the fashion industry (merchandising, product development, buying, marketing, etc.) is needed to make sure adaptive fashion gets into the hands of the consumer. If you have an interest in adaptive fashion, pursue it! Follow Disabled creators on social media; stay up to date on what brands are doing; volunteer for fashion shows. For designers specifically, adaptive fashion is still fashion. Getting experience working for fashion brands is essential. Since the adaptive market is still growing and there aren’t many adaptive design roles, take advantage of learning the process of design and development for non-adaptive fashion as that process still applies to adaptive fashion.

To learn more about Tracy Vollbrecht:

Cell: 732-632-7071

Website: www.vollbrechtadaptiveconsulting.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-vollbrecht/

Company LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/vollbrecht-adaptive-consulting

Learn More About the Adaptive Market

Read the book: All About Adaptive by Michele Chung

Learn how a new store in Pasadena, California caters to Adaptive Fashion consumers: Sewn Adaptive

So, tell us, how will you be pursuing a career in the Adaptive Fashion market?

Where Art Still Has a Pulse: University of Fashion Celebrates Hand Drawn Fashion

Francesca Sterlacci - March 28, 2026 - 3D Design, 3D Fashion Design, AI Fashion, CAD, Current Topics in Fashion, Fashion Art, Fashion Illustration, Illustration, Instructor Spotlight

Fashion illustrator Roberto Calasanz _— from one of his gouache mood illustration lessons. (Image credit: University of Fashion)

This post celebrates our brilliant fashion illustration instructors—artists whose line work is guided not by algorithms but by instinct, observation, and soul. These luminaries have spent decades mastering the eloquence of the hand. They are, in many ways, the unsung pioneers of the very machine-learning artistry now trending online.

Preserving the Hand — The University of Fashion Legacy in an AI Age

Since its founding in 2008, the University of Fashion has held steadfast to one clear mission: to preserve the art and craft of fashion design. Our tagline, “Master Design One Step at a Time,” has remained delightfully unchanged, a rarity in an age that worships constant reinvention.

The Living Line — Where Human Hands Outdraw the Machine

Fashion illustrator Steven Broadway — from one of his many lessons on illustrating contemporary female fashion figures. (Image credit: University of Fashion)

Why Live Model Sketching Still Belongs to Humans

Of course, evolution is part of any creative discipline, and we’ve embraced it with style. Over the years, digital pattern making, computer-generated illustration, 3D visualization, and even AI-assisted design have joined our curriculum. Yet, at our core, we remain guardians of the tactile traditions — the rhythmic scratch of pencil on paper, the well-placed notch in a pattern, the sweep of a brush translating fabric into fantasy.

Drawing from a live model — one of Richard Rosenfeld’s fashion illustration lessons. (Image credit: University of Fashion)

Each sketch our instructors produce hums with the irreplaceable pulse of human creativity. Something no bot, however sophisticated its neural net, can quite counterfeit, especially when it pertains to drawing from a live model!

Hand to Paper — The Original Design Technology

Roberto Calasanz’s lesson on how to render camouflage (Image credit: University of Fashion)

And the public agrees. Every time we share one of our drawing demonstration clips on our Instagram, Threads and Facebook page, engagement soars, reaffirming that people still crave the poetry of human touch. That’s why, regardless of what ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Perplexity, or the next digital wunderkind may predict, the University of Fashion will always champion the exquisite imperfection of the hand-drawn line. Because in fashion, as in life, a little humanity never goes out of style.

The Enduring Hand in a Digital AgeExcerpts from our AI for Fashion Design & Rendering Crocodile lessons. (Image credit: University of Fashion)

Bridging Tradition & Technology — Where Pencil Meets Pixel

In the end, the University of Fashion stands as both a sanctuary and a bridge — honoring the lineage of the hand-drawn line while preparing artists for the digital frontiers ahead. Our commitment is not to resist change, but to ensure that progress does not erase provenance. The pencil and the pixel can coexist, but only one can teach us why beauty moves us. In tracing each curve by hand, our instructors remind the next generation that artistry begins not in code, but in consciousness, a timeless dialogue between mind, hand, and heart

Teacher Spotlight: Mariah Graham

Francesca Sterlacci - December 13, 2025 - Fashion Art, Fashion Illustration, Instructor Spotlight

Self portrait Mariah Graham 2015 (Image credit: Mariah Graham)

Our subscribers often ask how we find the talented instructors featured in our University of Fashion video library. The answer is simple: we seek out the best from both academia and the fashion industry. Many of our instructors are seasoned college professors who currently teach—or have taught—at renowned schools such as Parsons, FIT, and other leading fashion institutions. Others come directly from the industry, bringing decades of real-world experience and professional insight to our lessons.

This post spotlights Mariah Graham, a gifted fashion illustrator whose creativity shines not only through her fashion work but also through her fine art practice.

Mariah Graham artwork 2016 (Image credit: Mariah Graham)

From the Cotton Field to the World of Fashion

Mariah Graham was born in Kingstree, South Carolina, one of seven children in a family of sharecroppers. From the age of four until eighteen, she and her family labored in the cotton fields under Jim Crow. In 1964, seeking new opportunities, they migrated north to 128th Street in New York City. The entire family shared a single studio apartment, and Mariah often did her homework in the bathroom, the only quiet corner she could find.

She attended Benjamin Franklin High School—now the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics—where she graduated as class salutatorian. As the only girl among six brothers, Mariah learned early the value of determination and resilience. Refusing to let gender bias or circumstance define her, she followed her passion for art to Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts. In 1968, she was one of only five African American students at the school.

Over the years, Mariah has built a multifaceted career that spans modeling, teaching, printmaking, graphic design, and illustration.

Mariah Graham artwork 2018 (Image credit: Mariah Graham)

For twelve years, Mariah lent her talent to The New York Times, illustrating for its fashion pages. Her creative versatility spans both digital and hand-drawn techniques, producing work for clients such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Grey Advertising, The Daily News, Ogilvy & Mather, and HBO, including editorial illustrations for The Josephine Baker Story. She has also created editorial pieces for Vogue and collaborated with leading cosmetic brands including Revlon, L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, and Elizabeth Arden. Her portfolio has reached an international audience, showcased to top creative directors and editors in Beijing and Singapore—where she was featured as an “Artist of Today.”Mariah Graham artwork 2018 (Image credit: Mariah Graham)

Mariah Graham artwork 2018 (Image credit: Mariah Graham)

View more and purchase Mariah’s artwork: http://www.mariahgraham.com/

At University of Fashion, Mariah shares her expertise on how to draw and ink several fashion poses including men, women, tweens and plus size.

Here’s a link to view her series of lessons:

Announcing Our Newest Lesson: AI Midjourney- The User Friendly AI Platform

Francesca Sterlacci - April 24, 2025 - 3D Design, 3D Fashion Design, AI Fashion, CAD, Current Topics in Fashion, Instructor Spotlight, New Lessons, New University of Fashion Lessons, Technology

image of new lesson AI: Midjourney-The User Friendly Platform

University of Fashion’s new lesson AI: Midjourney-The User Friendly AI Platform taught by Anna Leighton.

We are thrilled to announce our latest lesson, AI: Midjourney-The User Friendly AI Platform taught by our very own AI fashion design instructor, Anna Leighton. This is the third in our lesson series where you will learn how to use Midjourney to bring your fashion design ideas to life. Anna will guide you through setting up Midjourney on Discord and then demonstrate this amazing online platform. By the end of this lesson, you’ll know how to create stunning visuals, experiment with design variations and unlock the full creative potential of this incredible tool.

UoF instructor Anna Leighton, AI fashion designer and two-time winner at AI Fashion Week 2023. (Image credit: Annan Leighton).

A graduate of Otis College of Art and Design, Anna’s journey into the fashion industry has taken her around the globe, where she designed and produced a diverse range of clothing, accessories, textiles, and graphics. Her own brand, Annatarian, was recognized among the top ten brands at AI Fashion Week in 2023. Anna is a strong advocate of AI technology and its potential to drive environmental sustainability in the industry.

MIDJOURNEY and DISCORD

How to use Midjourney on Discord (Image credit: Midjourney)

To get you started, Anna will teach you how to create a Midjourney account through the Discord interface. Midjourney is an AI image generator that takes text prompts as input and produces images based on those descriptions through Discord. Discord is a social media platform that focuses on building and fostering online communities and who now has an online platform offering a wide range of artistic styles and tools for image manipulation and collaboration).

USING PROMPTS

An example of an AI generated Mood Board (Image credit: Anna Leighton)

Creating an image with Midjourney starts with a “prompt.” A prompt is simply the text or phrase you will use to tell Midjourney what kind of image you want. Midjourney offers a wide range of command prompts and parameters to refine and customize your creations. In this lesson, Anna will demonstrate how to input your prompts to generate images and then how to tweak them. You will be able to create your own designs and mood boards by communicating with Midjourney and with AI in general. Using this tool will help you to create awesome images and in the end will save you lots of time, once you become proficient using Midjourney.

UNIVERSITY OF FASHION’S 3-PART GENERATIVE AI LESSON SERIES

UoF’s AI Fashion Design lesson series (Image credit: University of Fashion)

Click on the links to view a preview for each of our AI lessons: Introduction to AI Fashion Design, AI: Getting Stated with Prompts, and our newest lesson AI: Midjourney- The User-Friendly AI Platform, which will give you a solid starting point to understand how Midjourney works. With a little bit of practice and experimentation, you’re going to unlock AI’s full potential to bring your fashion design ideas to life!

So, tell us, have you started experimenting with AI for fashion?

Trend Forecasting 2025- Innovators vs Data Crunchers

Francesca Sterlacci - January 12, 2025 - Current Topics in Fashion, Fashion Business, Fashion Education, Fashion History, Fashion Innovation, Instructor Spotlight, Technology, Trends

If you’ve been following fashion trends as long as I have, you’ve probably seen it all. As co-author of the Historical Dictionary of Fashion (First & Second Edition), I have documented trends such as the miniskirt, Mod, Grunge, Punk, Unisex, athleisure, power dressing, the return of the corset, leather apparel cycles, minimalism, quiet luxury, DIY, and of course, the never ending rehash of vintage looks from the 1920s thru to the early aughts.

“Everything old is new again” ~ Jonathan Swift, Winston Churchill & Mark Twain

Historical Dictionary of Fashion (First & Second Edition by Francesca Sterlacci & Joanne Arbuckle

Throughout my decades-long career in the fashion industry, one of the questions I am often asked is “who is responsible for predicting upcoming fashion trends and how do they do it?”

What is Trend Forecasting?

Fashion trend forecasting is the act of predicting fashion trends including colors, fabrics, silhouettes, patterns, styles and more, for clothing brands in upcoming seasons.

University of Fashion’s lesson Trend Forecasting by Marieke van der Poel, Founder & Chief Forecaster of Proef. (Image credit: UniversityofFashion.com)

In the fashion industry, many brands rely upon information from a variety of sources that specialize in predicting fashion trends, color, and silhouette direction. These predictions, which are made more than a year in advance of products making it to the selling floor, cover multiple areas within the industry, such as childrenswear, womenswear, both for clothing and accessories.

To gain insight into how trends are predicted, watch our lesson entitled, Trend Forecasting taught by one of the most respected trend forecasters in the industry, Marieke van der Poel, Founder & Chief Forecaster of Proef. In her lesson, Marieke covers the history of trend services, the definition of a trend and the various types of trend forecasting. She explores how trends are predicted, how companies use trend services and why trends services are important to the success of any business, not just fashion. Marieke also discusses what role consumer emotions plays in forecasting trends and the various sources of where and how trends germinate.

Proef – their services range from innovation to brand and product strategy. (Image credit: getproef.com)

Predicting Trends Powered by AI

Heuritech – An AI-based fashion trend forecasting service. (Image credit: Heuritech.com)

AI is gaining momentum in the fashion trend prediction business. Fashion forecasters at WGSN, Heuritech and Pinterest Trends scour catwalk shows, read e-commerce data and analyze social media posts to figure out what our wardrobes might look like.

Heuritech, created in 2013 by two PhDs in machine learning, possesses an AI-based visual recognition technology and a forecasting model that assists apparel brands in quantifying and predicting what people will wear. According to Heuritech, their technology helps brands create a balanced collection assortment adapted to regional market specificities and therefore can reduce the problem of overstocking. By analyzing more than 3 million social images a day they claim that they can provide unbiased data about a brand’s market. From celebrity influencers to mainstream consumers, their data-crunching technology claims to be able to predict trends rather than rely on designers to innovate. I don’t know about you but if we start relying on algorithms and data to create product, where is the creativity in that? Would we ever have had innovators like Coco Chanel, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen?

Trend Forecasting is Much More Than Number Crunching

Trend Forecasting lesson by Marieke van der Poel referencing the use of experts to help predict trends. (Image credit: UniversityofFashion.com)

In a recent conversation with Marieke van der Poel of Proef, we discussed the issue. She said that the concept of data crunching is a bit like ‘driving a car while looking in the rear-view mirror without knowing where you are going.’ I couldn’t agree more. Marieke calls this ‘referentialism’ and she asserts that “we live in a time where we refer to data directly as a source, whereas our human drivers are much more complex“.

According to Marieke, “with predictive analytics, it again depends on the input, and whilst AI is growing in meta analysis, it cannot tell us what people will want, yet”.

Relying solely upon social media analysis where there’s an abundance of curated content and people are too dependent on algorithms, it fails to consider where certain concepts can go. The data collected only deals in the ‘now’.

Trend forecasting today is a combination of understanding the now, pattern recognition and intuition. It also involves the way people are reacting to social, political and environmental issues to create new concepts. A thoughtful trend forecaster uses a philosophical paradigm whereby the process is often highly intuitive, utilizes emotional abstracts and conceptional thinking.

Trend Predictions for 2025

As we move into the new year, several sources have predicted their colors and trends for 2025. For example, WGSN’s Color of the Year prediction is Future Dusk and at the Pantone Color Institute it’s Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse.

WGSN & Pantone Color of the Year 2025 (Image credit: Pinterest.com)

According to an AI search for the top 2025 fashion colors, it predicted butter yellow, marigold, cocoa, lava red, seafoam green, frog green, sky blue and pink blossom. But of course, their research consists of data crunching from the most recent runway shows.

AI search for 2025 Color Trends based on data collected from most recent runway shows (Image credit: Effective Colors.com)

In terms of clothing trends, AI has predicted that there will be a return to boho chic, sleepwear as daywear, the return of the skinny jean and hot pants, strapless dresses, asymmetric designs, leopard prints, and probably the most exciting trend of all – personalization. That means we have finally been given the right to choose our own style!

UoF Instructor Update: Silvia Perramon

Francesca Sterlacci - January 6, 2024 - Instructor Spotlight

Silvia Perramon – University of Fashion’s award-winning Master Designer Beader/Embroiderer
(Image credit: Silvia Perramon)

In 2014 we were fortunate to have been introduced to Silvia Perramon by Parsons instructor Darlene Donohue (also a UoF instructor). We were immediately blown away by Silvia’s multi-talents. We promptly signed her up and produced a six-lesson series that included beading and embroidery, using both embroidery hoop and Tambour frame, and fabric manipulation, whereby Silvia uses couture techniques to create her own unique textiles. In a world where handwork seems be on a slow decline, Silvia’s lessons are proof that Millennial and Gen Zers love and respect these crafts. Her lessons continue to be extremely popular with our students.

UoF Beading Needle Embroidery lesson UoF Silk Ribbon Embroidery lesson

UoF Tambour Embroidery lesson UoF Tambour Beading lesson

UoF Fabric Manipulation – Swirl Pattern lesson UoF Fabric Manipulation – Tier Motif lesson

Recently, UoF founder, Francesca Sterlacci, had a chance to sit down with Silvia to catch up on what she’s doing now. It turns out that since creating lessons for UoF, Silvia has won a prestigious Hand & Lockembroidery prize in 2018, lives in Milan designing embroidery and beading for many of Europe’s top fashion houses and continues to express herself through the most incredible beading and embroidery art pieces that are sought after by global collectors. Be prepared to be blown away!

Interview

Francesca: You were born in Spain, but where do you live and work now?

Silvia: I currently live in Milan and am Head of Embroideries of a hand embroidery studio, Atelier Aamir. We are based in the heart of the capital of fashion, which means we can get commissions and delivery projects for VIP, clients and show pieces in a short period of time. We work for couture houses from all Italy and, also, we receive commissions from European high fashion brands. On the other hand, I always keep my own art alive, producing pieces for my collection and private commissions.

Francesca: Where did you study embroidery?

Silvia: My teacher was and always will be Mr. Robert Haven of the Bead Embroidery & Design Studio in Kentucky. He taught me all the basics of embroidery, opening my career to an infinite of possibilities to experiment and discover. I studied architecture at Universidad Internacional de Cataluña, which means that not just design, but the technique, amazed me. I changed my path because I was in love with Lunèville technique, which is the French name of Tambour beading done with the hook. In 2017, I furthered my studies at Scuola di Ricamo Alta Moda in Rome. This technique, with a lot of work and discipline, is the one that made me arrive to work with all the couture houses that I am now collaborating. I had to work hard to enter into the fashion world without having a degree in fashion, I worked many years for free in workshops, to increase my knowledge and being able to have a proper resume to find a paid job, to the point that after five years being in the embroidery world, when I moved to Italy, seven years ago, in less than a month I got an offer from Dolce Gabbana Alta Moda, because of my experience. Since then, I work and have contact with many embroidery designers, who are also passionate for embroidery.

Silvia discussing her Hand & Lock first place prize on YouTube of Andy Warhol created with layers of embroidered seed beads, paillettes and sequins, all done on a Tambour frame. (Video credit: YouTube)

Francesca: What was it like to win the Hand & Lock first place prize?

Silvia: Wining the First Prize at Hand and Lock in 2018 was such an honor. They are worldwide renown Institution of Embroidery. An amazing experience I would say. In addition, two of my embroidery students also won the price the following years.

Silvia Perramon’s Beaded & Embroidered Art Pieces

Silvia Perramon- painted and embroidered art (Photo credit: Silvia Perramon)

Silvia Perramon- Tambour beaded & embroidered art of Diana Vreeland (Photo credit: Silvia Perramon)

Silvia Perramon- Tambour beaded & embroidered art of Rudolf Nureyev (Photo credit: Silvia Perramon

To learn more about Silvia

Check out her website: https://www.silviaperramon.com/designs

Instagram @SilviaPerramonRubio

If you would like to know more about entering your embroidery work in the 2024 Hand & Lock competition (first prize is $3,500), click this link: https://handembroidery.com/the-prize/faqs/

UOF INSTRUCTOR UPDATE: RUCHIRA AMARE

Francesca Sterlacci - May 1, 2023 - Illustration, Instructor Spotlight, Pattern Making, Sewing

Our fans and subscribers LOVE to hear what our esteemed instructors are up to these days and if you’ve been reading this blog for the past month, then you know that some of our instructors are newly minted entrepreneurs: our menswear instructor, Rishabh Manocha and our swimwear instructor, Jessica Krupa, each have launched their flourishing new businesses.

This week, we’d like to put the spotlight on Ruchira Amare, an amazing talent who manages to combine her artistic talents with her technical fashion design skills. And, she too has launched her brand.

At UoF, Ruchira shares her expertise as an “artistic engineer” in her lessons: Designer’s Inspiration & Portfolio, Fashion Illustration Using Pastels, Fashion Illustration Using Watercolors, Drafting a Women’s Jacket and Women’s Jacket Pad-Stitching & Inner Construction.

RUCHIRA AMARE (AKA Y.R. Egon)

UoF instructor, artist/designer Ruchira Amare (Image courtesy: Ruchira Amare)

Ruchira was born and raised in Mumbai and is a life-long learner. Although she earned a bachelor’s degree in technology and communication engineering at the University of Mumbai, Ruchira, who has always been interested in the arts, listened to her heart, and pursued individual study with famous Mumbai artists, photography at the National Institute of Photography Mumbai and eventually moved to New York to study fashion design. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Parsons the New School for Design and has worked under fashion designers Donna Karan, Laura Smalls and Peter Speliopoulous.

Live model fashion illustration by Ruchira Amare, aka Y.R. Egon (Image courtesy: Ruchira Amare)

Ruchira is a modern-day polymath. She is just as comfortable using her engineering skills to draft and sew tailored jackets as she is with a paint brush in her hand. As a fine artist, Ruchira’s work has been exhibited in Manhattan at the Dacia Gallery, The Leo House and Space 776. In Brooklyn her artwork has been exhibited at Established Gallery and the Greenpoint Gallery, and her photography at 440 Gallery. Her work was also featured at the Rochester Contemporary Art Centre in Rochester, New York, in Laguna Beach at Six Summit Gallery and online at the Colors of Humanity gallery.

Collage by Ruchira Amare – watercolor on paper with newspaper print entitled: Girl with Yellow Glasses (Image courtesy: Ruchira Amare)

Ruchira’s fashion illustrations have been featured during New York Fashion Week and her work was chosen as part of The New School Alumni Bookshelf 2022, a highly curated list of works by their most notable alum.

Fashion illustration by Ruchira Amare (AKA Y.R. Egon) exhibited during NYFW Art Hearts Fashion event at Angel Orensanz Church. (Image courtesy: Ruchira Amare)

In 2021, Ruchira continued her studies at the New York Academy of Art and the School of Visual Arts. She also explored block printing in India, using plant-based natural dyes from turmeric, dogwood and indigo. Ruchira’s new business venture combines age old block printing techniques, with contemporary motifs from her paintings, to create a fresh take on sustainable fashion.

Ruchira’s Indian block-printing using plant-based natural dyes. (Image courtesy: Ruchira Amare)

Block-printed fashion designs using sustainable dyes inspired by Ruchira’s artwork. (Image courtesy: Ruchira Amare)

Ruchira’s mission is to lead a happy life and be able to share her craft with the world, We wish Ruchira much success in all of her endeavours and especially with her new block printing sustainable clothing venture!

For more info on Ruchira:

Facebook: Ruchire Amare

Instagram: @ruchiraamare

Website: www.yregon.com

UOF INSTRUCTOR UPDATE: RISHABH MANOCHA

Francesca Sterlacci - April 17, 2023 - Current Topics in Fashion, Fashion Business, Instructor Spotlight, Menswear, Pattern Making, Sustainability

University of Fashion is proud and fortunate to have such a wonderful team of creative and entrepreneurial instructors willing to share their knowledge and expertise. In our 14^th year as the first and largest online fashion education resource, we have maintained the of highest standards when selecting our teachers.

This week’s blog post is a continuation of our instructor spotlight series and will focus on the work of Rishabh Manocha, creator of our 13-part menswear series, whose passion and respect for bespoke craftsmanship has made him one of UOF’s most popular instructors.

RISHABH MANOCHA

Rishabh Manocha wearing his bespoke suit handcrafted in fabric by Dormeuil (Image credit: @kirktruman)

Rishabh Manocha is a New York City based designer and bespoke tailor who established his eponymous label in 2017. An alum of Parsons School of Design and Central Saint Martins, Rishabh credits his education with Savile Row tailors for the technical soundness that complements his conceptual designs.

Rishabh Manocha (Image credit: @kirktruman)

Artisanal integrity, sartorial heritage and the form-function dialogue, are integral aspects of Rishabh’s work. Expounding norms of bespoke tailoring as a means to understanding the human psyche is a fundamental tenet of the label. Rishabh travels extensively to research Italian French and UK mills and denim from Japan.

A Rishabh Manocha bespoke suit in pre-fitting (Image credit: Rishabh Manocha)

As a master of bespoke tailoring techniques, Rishabh carries out these techniques personally for his men’s and women’s bespoke commissions across the United States, UK and the Middle East.

Bespoke tailoring techniques by Rishabh Manocha (Image credit: Rishabh Manocha)

Rishabh Manocha’s basted bespoke suit (Image credit: Rishabh Manocha)

Deeply driven by sustainability, ethical sourcing practices and transparent supply chain, Rishabh recently co-founded Lehzaa, (in Urdu means individual style), an e-commerce women’s ready-to-wear label with Omani business partner Mrs. Mrunal Khimji. Watch for their soft launch in May 2023 at www.lehzaa.com

Co-founders of Lehzaa – Mrs. Mrunal Khimji and Rishabh Manocha (Image credit: Rishabh Manocha)

In addition to his bespoke business, last year Rishabh branched out into leatherwork, creating wallets and briefcases to compliment his clothing.

Rishabh Manocha leatherwear: wallets & briefcases (Image credit: Rishabh Manocha)

According to Rishabh, the world is changing. He claims that in addition to his clients having an eye for craftmanship, they seek sustainably made clothing that can stand the test of time… and they are willing to pay for it. His design philosophy encompasses:

Using sustainably sourced fabrics from Italy and England
Focusing on silhouettes designed to flatter every body type
Making garments from recycled and upcycled real fur that are made in NYC
Creating a range of bespoke leather goods for the discerning accessory wearer

Rishabh Manocha pad-stitched bespoke suit jacket (Image credit: Rishabh Manocha)

When not with his measuring tape, Rishabh devotes time to learning yoga, languages, and gastronomy. His vision is to see a more conscious and empowered consumer, ‘one garment a time’.

View Rishabh’s UOF menswear lessons:

More about Rishabh

Rishabh Manocha frequently teaches one-on-one online lessons in pattern drafting and tailoring. For more info contact him directly at info@rishabhmanocha.com

Follow him @rmanochabespoke

Visit his website rishabhmanocha.com

UOF Instructor Update: Jessica Krupa

Francesca Sterlacci - April 3, 2023 - Current Topics in Fashion, Designer FashionSpeak, Fashion Business, Fashion Education, Fashion Events, Fashion Innovation, Fashion Shows, Instructor Spotlight, Women in Fashion

The success of University of Fashion has always been about the talent and expertise of our instructors, their lessons and the high level of our video production. Now, in our 14^th year as the first and largest online fashion education resource, we thought it would be of interest to share with our subscribers what a few of our very talented instructors are up to these days. Over the next three weeks, we will be spotlighting three of these very talented instructors and how they have continued to expand their creativity as entrepreneurs and artists. First up…Jessica Krupa.

JESSICA KRUPA

Jessica Krupa is a graduate and former instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. With over 15 years of experience creating swimwear and intimate apparel collections for Fortune 500 companies, including Li & Fung, Jessica was awarded a bra design patent for innovation during her tenure at Victoria’s Secret. Needless to say, Jessica has tons of cred.

So, it’s no surprise that Jessica is crushing her new business venture, Panty Promise, the first seamless, certified organic cotton panty imported from Italy.

UoF instructor and designer/founder of Panty Promise (Image courtesy: Panty Promise)

In 2020, Jessica identified the need for better panty options for women without risking their feminine wellness and was driven to solve this; enter Panty Promise. Jessica consulted with top NY Gynecologist Dr. Alyssa Dweck to make her vision come to life and took a year developing the best fabric and design, thus creating the first seamless certified organic cotton panty imported from a high-end mill in Italy.

Jessica’s design eliminates pesky panty lines and uncomfortable seams, like traditional cotton panties, resulting in a smooth and ultra-comfortable look and feel. Her design is Utility Patent Pending in the USA, Canada, EU and UK to keep the innovation and design protected against knockoffs.

Jessica Krupa launched her new brand Panty Promise in 2020 (Image courtesy: Panty Promise)

Jessica Krupa and NY Gynecologist Dr. Alyssa Dweck (Image courtesy: Panty Promise)

Panty Promise packaging/laundry bag (Image courtesy: Panty Promise)

Panty Promise strives to be a leader in the biodegradable and sustainable mission to keep the Earth clean. They’re research and testing proves that their panties will biodegrade back into the earth in just 4-6 months, meanwhile synthetics take over 200 years and breakdown into harmful chemicals.

Jessica Krupa ‘s Panty Promise – the first seamless certified organic cotton panty imported from a high-end mill in Italy (Image courtesy: Panty Promise)

Panty Promise is proud to be an affiliate of Cotton Incorporated, where the brand is a Cotton Leads Partner, ensuring ethical global harvesting of cotton trading and manufacturing through the commitment of Cotton Inc.

Jessica likes to say, “We’re saving the planet one panty at a time.”

Panty Promise panties sized XS-4X and in a variety of skin tones and styles: low, high, and mid-rise both in covered and bare bottoms. (Image courtesy: Panty Promise).

Panty Promise exhibits at the Curve Trade Show – Los Angeles 2023 (Image courtesy: Panty Promise)

In her first year of business Jessica exhibited at the Curve Trade Show, which helped catapult the brand to over 65 retailers after winning the New Brand Audience award during Curve’s Pitch off Competition.

Panty Promise is currently sold throughout the USA, Canada, the Caribbean, South America, Iceland and the Middle East, in body positive sizes XS-4X and in a variety of skin tones. Panty Promise wholesale price points range from $11-$14, with style offerings from low to high rise in both covered and bare bottoms.

We are proud and fortunate to include Jessica as one of our very talented and accomplished instructors. Catch her extremely popular 9-part swimwear series:
Drawing A Bandeau Swim Top, Drawing A High Waist & Hipster Swim Bottom, Drawing A One Piece Plunge Halter With Shelf Bra, Drawing An Underwire Swim Top, Creating A Swimwear Tech Pack In Illustrator, Drawing A String Bikini Bottom, Drawing A String Bikini Top, Drawing A Swimsuit Block Template In Illustrator and Drawing A Push Up Swimsuit.

University of Fashion Blog