The Fashion 101 program offers many opportunities for adolescents to learn more about the fashion industry and how they can express themselves through creativity. Fashion is known as an industry that is incredibly hard to break into, especially for kids in areas with fewer resources. We create a space that gives them more resources and a greater opportunity to learn about an artistic industry and how they can communicate creatively.

In our Fashion 101 program, we teach our students skills that relate to both business and creativity so they can develop their passion and interest in design and the fashion industry. There are so many different facets to the fashion industry, and we use the opportunity to teach our students real-world knowledge and lessons that will help them progress.

For design, we teach our students how to make their own pieces of jewelry, accessories, bags, shoes, and clothes, which helps to stimulate their artistic development. Essentially, creating a space in which they can express themselves through wearable art. To further deepen the knowledge of the young adults in our program, we teach them tips on finding materials that they can use to make their own pieces and find creative inspiration around them.

The fashion industry is one that requires the proverbial “foot through the door,.” Those in our program have many different opportunities to possibly interact with professionals from many different sectors within the industry. Those in the program may have the chance to attend trade shows and industry meet and greets, where they may have the opportunity to meet manufacturers, designers, and retail store owners. They’ll also have the chance to go on trips to fabric stores to learn more about the clothes and tools that are used within the business.

In addition to fashion design, there are many more avenues within the fashion industry that excite our students’ passion for business and commerce. The Fashion 101 Program teaches students more about fashion retail, buying, merchandising, and how business is affected between seasons. This is an excellent opportunity for adolescents who want to merge their interest in style and the inner workings of a business, marketing, advertising, and retail within the industry.

Through the Fashion 101 Program, young adults will learn how to take their passions and interests in the fashion industry and create real knowledge and an opportunity for themselves to continue to nurture their artistic, creative, and business interests. This program is flexible and designed to offer a vast and wide variety of activities and opportunities related to the fashion industry.