Carissa recently took a series of classes to prepare herself for a graduate program application. She completed her undergrad in another field and has been in the working world but wanted to shift gears into the realm of design. She had a tight deadline and a steep learning curve but really made huge progress over just a couple of months. We are so proud of her and all her hard work! Look what a beautiful dress she made as only her 2nd adult sewing project. Wow! Bravo Carissa - Bellisima!

Understanding Sole Proprietorship in California for Aspiring Fashion Designers

For an aspiring fashion designer, deciding on the right business structure can seem daunting. Yet setting up as a sole proprietorship in California may be simpler than it appears – and serve as a stepping stone to success. As the LLC.org guide: Sole Proprietorship in California shows, a sole proprietorship offers budding fashion entrepreneurs key advantages as well as reasonable legal obligations.

Sewing Business, The Business of FashionJennifer SerrDecember 26, 2023The Sewing Roomsole proprietorship, sole proprietor, fashion designer, fashion design, the business of fashion, fashion jobs, business, building a successful brand, llc, llc.org, llc guide, California business

Jobs in Fashion - Photo Styling with Susie St. John

A photo stylist is someone who works with a photographer and sometimes a team, such as an art director and/or an assistant stylist, to make clothing or products look the way the Brand or Magazine wants them to look. Their goal is to translate the vision of the designer or art director into a scene that can then be photographed.

Fashion StudiesJennifer SerrOctober 4, 2022The Sewing Roomfashion styling, fashion stylist, photo stylist, photo styling, photo styling career, jobs in fashion, susie st. john, styling photos, photography, fashion jobs, fashion school, fashion studies

6 Things You Need to Know When You Are Starting Out as a Designer

Recently I interviewed my friend and colleague, Susan Aplanalp-Weeks. She has had a varied career in the fashion industry and has worn many hats, some of which are Pattern Maker, Designer, Technical Designer, Production Manager and finally Professional Fashion Instructor. Susan Currently teaches Fashion Classes in the Design Department at UC Davis and she's also taught for the California College of the Arts and Otis Design School in Los Angeles. During the interview we discuss what new designers need to know when starting out.

Fashion Studies, Sewing BusinessJennifer SerrSeptember 20, 2022The Sewing Roomhow to fashion, how to fashion business, what you need to know when starting out as a new designer, design school, fashion design school, fashion design, fashion company, fashion program, fashion classes, fashion jobs, fashion school, fashion, susan aplanalp, susan aplanalp-weeks, emery street

Jobs in Fashion - 5 Different Kinds of Models - An Interview with Charleston Pierce

This Blog post and video are kicking off a series I’m starting where I’ll talk with industry professionals about Jobs in Fashion. There are so many different kinds of jobs in the fashion industry and I thought it would be really interesting to dig into a few of these and let you know what these jobs are really like and how they can differ from one company to another.

Fashion StudiesJennifer SerrJanuary 11, 2022jobs in fashion, fashion jobs, charleston pierce, modeling, learning to model, learn to model, modeling jobs, different kinds of models, fit modeling, fit model, print modeling, print model, commercial model, commercial actor, commercial, lifestyle modeling, lifestyle model

Fashion Illustration - Interview with artist Velicia Gourdin

Recently, our very own Julie Ann Brown reached out to fashion illustrator artist Velicia Gourdin for an interview. She asked ten great questions. We hope you enjoy Velicia’s answers and her AMAZING illustrations below. She is such a talented artist and illustrator!

Fashion StudiesJennifer SerrAugust 27, 2020The Sewing Roomfashion Illustration, fashion studies, illustration, people of color, poc, representation in fashion, creative process, fashion design, fashion art, fashion jobs, illustrator artist

Fashion Careers: What is a Fashion Designer?

When I was growing up, all I wanted was, to become a FASHION DESIGNER. I wanted the glamorous life of being famous as well as the daily activity of making clothing that started out in my mind and then became a physical garment. I think that’s what most people think of when they think of a fashion designer. In reality, the glamorous life of a fashion designer is few and far between. That kind of designer is the one that many of us all look up to, but isn’t the actual job that most designers have.

Fashion StudiesJennifer SerrFebruary 14, 2020The Sewing Roomfashion design, fashion studies, fashion jobs, fashion, swimwear, swimwear designer, julie ann silverman, swimwear design, fashion career

Fashion Careers: What is Pattern Making?

This is the start of a new blog series about Fashion Careers. I’m starting with Pattern Making or Pattern Maker, because that’s the job I’m most familiar with . I’ve been pattern making and pattern fixing for the last couple of decades and it’s something that gives me great personal satisfaction as well having been a skill I’ve used to earn a living.

Fashion StudiesJennifer SerrJanuary 16, 2020The Sewing Roomfashion Design, pattern making, pattern design, fashion jobs, fashion school, fashion student, patterns, pattern, pattern maker, fashion career

Fashion Studies

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