ABOUT FRANCESCA STERLACCI
“
I want to preserve the art and
craft of fashion design by
bringing together the best
fashion industry professionals to
create lessons that inspire and
educate.”
- Founder/CEO University of Fashion®
The University of
Fashion
®
was founded in 2008. It was inspired by
Francesca‘s desire to utilize online Internet technology as a supplement to
traditional teaching techniques and to inspire and educate tomorrow’s fashion
designer, merchandiser and entrepreneur.
Francesca is well known in the fashion industry. In 1980, she founded
Francesca Sterlacci, Ltd. where her collections sold to prestigious stores such
as,
Bergdorf Goodman
,
Saks Fifth Avenue
,
Henri Bendel
,
Barneys
,
Nordstrom
and
Neiman Marcus
. Her designs were featured in magazines
such as
Vogue
,
Elle
, and
Glamour
, have been worn by A-list celebrities and
appeared on the covers of
WWD
,
Harper's Bazaar
, as well as in
The New York
Times
.
The next step in Francesca’s career was to share the knowledge learned while
running her own business by teaching students the art & craft of design and
the business of fashion. Francesca started teaching at her alma mater,
the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), from 1990-2001 and became Chair
from 2001-2004. She created three certificate programs: Leather Design,
Outerwear & Performance Apparel and Haute Couture as well as initiated a
total revision of FIT’s AAS and BFA fashion design curricula.
In 2004, Francesca relocated to San Francisco and was invited to teach
graduate-level fashion design at the Academy of Art University, both onsite
and online for six years.
She is the author of
Leather Apparel Design
,
Leather Fashion Design
, the
co-author of the
Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry
and the co-author
of
A-Z of the Fashion Industry
. She is a contributing author to
The
Encyclopedia of Clothing and Textiles
and the
Merit Badge Handbook for
Grown-up Girls
.
ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF FASHION
®
Leading the way in fashion E-Learning,
the
University of
Fashion® (U of F) is a New York-based online platform that
delivers fashion education via high-definition,
professionally-produced, video tutorials taught by fashion School professors and
industry professionals.
The U of F library offers:
•
Fashion business
lecture series covers topics ranging from
fashion marketing, licensing and branding, to trend
forecasting, costume history, color theory and interviews
with famous designers.
•
Fashion how-to
video lessons encompass the key five design
disciplines:
1.
Draping
2.
Pattern making
3.
Fashion drawing
4.
Product development
5.
Sewing
•
On-location
series takes students on virtual tours of fashion
showrooms, museums, fashion shows, and key fashion
industry events.
As a supplement to the video how-to lessons, the U of F provides a
free transcript with each lesson and, for all of the draping lessons,
provides a free step-by-step pictorial lesson guide to further
enhance the student’s learning experience.
U of F Benefits to School and Students
School Benefits
•
Strengthen existing curriculum with expert tutorials in major
fashion subjects
•
Assist instructors with lesson plans
•
Reinforce teaching skills and methods
•
Inspire instructors to teach new subjects and methods
•
Provide fashion industry-based knowledge & techniques
•
Improve student retention rates by giving students access to
supplemental learning and on-demand tutoring
•
Save the expense of tutoring as students utilize U of F on-demand
videos for their projects
•
Stay current with fashion trends, technology and the pulse of the
fashion industry
Student Benefits
•
On-demand access to vast library of informative videos, taught by
fashion college professors and industry professionals, accessible
on all devices
•
Lesson transcripts and step-by-step lesson guide reinforce
learning outcomes
•
Tools & supplies list for each how-to lesson with link to purchase
•
Beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons in all major fashion
subjects
•
Valuable resource to assist students with school projects
•
Insider’s view to the industry: lectures, interviews, tours, trends
•
Inspirational tools to create designer ‘Mood Boards’
•
Opportunities for student ‘peer to peer’ interactions
•
Resource lists include: fashion terminology dictionary, fashion
TESTIMONIALS
The University of Fashion is an exciting new video library for anyone interested in fashion and the fashion industry. The how-to videos feature short, concise lessons that are focused on individual techniques. This valuable resource will be a useful tool for fashion students, professionals, and home-sewers.
- Claire Schaeffer
Vogue Patterns Designer, Author Everyone in the fashion industry, whether a student, a hobby aficionado or a professional, should have a great resource for reference and support. University of Fashion® provides the "how to" at every level for the first timers or just a refresher for the experts. A must have asset.
-Saul Kapilivsky
Miami International University of Art & Design, Professor The University of Fashion® is an awesome new online resource for learning the basics of sewing and design.
- Kara McGrath
Seventeen Magazine, Editor
It doesn’t have a football team or even a physical campus, but the University of Fashion® can teach users how to design from the comfort of their own homes.
- Sharon Edelson Women’s Wear Daily, Editor
As an international organization dedicated to the education of sewing and deign professionals, the University of Fashion® provides members of the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals (ASDP) an incredible resource that they can access anytime from the comfort of their own sewing studios. Topics such as draping, pattern making, illustration techniques, and the like, allow our members to learn new skills, brush up on old ones, or gain new perspectives from other industry professionals. We are delighted to have this educational opportunity for our members and look forward to continued video releases!
- Teresa Nieswaag
Association of Sewing & Design Professionals (ASDP), President I am writing to you to THANK YOU for all of the lessons you made available on your site. I always wanted to learn - I own a couple of textbooks, however it is very hard to learn without an instructor. Your professional lessons were all that I was missing. You are awesome!
- Lenka Murray
U of F, Student I was lagging behind in class and didn’t remember all the lessons my professor taught, so I went to the demos on University of Fashion for help. Thanks to the great demos I received a really good grade on the project!
- Chanica Pitaksakorn
Fashion Institute of Technology, Student
Thank you!! Your site really does have magnificent tutorials for novice and advance illustrators! Def glad I became a member. I have already recommended it to friends.
- Rafael de Peña High School of Art & Design and FIDM, Graduate
Account Set-up
&
School Group Pricing
Account Set-up
•
U of F and School Library connect through a system such as
EZproxy, an IP authentication system or through a dedicated U
of F/School Individual Login system.
Pricing
•
Group pricing is based on the actual number of students within
your program and is offered at a substantial discount from our
annual subscription rate listed on the U of F website. Contact
our Education Consultant with the number of students in your
program for specific information on pricing for your school.
How to Get Started
•
Contact our Education Consultant:
Myrna Dorfman:
[email protected]
•
Get your free trial access login
•
Schedule a web demonstration
