Fashion Design

Program Overview

The Los Angeles Trade Technical College Fashion Design and Fashion Technology programs prepare students for careers in all areas of apparel manufacturing from assistant designers to production management.

The Fashion Design and Fashion Technology programs provide specialized training in current methods of garment construction, illustration, draping, pattern making, and grading. Instruction includes the most widely used apparel software programs. In addition to foundational principles, students are encouraged to experiment with creative design problems throughout the two year program.

The Fashion Design program is staffed by professional instructors who have spent many years in the fashion industry as designers, pattern makers, production managers and manufacturers in all categories of apparel. The Fashion Design classrooms are equipped like design rooms complete with industrial sewing machines, pressing equipment, grading machines, dress forms and industrial cutting tables. In addition, the college has state of the art computer lab classrooms where instruction is offered in Gerber Technology, Lectra Inc.,Tukatech and PAD Systems, which allows students to master technology along with traditional skills. The newest computer lab was developed to answer industry demand for training in fashion and technical illustration using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

The fashion community contributes to the program through student scholarships donated by professional groups, companies and individuals. Fashion professionals are invited to work with and critique student designs and prominent speakers visit the campus on a regular basis to lecture on current fashion industry trends. Foreign and domestic fashion publications are available for student reference as well as an extensive collection of historical fashion magazines.

The Sharon Tate Costume Collection houses a vast collection of apparel from noted designers and historical costumes, used to inspire students and offer creative solutions to design problems. In addition, the apparel community provides internship opportunities for department students through the Cooperative Education courses. These internships offer students real life experiences and potential for permanent employment.

By fulfilling the program requirements, students are proficient in construction and assembly, patternmaking and grading, technical and fashion illustration, and draping techniques used to manufacture soft goods. In addition, they will understand and be able to apply computer technology to industry related tasks. The comprehensive two year program stresses industrial problem solving using professional techniques.

Los Angeles is the leading center for apparel manufacturing in the United States. These firms require personnel trained in the design and technical aspects of clothing production. Many local apparel manufacturing firms employ LATTC graduates as designers, assistant designers, grader/marker makers, pattern makers, technical designers, specification writers, and production managers. The program equips graduates with the skills necessary to work in the local industry as well as the global market.