To learn fashion skills quickly and/or intensively (though not for academic credit), Apparel Arts grants certificates in patternmaking, designer/patternmaking, and dressmaking (sewing). If you're looking for credit instruction, California College of the Arts CCA offers a bachelor's degree in fashion design, while The Art Institute of California – San Francisco offers associate and bachelor's degrees in fashion design and fashion marketing & management. For even more variety in a credit program, the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing FIDM awards associate degrees in fourteen different fashion-related majors, although the San Francisco campus might not offer all of these majors.
From 2002 to 2012, the Employment Development Dept. of California expects no net change in the number of jobs for fashion designers in the San Francisco area. The Department is projecting local job growth of 9.5% for set and exhibit designers and 7.1% for fashion merchandisers and allied trades. However, they see employment in all occupations dealing with apparel production (tailors, dressmakers, sewers, and other textile workers) declining sharply.
Fashion Schools, Programs & Courses
in San Francisco
Subjects listed are highlights of programs
and/or courses offered.
Why San Francisco is a Great Place to Study Fashion
For many years, San Francisco has been a hotbed of human diversity, and diversity is a key to fashion: Clothing is clothing, but with a palette of enough different colors, fabrics, and styles, you could dress everyone in the world in a unique way. Learning fashion and practicing a fashion career in the San Francisco area is a natural extension of this spectrum of freedom and creativity.
Other Resources for Fashion Education and Careers in San Francisco