Michelle Obama's #FashionEdu Workshop

On October 8th, the White House hold its first ever Fashion Workshop connecting over 150 students with leading fashion professionals --- from designers to magazine editors and fashion technologists.  The goal of the event is to show young people what it takes to succeed in the fashion industry, and how important it is for the next generation to commit to their education.

The students who were invited based on their interest in pursuing careers in fashion -- participated in a series of workshops in the morning followed by remarks from the First Lady and  the panel of discussion.

Students from the following schools participated in the event:

• The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts
• Kensington  High School for Creative & Performing Arts
• High School of the Fashion Industries
• High School of Art & Design
• Northwestern High School
• Baltimore Design School
• James Hubert Blake High School
• Richard Wright Charter School
• Duke Ellington School of the Arts
• The School Without Walls Senior High School
• Roosevelt Senior High School
• The College of Textiles at North Carolina State University
• The Parson New School for Design, School of Art and Design History and Theory
• Marymount University
  

Following the First Lady remarks, designers and experts participated in a panel discussion about their careers and educational paths. Panelists included Diane Von Furstenberg, Prabal Gurung, Jenna Lyons, Tracy Reese, Lilliana Vazquez, Jason Wu and Edward Wilkerson.

In the morning, the students participated in workshops led by members of the fashion industry. These five workshops are designed to educate the next generation of fashion leaders to learn from and be inspired by leaders in their field to grow their experience and seek higher education.

Workshop 1: "Inspiration"

• Designers shared their inspirations and help the students to express and communicate using several different media while building their teamwork skills.

Workshop Leaders: Thom Browne, Reed Krakoff, Humberto Leon, Carol Lim, Phillip Lim, Duro Olowu, Narciso Rodriguez, and Barbara Tfank.

Workshop 2: "Construction"

• Construction work is in high demand in the fashion industry. There is a short supply of workers in this field, including skilled technical designers, pattern makers and production managers. Construction is a difficult skill to master, but can be learned through higher education. Workshop leaders worked with students to employ introductory construction skills that are instrumental to the study of fashion construction.

Workshop Leaders: Alexis Bittar, Georgina Chapman, Maria Cornejo, Keren Craig, Azede JeanPierre, Naeem Khan and Zac Posen.

Workshop 3: "Journalism"

•  From editing to blogging and formal fashion reviews, career fashion journalists will share their experience from entry level positions to seasoned correspondents. They  also emphasize the importance of the writing and communication skills acquired through higher education. In the workshop, students produced short publications covering the day's Fashion Education Workshop with the help of these professionals.

Workshop Leaders: Ursula Carranza, Eva Chen, Cecilia Dean and Edward Enninful, and Patricia Reynoso.

Workshop 4: Wearable Technology"

• Today, there are boots that charge your cell phone, bras that detect breast cancer and compression shirts that monitor and record your heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature as a virtual coach. As the lines between technology, product and fashion merge, we will soon be surrounded with technology in everything we wear. Fashion and  product designers led this hands-on workshop introducing participants to wearable technology  and basic electronics. In the workshop, students stitched a circuit  with a micro controller, power supply and LED lighting  using hand sewing techniques with conductive thread.

Workshop Leaders: Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, Carolina Pabonescobar, Cody Miller, Theo Ferlauto, and Carson Stanch.

Workshop 5: "Entrepreneurship"

• How does an Idea grow? How does one start and maintain a small business and then turn it into a booming  company? In this workshop, students heard testimonials from fashion entrepreneurs on how their ideas grew from fledgling concepts to ultimately successful businesses, and the tough decision that were made along the way.

Workshop Leaders: Sara Blakely, Charles Harbison, June Haynes, Susan Gregg Koger and Mary Alice Stephenson.


                                     Images of Michelle Obama and Anna Winour courtesty of  Zimbio.com