Everyone dresses, thus building a unique visual identity. Kathryn Hagen has spent much of her adult life exploring global fashion culture and the relationship of the designer to the fine artist. She believes in the validity of thinking with your hands and the value of the maker in this extreme technological age.
This desire for creative adventures led her to New York at age 17 to study at the prestigious Parsons School of Design. After graduation, she worked as a designer at one of the last great American couture houses. Ultimately, a scholarship to the venerable Art Students League provided three years of study with venerable abstract expressionist Julian Levy.
After a decade in New York, the West Coast beckoned. She joined the new fashion department at Parson's sister school, Otis Art Institute, and for more than twenty years watched her talented students obtain top industry jobs. She collaborated on projects with top designers like Rick Owens, Isabel Toledo, Jeremy Scott, and Bob Mackie, and also designed costumes for film and theatre.
Still extremely involved in art production, she entered the Otis Fine Arts Graduate program and received her BFA and MFA in Painting/Alternative Media in 1999. As an author for Pearson/Prentice Hall, she developed two fashion textbooks, which are translated into Korean and Chinese and used globally. She also co-edited Garb, A Reader on Fashion and Culture.
Following a five-year stint chairing the venerable Woodbury fashion design program, Kathryn has now turned her attention to creative opportunities in global design and scholarship. She taught a Master Class at the University of Seoul and workshops for Senior Collections seven years at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art. She teaches regular art history courses for Soochow University in Suzhou, China. Her recent involvement with course creation for the Online Fashion Design Institute has been a fascinating and involving project.
Amy (Amelia) Williams, Ed.D. is a Change Consultant focused on sustainability strategies advocating for environmental and social justice, and specifically, gender equity initiatives. She earned her Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California, Rossier School of Education in Organisational Change and Leadership, and completed a Leadership Fellowship at the California College of the Arts.
For over 22 years, Amy was a Fashion Educator and Program Chair. In this role, she brought an unknown fashion program in San Francisco to international top ten recognition because of the groundbreaking sustainability education and highly skilled graduates. She began her career as a professional Fashion Designer creating for many brands and her namesake labels. Amy spent over 30 years as a designer entrepreneur, and design strategist. Amy holds a BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design.
Passionate about her work, Amy credits her success to dedication, drive, and perseverance. She looks forward to raising sustainability engagement with like-minded professionals across the globe.
A passionate educationist, social entrepreneur, and keen thought leader – Ms Samira Shah is the principal architect and founder of the leading design school, Le Mark School of Art and Timeless Artisans, an exciting study venture for art enthusiasts around the world. Samira found her true calling as a teacher over 20 years ago and has constantly contributed to and built the fashion and textile industry. One of her proudest accomplishments has to be her ever-growing list of students who have successfully carved a name for themselves and run prominent businesses in the fashion and lifestyle industry.
Committed to reviving the dyeing Indian handicraft and handloom industry, she has been instrumental in helping artisans take their work to the national and global stage. Driven by innovation and design, she combines and infuses age-old techniques with relevant pop-culture moments in a contemporary set-up. The National Museum, Delhi, displayed 6 of her rare and exquisite textiles artworks at an exhibit that will further travel to be showcased in museums worldwide. Combining her spiritual study and creative talent, she has been a designer curating festival costumes at the ISKCON temples for the deities as a thorough aficionado.
A staunch believer in giving back to the community, she actively propagates sustainability and social entrepreneurship models to bridge the gap between rural and urban mores as the Vice-President of the NGO Bhavyata Foundation.
Her latest venture Sresth Education is curated with a mission to reach every corner of the globe with evolving, authentic, and quality education to help nurture young talent to achieve their aspirations in the Art & Design space. With her experience and intensive research, this course is an amalgamation of fashion with its future built for a constructive impact.
Providing a holistic, fulfilling course for students and individuals from all walks of life and across the board, and giving wings to their inner talent and love for art and design is the living anchor thought of building this course.
Dr. Kay Khan (Ed.D) (Dr. K) is an Educator, Author, Content Creator, Marketer, Designer and has held many professional titles over the years. Since 2002, these titles, which include Founder, Lecturer, Retail Store Manager, Makeup Artist, and Instructional Designer, and Apparel Manufacturing Consultant (Product Development) have aligned perfectly with her Bachelors Degree in Apparel Merchandising and Management/Apparel Production, Masters of Arts and Doctorate of Education. Dr. K is an experienced pattern maker and has taught clothing construction and first and second pattern-making at the college level since 2005. Dr. K is currently an educator at a four-year university in the south of the United States and writes technology based garment preliminary USPTO patents.
Christina is a winner of the prestigious reality TV show Project Runway 2012, which set a perfect platform for her to achieve global design success. After getting her fashion degree and being an entrepreneur at heart she launched her Australian Athleisure wear brand EXIE. She has helped multiple six figure brands scale from concept through to operations, providing advice from her 15 years of global roles and personal experience founding and growing two e-commerce, wholesale and now retail businesses. She recognises trends and patterns early to help others understand how these shifts impact markets, consumer behaviour and brand relevance.
Orlinda Young has been a fashion design professional for over 30 years. She is a graduate of the University of the Arts, London UK and The Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC USA. Her degree focus has been in both fashion design and costume design. Her work as a fashion designer extends from couture in London to ready-to-wear in NYC in both women and menswear. She has worked for designers such as Koji Tatsuno, Kenneth Cole and Calvin Klein among a few. She continues in fashion to this day and has worked as a consultant for various brands.
Modules and video tutorials are well presented, tutors are great, and student support is truly supportive.
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