Course Descriptions
FASH 100 Principles of Design (3 units)
An overview of design principles and elements used in fashion to create effective and successful garment designs. Focus is on the recognition, analysis and evaluation of good design in both ready to wear and student's original designs. Other topics include sketching and presentation techniques.
FASH 110 Beginning Clothing Construction (3 units)
Designed to provide an overview of basic sewing techniques, sewing machine skills, and an understanding of fabrics and patterns. The focus is on clothing construction techniques for students with little or no sewing experience.
FASH 111 Techniques of Fit (3 units)
An overview of various pattern alteration techniques for skirts and bodices based on individual figure variations. Techniques examine sizing methods, ease assessment, fabric variability, and the identification of figure variations.
FASH 113 Textiles (3 units)
An introduction to the study of natural and chemical fibers, yarns, fabrics, finishing, and dyeing. Students also analyze methods used for purchasing and caring for clothing.
FASH 114 Travel Study: Introduction to Italian Fashion (3 units)
An introduction to the Italian Fashion Industry from pre-World War II to the present day. Students analyze designers, fabrics, and manufacturing techniques and the implications for global fashion. The study of fashion as a form of Italian art through lectures, field trips, and guest speakers.
FASH 115 Intermediate Clothing Construction (3 units)
Provides an overview of intermediate sewing techniques for constructing collars, buttonholes, sleeves, hems, zippers, pockets, and other garment details.
FASH 116 Tailoring (3 units)
An overview of techniques applied to the construction of suits and coats. Students analyze and adapt patterns for proper fit and evaluate and select fabrics for specific garments. Collars, sleeves, linings, welt pockets and bound buttonholes are covered.
FASH 118 Flat Pattern (3 units)
An introduction to basic pattern-making to create garment designs. Students learn to manipulate darts and draft a variety of necklines, collars, sleeves, skirts and dresses from a master pattern. Students work with half scale, quarter scale and full scale patterns.
FASH 122 Advanced Tailoring (3 units)
Advanced tailoring techniques for the construction of jackets and coats. Students demonstrate mastery of collars, lapels, pockets, bound buttonholes, welt pockets, sleeves, and linings for suits and coats. Garments are constructed from commercial patterns or the student's original design with pattern adaptation for personal fit.
FASH 123 Introduction to the Fashion Industry (3 units)
This course is an introduction to the fashion industry. Students analyze trends and manufacturing techniques and their implications for fashion. Terminology, careers, and job responsibilities applicable to the fashion industry are covered.
FASH 132 Trouser Construction (1 units)
Learn techniques used for pants construction. Topics include fly front zippers, various waistline treatments, various pocket techniques, linings, underlinings, hems and cuffs.
FASH 133 Copying Ready-to-Wear (1 units)
Learn how to make a pattern from an existing garment without taking the garment apart. Through demonstration and hands-on experience, use the materials needed to generate this pattern from the existing garment, and make a muslin garment to test this pattern and refine it to ensure an exact duplicate of the original. Also included are facings, hem allowances, and other pertinent pattern drafting knowledge.
FASH 134 Beginning Millinery (1 units)
Introduction to methods of designing and constructing millinery. Fundamental techniques of hat design and construction including blocking and shaping straw, buckram, and fabric using traditional wooden hat blocks.
FASH 140 Basic Serging (1 units)
Introduction to the use of the serger sewing machine for creating a variety of seams, as well as functional and decorative edge finishes used in the construction of garments. Students explore tension, stitch formation, threading and maintenance.
FASH 146 Designer Techniques in Sewing (3 units)
An overview of designer details in ready-to-wear fashion and application of these techniques in clothing construction. Learn to design and sew garments with unique collars, sleeves, pockets, and hems. Changing components of a garment for different designs is a focus of the class.
FASH 150 History of Fashion (3 units)
A survey course of fashions of Western civilization from ancient cultures to the present day. Students analyze fashion trends as influenced by cultural, industrial and political developments.
FASH 151 Fashion Merchandising (3 units)
Examines the retail and wholesale aspects of the fashion industry by studying trends, consumer behavior and fashion marketing. Globalization of the apparel industry, production cost, display, fashion promotion and advertising as well as career choices such as retail buyers, store managers, fashion directors, visual merchandisers, and sales associates are covered.
FASH 162 Advanced Flat Pattern (3 units)
A comprehensive study of pattern making and the drafting techniques used for creating more advanced garment design. Students make patterns for and sew various full-scale garments with many different necklines, collars, sleeves, skirts, and dresses.
FASH 163 Pattern Grading (1 units)
Techniques for taking a sized pattern and grading it up and down into multiple sizes. An overview of different size ranges, methods of grading and grading rules is included
FASH 164 Fashion Illustration (3 units)
An overview of sketching for clothing design with emphasis on perception development through specific drawing exercises to develop fashion figure proportions. A variety of media and drawing techniques will be used to create fashion sketches.
FASH 167 The Custom Dress Form (1 units)
Learn how to create a customized dress form used for design development and sewing construction. Students are fitted in customized covers, and foam dress forms are shaped to fit these covers. Information on ordering/purchasing dress forms is provided in the first class meeting.
FASH 168 Fashion Draping (3 units)
An overview of designing clothing on a dress form. Students use this 3-dimensional design process to create patterns for original designs. The translation of fashion ideas from design principles while draping with muslin to finished garments is also examined.
FASH 170 French Pattern Drafting (2 units)
Learn the French Couture method for drafting a master pattern. The master pattern, known as the moulage, is a form-fitting pattern that duplicates the figure exactly with no ease added. It is used to create the sloper and basic sleeve. These are used to design many different garment styles.
FASH 171 Pants Drafting (2 units)
Learn techniques for measuring and drafting a basic pant sloper. The students then make the pattern in muslin and refine fit to produce a pattern that fits their own figures. From this basic block, students draft jean and dress pant slopers. Drafting pant details such as pockets, pleats, waistbands and fly-front zippers are discussed.
FASH 172 Bustier (1 units)
Introduction to the proper pattern work and construction techniques to create a well-fitting, well-performing strapless bodice (bustier), which can be adapted to evening wear or bridal wear. As these garments must fit closely, a well- fitting sloper, or the moulage from the French pattern drafting course is recommended.
FASH 173 Lingerie Design and Construction (1 units)
Learn about the world of lingerie encompassing intimate apparel and loungewear and gain a knowledge base of appropriate fabrics and construction techniques specific to creating lingerie.
FASH 175 Advanced Illustration (3 units)
Develop advanced fashion rendering skills and figure styles using a variety of media and drawing techniques to create original fashion illustrations. Emphasis is on developing flair, movement, and attitude in the fashion figure. Drawing flats, specs, floats, and fabric renderings are also covered.
FASH 178 Computerized Pattern Grading (1 units)
Learn how to use PAD, a professional computerized pattern development system, to grade patterns into multiple sizes.
FASH 180 Computerized Pattern Design (3 units)
Designed to teach PAD, a professional computerized pattern development software, to draft and develop patterns for original designs. Students have the opportunity to utilize flat pattern skills to develop patterns used in the apparel industry, as well as learn the process of digitizing and plotting patterns using PAD software and hardware.
FASH 195 Portfolio Development (1 units)
Overview of portfolio assembly methods for Fashion Design, with emphasis on professional display techniques of student's original designs. Course covers presentation techniques, materials, content considerations, organization, and layout choices.
FASH 196 Introduction to the Costume Industry (1 units)
Introduction to the theater costuming industry as a profession. Students have the opportunity to visit costume shops throughout the Bay Area, learn the various jobs which are needed within a costume shop, and understand the process of designing theatrical costumes from concept to completion.
FASH 197 Pattern Design for Historic Costume (3 units)
Pattern development and construction of historical costumes, from the middle ages to the beginning of the twentieth century. Learn how to apply the principles of modern pattern making to various historical styles and use this knowledge to design and create historical costumes. The unique cut and construction of each historical period is covered, along with undergarments and accessories necessary for each period.
FASH 199 Costuming for Theatrical Production (3 units)
Learn to create costumes for an actual theatrical production. All aspects of theater costuming are utilized, including script analysis, design, pattern development, fitting, construction and alterations.
FASH 225 Apparel Analysis (3 units)
Provides students with an overview of the apparel production cycle: how apparel products are designed, created, and distributed. Students analyze garment design and construction features in order to understand their relationship to apparel cost and quality. Style terminology, sizing, price points, fabric choices, sustainability and other factors in apparel production are also discussed.
FASH 226 Visual Merchandising and Display (3 units)
Explores the visual merchandising and display methods used within the fashion and related industries and the role each method plays in these industries. Introduces the equipment, materials and techniques used to create dynamic visual displays. Students critique and create visual displays and visual merchandising materials.
FASH 672 Cooperative Education: Internship (1- 3 units)
Supervised internship in cooperation with private or public sector employers. Designed to apply knowledge and learn new skills, directly related to the student’s program of study, outside of the normal classroom environment. Students must attend one orientation which is offered the first three weeks of each semester. Each unit requires 60 hours per unit for unpaid work or 75 hours per unit for paid work during the semester. May be repeated for credit up to 16 units. The unit limitation applies to any Cooperative Education Work Experience (any combination of 670, 671 and/or 672 courses) offered within the SMCCCD.
FASH 680CE Evening Gown Construction (2 units)
Students learn advanced sewing techniques used in the construction of evening gowns. They create gowns incorporating the techniques learned in class, including working with difficult fabrics and bias.
FASH 695 Independent Study (0.5- 3 units)
Designed for students who are interested in furthering their knowledge via self-paced, individualized instruction provided in selected areas or directed study to be arranged with instructor and approved by the division dean using the Independent Study Form. Varying modes of instruction can be used -- laboratory, research, skill development, etc. For each unit earned, students are required to devote three hours per week throughout the semester. Students may take only one Independent Study course within a given discipline.