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Here are some of the things that students have to say about Fashion courses at ITS

Amy (on left) Amy works for a big organization in an executive position. She found out about the course on the ITS website. She wanted to take a sewing course because…  “I like nice clothes and I like making things.  And I was, and still am, dreaming about changing my career one day, to do something completely different.  I am hoping that the sewing course could help me achieve this goal. For me, it helps build a foundation for what I eventually want to do, i.e. e-business of selling hand-crafted garments.”

When asked what she gained from the courses, Amy enthusiastically replies “knowledge, ideas, skills, fun and friends!”

About Fa as a teacher she says “Fa is a good friend of mine now so it's hard for me to give a non-biased answer to this question. But I'd say that she's dedicated, passionate, direct, caring and a lot of fun to be with.  A very good person she is.”

Nicholas Chan 

Nicholas is a Year 11 student at Diocesan Boys School. He found out about the courses from recommendations on web forums. He came along because he had always had a general interest in fashion but that has all changed…. “At first, I didn’t even know how to operate a sewing machine. After a year or so, I have completed a full dress where even I was surprised at the end of the course. Now I am considering to take Fashion as a minor in university.

I am very pleased with how Fa teaches……. to give students her complete knowledge in sewing from Fashion school.”

Jasmine Miao

Jasmine is a Year 12 student at West Island School. She came across the course while browsing the internet. She tells us…

“IB Textiles was cancelled and I wanted to build up my portfolio and learn the basic skill for making clothes as my ambition is to become a fashion designer. The courses have helped greatly contributing to my portfolio. I can now show that I have the knowledge to create a skirt, a blouse and a dress. I can also show my contribution to my line through making some of the pieces for my school fashion show. This really has given the confidence as well to really pursue my dream and work hard it!

I have gained a lot from the courses! I have learnt so many invaluable techniques from Fa, such as making a skirt, dress, blouse and the basic steps for achieving high quality garment details (bound button holes, welt pockets, etc) But not only have I gained in that area. I have also improved in my confidence, my confidence and motivation to do well in my designs and fulfilling my ambition has sky-rocketed!

I think Fa is a great teacher! She is really hands-on yet she lets you become more independent with discovering and practicing new and old techniques. It’s great because she really knows what she is talking about and it isn’t hard to see that she has great experience in the industry – that and her teaching techniques are a great combination!”

Niamh McNally (second from right) Niamh is an Investment Banking Project Manager who found us on Google HK when looking for a hobby course. She says…. “Making clothes for myself is something I have always wanted to do as a hobby. I have an interest in fashion and enjoy the whole process from pattern designing to cutting and sewing fabrics. I wanted to learn from an experienced teacher rather than just teach myself.” The experience has been an enlightening one as she gained…

“…an appreciation of how much work is involved in making garments! I have learned how to start from a blank page and create patterns, adding my own designs. I understand how to cut the fabric, use the sewing machine, make skirts, blouses, pockets, button holes, collars etc. I now examine clothes in shops much more closely, to check the tailoring. I know the best places in HK to buy fabrics, sewing machines and all kinds of sewing materials.”

As far as the teaching goes….

“Fa runs a very enjoyable course. She is very professional when she needs to be, insisting that things are done correctly. At the same time Fa is friendly and approachable, and fosters a relaxed environment in her course. I don't have much time to dedicate to dressmaking but Fa understands that different people want different things from the course and is very flexible.”

Tanja Buchholtz (on right)
Tanja is a student at German Swiss International School who has an interest in fashion and has taken part in two fashion shows to date…

“In February I took part in our school's fashion show, VERVE,  and that's when i became really interested in fashion. I figured the first step is learning how to sew. My mum and I found the courses through google. We were looking for sewing classes that are taught in English and came upon the ITS website.
It's a valuable extra curricular for me, especially because I want to work in the fashion industry some day. I've learned how much work is put into garment-making - there's a lot more to it than i thought.”

Tanja says that what she has learned will help her career in fashion.

“Fa is a really good teacher, I've learned so much. Plus, she's INCREDIBLY good at sewing :) It's encouraged me to complete every course.”

Jenny Chow 2nd year student of Parsons School of Design , New York, USA I found out about the sewing courses at ITS on internet (google) The courses have helped me to reach my expectation since before I had zero knowledge in sewing and now I feel that I can handle basic dress making easily Fa 's knowledgable and friendly. She can be strict at times but I think this helps to push the students to improve.

Maria Estrada & Lauren Kirkby. Founders of what the frock?!, an online clothing label founded in 2009 in Hong Kong. Although relatively new, what the frock?! has grown rapidly within HK , Australia  and other  markets and has been featured in different blogs and magazines such as Time-Out.

2. How did you find out about the courses?
Through a friend of ours that took one of the courses before and recommended it to us.

3. What made you come to take sewing courses? 
Being in the fashion industry we believe it is crucial to understand the fundamental principles of dressmaking and we wanted to develop our sewing skills so we thought that taking a sewing course was the right way to acquire this knowledge.  

4. What have you gained from the courses?
We gained deeper knowledge about one of the most important areas of our business, how garments are made. We became familiar with the basics of machine sewing, got confident handling a machine, and we developed a range of related sewing skills that are extremely useful when you have a clothing business, such as how to make pockets, button holes, hems, and standard stitches.

5. How have the courses helped you to contribute your career?
It has allowed us to understand how a garment is constructed and therefore it has helped us to make better judgements about the production of our own garments.  It gave us the knowledge to use the sewing machine with confidence so now we are capable of doing basic fixes and changes to our garments by ourselves.  

6.  What is the impression that you have found out from Fa as the teacher?
We really enjoyed having Fa as our teacher. She is clearly highly experienced and knowledgeable but at the same time she is very friendly and accessible which made it easier for us to approach her with any questions that we had. She was always very helpful and encouraging. 

On 11th November 2010, a group from the AWA came along for a unique, tailored craft day. They decided to do a one-day workshop in bag-making. Lots of fun was had by all and some wonderful bags were produced.

NOTE: All classes are conducted in English

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