Does the Seattle Lady Need Another Raincoat?

The basement classroom of the Apparel Design Program at Seattle Central Community College is much like I imagined it would be to walk into the secret sewing room of Cinderella's mice: full of activity, color and fabric scraps.

Some of the concepts students are working on feel like they have been pulled right out of a fairytale  with little magic sewing mice to resolve one of Seattle's most common fashion woes.

“What the Seattle lady really needs, and I think we all need, is a good raincoat. . . so I'm making pretty raincoats,” said Lisa Harris a senior in the program. “They're all out of Ultrex, with more feminine lines, often we're dressed cute and then we put on a parka or a Northface, the Seattle lady needs a cute coat.”

Though still in the design phase, Harris' coat truly is adorable. Her fabric is white with blue pinstripes and the slightly puffed skirt, belt tie and shiny cuff buttons make this raincoat girlie and fun. Imagine the Morton Salt Girl all grown up and heading to work. Looking cute, even with wet hair, may soon be a possibility for us all.  

This program has been around since before WWII ended and pillbox hats were in (and then sadly out) of fashion. While the program originally taught custom sewing, it has since morphed into an intense training ground with the goal of placing graduates in the fashion industry.

Students go through a full time, two-year program that teaches skills desired by industry professionals: pattern making, sewing, computer-based design and display techniques. The class culminates in a Final Line Presentation open to the public and members of the apparel industry.

Second year student Rebecca Lee has designed a line of vintage inspired wool dresses in peacock and cream, with complicated kick pleats, for her Final Line.

“I'm really . . . attracted to sci-fi,” said Jon Sim, another student. “Fashion and styling, people are always looking for something new and different and I think a way to do that is . . . by showcasing something that is in the future.”  

Made with comfortable-looking cotton and purple edging Sim's prototype shirt is an unusual almost-sweatshirt that the wearer would look anything but grungy throwing on. His pant design has a skinny leg with multiple diagonal seams and looks like something that would not be out of place at a punk concert on the Death Star.

Unlike many fashion design schools, here, the focus is on training students to create the products, not just draw them. “We're very technical,” commented Hisako Nakaya the program director. . “All our instructors are from the industry and we really stress computers.” 

The common thread in all of these conversations was the difficulty and value of this program. “They really ask a lot out of you,” Harris said, “and you really get a lot out of it.”