New Fashion Institute Has Space For 50

Miami Dade College will start the Miami Fashion Institute during the 2016 fall term. According to Marimar Molinary, the Director of Academic Program Development at Wolfson Campus, the College chose to locate the Fashion Institute at its downtown campus because it is near the Design District with its boutiques.

“The industry in Miami is growing,” Molinary said.

The decision to form a fashion institute was based on how well the industry is doing in Miami. According to the Miami Herald, celebrity fashion designer Naeem Khan moved his entire production from New York and Asia to Miami in a facility on the Miami River.

The Miami Fashion Institute, which will be located in building 8 at Wolfson Campus, will offer a two year associate’s in art. For the first year, the school is expecting at least 50 students to register. There are no class limits, but Molinary said that could change depending on the amount of students who register.

There are currently no teachers or chairperson hired to staff the Fashion Institute. Officials are still in the process of hiring. Registration will open on July 27.

Molinary said the Miami Fashion Institute will connect students with people in the industry.

The Miami International University of Art and Design is the only other institution that currently offers the course of study in the area.

The College already has a fashion institute at North Campus as part of the School of Continuing Education and Professional Development. Classes there are open to the public and include construction studio, design studio, fashion design, fashion pattern making, sewing and textile 101. These classes cost less than the ones that will be offered in the Wolfson Campus Fashion Institute and are non-credited.

“You don’t need a degree to work in fashion in Miami,” said North Campus fashion instructor Rucht D’Oleo.

However, when it comes to working outside of Miami, Oleo suggested it is better to get a degree.