Wintec Fashion Industry Diploma Accredited

Wintec Fashion Industry Diploma Accredited

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November 29 2007

For Immediate Release

WINTEC FASHION INDUSTRY DIPLOMA ACCREDITED

Wintec (Waikato Institute of Technology) School of Media Arts has the go ahead to launch the country’s first industry focused fashion diploma.

The School is very well connected with the creative industries and has had the input of some of the industry’s best in designing the business focused programme which begins in the New Year.

Head of School, Margi Moore said Wintec was extremely fortunate in securing the support and commitment of advisers who are themselves industry experts, and to have onboard highly experienced staff.

The fully equipped workrooms will be completed by the end of the year for students to begin their careers in the industry.

“We have been thrilled at the response from local industry and have an advisory board that has a wealth of experience”.

She said extensive research was undertaken with the fashion industry, which established that businesses were requiring students to graduate with a more rounded understanding of how the business side of fashion works

The course will teach students construction, pattern making and design, along with modules covering topics such as marketing, New Zealand and International business environments so that students to get to grips with actual dilemmas they are going to face in the job market.

Industry veteran and programme advisor Ian Johnson is relieved and excited that this tertiary qualification is addressing real needs for the industry.

“It’s fantastic to be working with Wintec. This really is industry training with relevance to, and input from, business which is vital to the continuing growth of New Zealand's apparel industry,” he says.

Ms Moore said the programme would help students understand a range of real dilemmas such as: If I got a job with a clothing company that designs its garments here, but then gets them manufactured in China how is this going to work? We have a fabulous range of garments, but we want to start exporting to the Northern Hemisphere, how do would I do it? I want to start my own fashion label but need to find out why people would even want to buy my clothes and who my target market is going to be?

The advisory committee is made up of local designers and manufacturers including Annah Stretton from Stretton Clothing Co. Ltd, Miranda Dawson from Nyne, Aroha Wikotu from Shikoba Clothing and Jillian Thompson from Jillang Clothing. Local Director of Sport and Uniform Ian Johnson and Sally Fitzpatrick from Step Ahead also lend their manufacturing experience, along with Sharlene Camp from www.truly.co.nz, Jenny Mangan from Hamilton Girls High and Donna Whittle from Fashion Personnel.

Project manager Sharlene Camp was educated at Otago University in Marketing and a minor in Psychology, Sharlene specialises in the area of consumer behaviour. As the General Manager of the highly successful Dunedin Fashion Incubator she assisted fashion companies with the business side of the fashion industry, covering topics such as marketing, exporting, selling, finance and production which included helping designers getting their collections shown at New Zealand Fashion Week and exporting across the ditch to Australia.

Prior to the Incubator, Sharlene worked for Tamahine Knitwear as the Marketing Manager and now runs her own fashion based website www.truly.co.nz for women looking for clothes that suit their body shape.

“This exciting new course is taking applications now with priority given to those received prior to pre Christmas 2007 as we expect the course to fill quickly with only 18 spots,” Ms Moore said.

ENDS

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