Italian fashion school expands to Guangzhou

A student studies at Istituto Secoli's Guangzhou branch in Guangdong province.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Milan-based fashion school Istituto Secoli has opened a new branch in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to help fill the need for more pattern-making talent in China's fashion industry.

"China is not lacking fashion designers, but patternmaking talent," said Sam Lau, director and vice-dean of the school, which is well known for training patternmakers as well as teaching designing, sewing and production management.

In China, patternmaking knowledge and experience has traditionally been passed down from generation to generation. In the past, patternmakers have had a relatively low level of education, making it inefficient for them to communicate with designers, Lau said.

Some fashion companies buy patterns from European counterparts, but European and Chinese people often have different measurements, he said.

Istituto Secoli, which also provides training to big-name European fashion houses, has taught more than 80,000 students since it was founded in 1934. It is a champion of the belief, typical to the Italian fashion industry, that creative ideas must be translated into perfectly thought-through well-crafted products.

As the only overseas campus of the school, the Guangzhou branch houses 10 students aged 18 to 26, with capacity for 30 more. Classes started in October. The Chinese partners of the campus include the Guangdong Association of Garment and Garment Article Industry, Guangdong Fashion Designers Association and Guangzhou Textile Exchange Park.

Guangzhou is a prime location for the campus because the surrounding province hosts much of China's garment industry, the most fashion brands, the largest apparel industrial chain and the most fashion designers, Lau said.