Norwalk fashion school launched
NORWALK — RED Fashion School, Connecticut’s first accredited fashion design certificate program, is coming to Norwalk.
RED, which is an acronym for “research, educate, design,” is slated to open its doors on Jan. 2 for its first class of students in a 15-month program.
“Students will work hands-on to design, market and produce their own fashion collection, while learning the entire vertical design process — including sample room production and sales,” said a statement from New England Fashion+Design Association.
Irina Simeonova founded NEF+DA in 2006, the statement said, and Norwalk’s incoming fashion school.
“(It’s) an organization based in South Norwalk that offers fashion design education to children and adults — which ultimately provided the inspiration for launching RED,” the statement said.
RED is geared toward students pursuing careers in fashion who want to be designers, stylists, fashion illustrators, trend forecasters and prospective designers using CLO, a three-dimensional virtual design software.
“Students will also work alongside established fashion professionals to explore their creative talents and personal style, while building the necessary skills to launch their own brand or work in a fashion house,” the statement said.
Simeonova, who has been featured during New York Fashion Week and on French television, according to the statement, said that students need to be able to rebound in the industry quickly after certification.
“After 17 (plus) years of working with talented design students, I recognize the need for an intensive, fastpaced program focused on the skills to gain employment or transition back into the workforce quickly afterward,” she said. “Whether that means launching your own fashion brand or working with a major label.”
According to her LinkedIn profile, Simeonova has taught at the Parsons School of Design at The New School in
Manhattan since 2003.
The RED school will help students close the employment gap after graduation, Simeonova said.
“Our new Fashion Design Certificate at RED helps fill this void, while redefining fashion design education through a unique vertical education model that focuses on Research, Education and Design,” she said in the statement, engaging the school’s namesake focus.
The school will fortify the artistic community in Norwalk, Simeonova said in the statement.
“RED is poised to elevate educational offerings within our region while injecting fresh talent and collaborative endeavors into the local community,” she said.
She emphasized community engagement and partnerships.
“We’re dedicated to bolstering new and existing businesses by empowering our graduates to stay in the area, thereby fostering increased manufacturing and cultural enrichment within our city of Norwalk and the surrounding areas,” the school’s founder said.