Mays Chapel Resident Brings Couture to Greater Baltimore Area

When Ella Pritsker first began creating dresses at her Maryland home, her only goal was survival. 

Pritsker, a 43-year-old Mays Chapel resident, came to the state in 1990 as an emigre from Russia. Soon after arriving, she became a single mother charged with the care of her young son. 

"It was difficult," she said. "I had to do whatever I could do. I had no other choice. But every experience that I have brought me closer to the person I am today."

Despite the hardship, Pritsker was thankful she had her dressmaking skills to fall back on. Prior to moving to the United States, she held apprenticeships with designers and tailors from Russia, Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

"That was when I was truly inspired," she said.

Using not much more than a sewing machine, Pritsker began creating custom dresses at her home, which caught the attention of Michael Bearman, owner of A Fabric Place, a North Baltimore designer fabric store.  

"I thought she did good work," Bearman said. 

Bearman soon began referring customers to her. And as word spread about her work, Pritsker's business soared. 

Over the years, however, she noticed more and more people were becoming interested in the dressmaking process, whether they were hoping to break into the fashion industry or simply wanted to create clothes for themselves that fit well.

"There are people with longer torsos or wider hips, and manufactured clothes don't fit them as well," Pritsker said. 

So in 2009, she opened the Maryland Academy of Couture Arts, a fashion design school in Timonium for "couturiers" of all ages and experience levels. 

"Couture is high-end sewing," she said. "The clothing is usually one-of-a-kind. There won't be another piece like it."

She has taught students from ages 9 to 80. Some have had no experience and others were

"The classes are project-based," Pritsker said. "In each project, students learn many skills that can be applied to so many different projects."

For example, her "Beginner Couturier: Skirt" class teaches students basic sewing skills, fitting techniques and fabric selection.

"A lot of our classes are full," Pritsker said. "The support from the community has been great. There's a maximum of six students per class and they get a lot of personal attention. And, our curriculum is expanding to meet their needs" 

Rosemary Epperson, an instructor at the academy who was once a student of Pritsker's, came to the school to learn advanced techniques for clothing she could make for herself.

"I learned sewing from relatives and home economics classes, when they had those," she said. "I knew some standard patterns."

Epperson, who recently retired after 30 years managing a bookstore at , has since learned to create more intricate designs.

"My clothes now look handmade not homemade," she said. 

Pritsker said anyone with a strong passion for fashion can be successful. 

"If you have a strong desire and work ethic, that's all you need," she said. 

Pritsker is also a co-founder of the Baltimore Fashion Alliance, a networking group founded in 2010 for those interested in the industry, and has a internship program for City Neighbors High School students. 

And although she came to Maryland under difficult circumstances, Pritsker has grown fond of the state.

"We have all four seasons here," she said. "I love Maryland, I love Baltimore, and I love crab cakes."