A Passion For Fashion: Fashion Week Comes To Swampscott

Dressed in slim black pants, heeled gold shoes, and a black top with a tiny hint of leopard, Professor Andrea York of is an elegant and enthusiastic spokesperson for her profession.

Fashion has an enormous amount of control over our culture, says York, so it is no surprise that a lot of “high school students are interested in fashion. But, they have no idea what that means.”

York aims to change that with the launching of a week-long Fashion Institute, to be run this summer at Marian Court College.

“Anything you buy in a store is because a merchant thought you would like it,” she said.

The journey of a design idea as it travels its way to becoming an item in a store is what the fashion industry is all about.

She explains: a beautifully designed article of clothing is “a piece of art” until someone buys it and hangs it in their closet. Thus, “fashion is a business.”

It is a business York clearly loves, and she has planned a hands-on experience to share her knowledge and passion, modeled after the courses she teaches at Marian Court College, to introduce high school students to this billion dollar industry.

The week-long event will be a sampling of real world fashion jobs.

Skinny jeans? Shoulder pads? Students will learn about fashion trends and how to predict them.

They will study sustainable fashion and create their own recycled-repurposed outfit.

They will look at retail business, meet with buyers and recreate the experience of running a store, choosing what to sell, at what price.

And, once the store is set up, they will figure out how to entice people to buy, which is more than dressing mannequins and filling a window, although that’s part of it, York says.

The week will culminate in a student-run Fashion Show.

A fulltime professor at Marian Court, York also comes armed with a degree in Textile Studies from Syracuse University, and has worked as a buyer and a merchandise controller for the Hills and Bradlees department store giants.

York emphasizes real world connections as well; her Marian Court students recently met with designers Hugo Boss and Betsy Hilfiger.

Perhaps most importantly, York can relate to her students. Growing up, she says, “My father was a nuclear physicist, my mother trained as a lawyer, and my brothers went into law and finance.”

York was different.

“I loved clothes, and have always loved fashion,” she said.

Her family, although supportive, “thought fashion meant standing behind a cash register. They had no idea what was involved, how intricate, how exciting, how many details and jobs there are in the industry,” York said.

The Marian Court College Fashion Institute, taught by Professor Andrea York, will be offered to those from 15-18 years old, for the week of July 17-23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $350 for the course, plus $50 for materials.

Lunch is provided. Enrollment is limited to ensure a hands-on experience.

For more information and to enroll, contact the college at 781-309-5200.