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Williamsburg School Hosts Its First United Colors of Fashion Seminar
By Ada Onuegbe
IS 318 in Williamsburg hosted a four-day United Colors of Fashion (UCOF) seminar last week. Customized for prospective students, Vice President of Fashion Education Michael Palladino lead the students through a condensed version of the non-profit’s course, Fashion 360. Topics such as fashion history, terminology, career paths and marketing were covered over the daily three-hour period, which ran from July 20th through July 23rd. The grades of the students ranged from two recent middle school graduates about to enter high school through middle school age. The seminar was hosted with the support of Principal Windley and the IS 318 staff.
IS 318 teacher Kathryn Archipolo attended the week long seminar. Kathryn shared her thoughts, saying, “We found Mr. Palladino’s drive and passion for the fashion industry to be innovative and contagious. Both my students and I were enthralled by his shared wisdom and personal experiences. Michael’ s funny wit made learning easy and natural.” She complemented the seminar’s hands-on project. “My students loved designing their final projects, ‘Developing Their Own Brand’. Students attending the seminar created their own personal branding boards during the interactive seminar. The students were asked to visualize personal choices to create a board that reflected their personality, likes and personally important values. “The students learned a lot about themselves as well as their classmates. I too, learned things about my students that would not have normally come out through conversation. They all have a unique story that should be shared with others.”
Many of the students who attended the preview seminar plan to register for UCOF’s fall program, which will be offered at IS 318. Archipolo reiterated her support for the Fashion Education Seminar. “I am so delighted to have the United Colors of Fashion, UCOF, partnered with The NYC Board of Education. This program affords the opportunity for students to develop skills, leadership, discipline and a once in a lifetime opportunity to pre-plan their futures. As an educator, I totally love the idea of empowering our children and encouraging them to be the best they could be. We look forward to working with Mr. Palladino and his staff this upcoming year.”
The UCOF Fashion Education program is offered to NYC Middle and High School students within the NYC area. The program is free to all students and is offered on site by trained staff and industry professionals. The program teaches students about the career opportunities in fashion while stressing the importance of their academic studies.
If you are interested in hosting United Colors of Fashion at your school, please contact Michael Palladino, our VP of Fashion Education at michael@unitedcolorsoffashion.org. Information about the Fashion Education Program can be found here.
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