Professional handbag designer Jennifer Siletski of Springfield always enjoyed sharing her passion for fashion design with her daughter as the two created projects together in their home. Fast forward 20 years and Siletski has combined her love for fashion and instructing and is owner and director of the New York Fashion Accessories Camp (NYFAC).
Siletski has now expanded the school’s offerings to include a New York Fashion Accessories Camp (NYFAC) in the heart of Manhattan’s Fashion District, as well as a special camp held at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston in the summer of 2017.
Siletski’s curated staff, professional curriculum and college-level/AP portfolio development set her apart from other elite programs. She sets high standards for herself, resulting in a high-quality education. Jennifer is a mentor to all her students, helping many enter elite colleges and design schools. From acceptances to their college of first choice and through their career launch and development, many began with job placements and internships through this program. A partial list of internships and job placements include LFUSA, The Frye Co., Nanette Lepore, Mundi Westport, Manolucci, XOXO, Cynthia Steffe and Michael Kors. Career counseling and advisement are also available to campers.
Industry mentors work in small tutorials with students in Siletski’s signature program, accessories design, as well as fashion design/illustration, fine arts, interior design, textile design, photography, pattern making and jewelry design. Classes are uniquely tailored to meet the requirements of leading art and design colleges and specific departments at FIT, the Fashion Institute of Technology.
From concept to completion in a tutorial setting, each student will refine the skill set for AP college-level portfolio development. Private classes may be arranged with additional time available during the school year for students who complete and excel in our rigorous curriculum.
The New York Fashion Accessories Camp is unique, said Siletski, because it is the only camp in the tri-state area where teens ages 14-18 learn pattern-making skills for handbags and shoes and takes campers from concept to finished product. By the end of the one-week program, each student will make a new handbag and pair of shoes that they can take home with them.
“Campers spend their mornings in intensive hands-on studio classes, working alongside master craftspeople and professionals in the handbag and shoe industries,” Siletski explained. “The afternoons will be spent experiencing the industry firsthand. To achieve the program’s goals, campers are taken from concept to finished product that includes execution, illustration and, most importantly, patternmaking on a par with the leading fashion colleges in NYC.”
Interested students will be selected via interview for the premier portfolio camp program designed for those seeking a career in fashion, photography and design.
Open houses are scheduled at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, located at 110 South Orange Avenue in Livingston, New Jersey, on Sunday, November 13, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. and Sunday, December 4, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Classes are available for beginners, as well as those with intermediate and advanced portfolios.
The cost is $1495 per week, including materials and kosher lunch daily. Register by December 4 and receive the early-bird 20 percent discount with a deposit of $300.
For more information, please contact Siletski at 973-564-8792 or visit the website at http://nyfashionaccessoriescamp.com/about.html.
