STAFFORD — If there’s one thing Marie King wants for her fashion design students, it’s to be successful. And they can’t do that without a firm footing in business.
That’s why this fashion design expert has included business courses and activities in the diploma program that was recently awarded approval by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the Commonwealth’s coordinating body for higher education.
LoK Institute, which had its ribbon cutting March 20, is a private, single-campus vocational school in Stafford where King and her staff will teach adults the art and business of fashion design.
The new institute will add 1,500 square feet and two employees to the existing LoK Fashion Academy, which offers courses in fashion design, but not a higher education diploma. Both the Academy and the Institute aim to prepare students for college, as well as a direct career entry.
King said she launched the Institute because she discovered many of her high school and academy students had the interest but not the money to attend a fashion design school in New York or other area seen as an industry hub.
“I saw a need for this kind of education in this area in Stafford,” said King, who has been in the fashion design world for more than 25 years. “I started off doing after-school programs and had kids getting out out high school wanting to go into the industry. I decided to take it further to offer a full program.”
Catering to clients, King’s students specialize in creating handcrafted, customized clothing and window treatments. Now these students have a local option to continue their education, one that is grounded in the art and science of fashion design, but also business.
“I also teach them business so they know how to succeed in the fashion industry,” King said.
The formal business curriculum comes towards the end of the fourth and final quarter of the two-year diploma program. Consulting and management are key components, as is putting together a professional portfolio. Students can also get hands-on business experience through LoK by handling sales and tuxedo rentals. King said job placement will be available to diploma graduates.
Classes at LoK Institute start August 20, but open enrollment has already begun. King said the school, located at 60 Susa Dr # 107 in Stafford, is able to offer some financial aid and is hoping to develop a scholarship program. Total cost for the two-year program is $26,000.
