Andrea Salazar
Joanne Swift
Fashion Design

Andrea comes to China directly from the New York City fashion scene, where she obtained a bachelors degree from the world-famous Fashion Institute of Technology and also completed a two-year design program at the renowned Parson's School of Design.  In addition to her impressive academic credentials, Andrea has accumulated a broad range of industry experience over the course of the last eight years.  Beginning in New York city in the areas of technical design and production, tech-pack design and coordination, and as assistant to the COO and VP of Textile Design at some of New York's leading fashion houses (Fubu Inc., H. Warshow and Sons, and Elie Tahari LLC), Andrea has acquired first-hand experience in nearly every facet of the industry, including merchandising, trim, technical design, and production, as well as sales, QC, and warehousing, and has mastered a diverse repertoire of skills, including draping, garment construction, sourcing, quality control, trend research, flat- and free-hand sketching, design, styling, and more.

Transitioning to the China market about two years ago, Andrea was contracted by Kunshan Textile Company to design and market garments for brands such as FILA, Reebok, Daniel Hetcher, Adidas, Puma, Mizuno, and Elle, and was directly responsible for forecasting, design, new brand launch, logo and catalogue design, overseeing marketing for the U.S., and for coordinating the R&D, textile, and manufacturing departments on various projects.

Andrea's interest in fashion began when she was a little girl, creating and constructing costumes for her Barbie dolls at age six and her own life-size clothing by age eight.  As a young teen, Andrea followed her calling into the fashion industry by enrolling in New York City's High School of Fashion Industries and attending other fashion-related classes on weekends, including the well-known Cooper Union Saturday Program.  Andrea is a genuine and easy-going person with a true passion for sharing knowledge with others.  She has taught a broad range of fashion courses at Raffles LaSalle Intl. Design College here in Shanghai, including courses in men's wear, women's wear, pattern drafting, and sewing technique.


Joanne Swift brings an extraordinary wealth of textile and fashion experience with her into the classroom.  She holds both a double bachelor’s degree in fine arts and textile design, and a master’s degree in textile design, from Otemae University, home to many of Japans top textile designers.  Currently, Joanne is engaged as a print designer for Addict, one of Japan’s leading fashion-design firms (some of whose designs can be found in this month’s – April, 06 –  issue of Elle Magazine).  Joanne’s career in fashion spans the past decade and has included positions as designer, stylist, and brand marketer for such diverse clients as Louis Vuitton and Kappa.  Joanne has lectured on fashion and textile design throughout Germany and Switzerland, and more recently as full-time lecturer of both fashion design and fashion marketing at Raffles International College in Ningbo.  Joanne is a unique instructor, coupling a profound knowledge of the fashion industry with a down-to-earth, hands-on attitude and teaching style.  Her passion for sharing knowledge and her dedication toward her students is evident in everything she does.

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.For detailed information, please feel free to contact one of our program coordinators: Telephone: 8580 3111  EMAIL: info@beijing-classes.com
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