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Portland Fashion Institute is a nationally accredited private nonprofit career institute of higher learning and Portland’s only accredited fashion design college.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!  JANUARY 17 & 18.  PFI FABRIC & PATTERN SWAP.  WINTER COAT DRIVE TOO!  CLICK LINK FOR DETAILS

Chanel vs Dior and the history of fashion

When it comes to success, sometimes timing is everything. Connections help too.

Such is the case with Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and Christian Dior. Both are featured in the somewhat fictional streaming show “The New Look” as rivals. Who won their contest? Let’s take a look.

Chanel worked her way up from learning to sew in an orphanage to an entertainer and cocotte (kept woman) to mistress of a wealthy cavalry officer. Between him and her next paramour, a polo player, she adopted a sporting life and began wearing clothes suitable for the upperclass equestrian set.

These wealthy men sponsored, first, her hatmaking ideas, then her sporty clothing designs. The timing was perfect. It was World War I. Women were moving into the work place and needed practical clothes. The fine fabrics of the previous Belle Epoque were hard to find. Chanel used the only fabric readily available, knit jersey used to make underwear, and turned it into a line of easy to wear dresses.

Her sponsors helped her promote her designs and took her to resorts where her boutiques could command high prices. Her next set of rich lovers helped her buy her landmark boutique, 31 rue Cambon, in Paris and develop her real money maker, Chanel No 5 perfume.

She was credited with creating the boyish look of the cardigan jacket and short skirt. But Jean Patou and Paul Poiret created much the same before her. She was credited for the little black dress. But other designers were moving black from funerals to evening wear before her. It was her connections that got her on the 1926 Vogue magazine and made the LBD a “uniform for all women of taste”.

With World War II, she closed her shops, moved to the Hotel Ritz and began an affair with a Nazi. Her collaboration forced her to move to Switzerland at the end of the war. She lost her sponsors. Her moment was over.

Enter Christian Dior.

The era of wartime rationing and boyish looks was over. The desire to wear yards of fabric in feminine silhouettes had begun. His moment had arrived. It was called the New Look.

As a dress designer for, first, Robert Piguet then Lucien Lelong, he too had designed for Nazi wives but he was not the collaborator Chanel had been. After all, we are all creatures of the time in which we live.

After the war, with the backing of a wealthy textile manufacturer, he launched his own brand with a first collection of 90 garments that landed him on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. His designs led Paris and, thus, world fashion for the next ten years.

Chanel was not ready to give up the fight. She reasoned that women wanted to breathe. Not every woman wanted to wear a tight girdle with a nipped in waist and padded bra. With her perfume fortune and her connections at Vogue magazine, she came back in 1954 with her trademark boxy cardigan jacket and straight skirt.

So who won?

In 1957, three years after the return of Chanel, Christian Dior died of a sudden heart attack. But just two years before, he had chosen a 19-year-old protegè to replace him. Timing is everything. That person was Yves St Laurent, often considered France’s best fashion designer. Under his leadership, Dior became an international brand with 245 boutiques worldwide. The brand is now owned by LVMH and chaired by Bernard Arnault.

In 1971, Chanel died. Shortly after, established designer Karl Lagerfeld took over as creative director. Chanel is now owned by the Wertheimer Corporation who had the good timing to purchase rights to Chanel No 5 when it was first created in the 1920s. There are 310 Chanel boutiques worldwide.

So in the end, both won.

Thanks to good timing and connections, both Chanel and Dior drive our sense of fashion more than century after they first began designing.

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Want more? Here are all the things Chanel & Dior knew to do — and where we have a few spots left in our Spring 2024 design classes.

History of Fashion
Tuesdays, April 16-May 21, 6-9 pm
Meet who-is-who in the fashion world and do a little name-dropping.

Adobe Illustration
Weds, April 17-July 3, 6-9 pm
Express yourself and your fashion ideas the modern way — with the right digital tools.

Concept & Development
Thursdays, April 18-July 11, 6-9 pm
Create a cohesive idea so you can start patterning and sewing your collection.

Flats & Techs
Mon, April 15-July 8, 6-9 pm
Get down to the details in your illustrations so you can give specific directions for making your garments.

Innovative Design
Wednesdays, April 17-July 3, 6-9 pm
Break through the boring and stretch your mind create to innovative, wearable silhouettes. Now you are ready to show your results in a fashion event.

Materials Development
Wednesdays, April 17-May 22, 6-9 pm
Don’t be stuck with someone else’s ideas. Learn how to invent, create and use your own fabrics and findings.

Graphic Design
Tuesdays, April 16-May 21, 6-9 pm
Manipulate color, artwork, images and fonts to make your own designs for fabric prints and everything else you need for your fashion business.

Pants & Jeans
Wednesdays, April 17-May 22, 2-5 pm
Chanel made pants. So can you. Choose your pattern: jeans, flares, high-rise or low-rise and learn how to fit and sew it to suit your style.

Classes start mid April.

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What classes do you offer?

For class offerings for fun, download our Class Flyer

Or if you are interested in a Career Path, you can download our class catelog:

For class offerings for fun, download our Class Flyer

No. We were founded to offer both “Classes for Fun. Classes for Careers.” Whether you take one class or several or pursue a diploma, our mission is to give you real skills and real world knowledge.

Yes, contact info@pfi.edu to set up an appointment.

No student housing. But there are several apartments close by and more are being built every day. For your search, focus on rentals available in zip codes 97212-97215 and 97232. Portland is a very walkable town. Many ride bikes or use BikeTown rentals. PFI is also located near mass transit, 7 blocks north of the Hollywood Max station or 1 block north of the #12 bus stop at 43rd & Sandy. There are many restaurants, bistros and grocery stores in our neighborhood.

No. With a “class for fun”, unless you have applied for a career program or filled out the continuing education form and paid fees, you are registering for a non-credit class(es) at Portland Fashion Institute for the beginning dates, ending dates, clock hours and costs as listed on the webpage. Your attendance will be monitored, but your projects will not be evaluated and you will not get a grade. You also agree that you have read and understand PFI’s Cancellation, Refund & Student Conduct Policy.

We are apparel people teaching apparel people. You learn from professionals. All of our instructors have apparel industry experience and are employed in the industry. We teach techniques used in the apparel industry. You can take classes whether you are pursuing a career, continuing your education or just want to take one class.

Yes- in the summer July/August. Please subscribe to our newsletter (the form is at the bottom of the homepage) so you will get notified when registration opens for future classes. Summer kids classes are very popular and fill up fast – so act fast.

For those enrolled in one of PFI’s diploma programs, please refer to your enrollment agreement. For others, refunds are available until 48 hours before class start; 24 hours before open sewing or a private lesson starts.  Contact info@pfi.edu  Cancellation policy for Optitex class:  No refunds after one week before class starts. No refunds or transfers after class, open sewing or private lesson starts. Please don’t forfeit your fees! Please let us know if you can’t come so someone else can use that class or lesson time.

For hands-on classes: We prefer you do your work in class. That can save a lot of seam ripping. If you do work between classes, be sure you have clear instruction from your teacher. For lecture classes: You may be asked to do research online to present in your next class. You may even be asked to go shopping!

When students miss a class, they are welcome to register for a Private Lesson or Open Sewing to catch up on their work. You can find both of these options under the Classes For Fun tab on the PFI website.

hen seeking a refund, please send your original transaction id or receipt for the given class. People use different names, e-mails and credit cards. Having the transaction id or receipt gets us to the right registration. Without the transaction id or receipt we may refund someone with a similar name. Purchaser gets an automatic notice as soon as they register for a class and as soon as they get a refund. Our standards are the same as those used by most any retailer. Per the credit card company, no refunds after 180 days from date of purchase. We would keep your purchase on file for use on another day up to one year from date of purchase.

e offer career services for those who enroll in a full programs. More than 80 percent have gone into internships and jobs in the apparel industry and are working for companies from independent designers to major corporations. Of the remainder, some have started their own retail stores or started their own clothing lines. A very few have gone into film and theater. To see some of our graduates, visit the PFI Alumni page.

Portland hosts 41 apparel manufacturers. Companies range from adidas, Columbia Sportswear and Nike to smaller companies such as Hanna Andersson, Jantzen/Perry Ellis, Kroger and Pendleton. All are invited to our career days, portfolio shows and graduate runway shows. Since members of our advisory board and our instructors are hiring managers, they attend and hire from these events or just by knowing the students. It’s been said that Portland is number three in the nation for apparel manufacturing.

Yes. We take Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover. We also take payment over the phone and by check. Find out more about financing a certificate program by contacting registrar@pfi.edu

PFI doesn’t offer loans. It isn’t supported by taxpayer dollars so it doesn’t yet have access to financial aid. Now that it is accredited, it is applying for Title IV eligibility. What PFI does accept:

— Payment from employers such a Nike, Columbia Sportswear, Hanna Anderson, Pendleton and the many other employers in the Greater Portland area.

— Payments from such places as WorkSource, Workforce, IRCO and Mercy Corps.

— Payment Plan information for full-time diploma program enrollees:

Bottom line: We keep our class fees affordable.

We do expect that the US Department of Education will soon approve PFI for Title IV eligibility. PFI would be able to issue 1099T tax forms to enrollees after that.

Classes must have a minimum of six students. During COVID, sewing classes have a maximum of eight. Patternmaking classes have a maximum of six. On-line classes have a maximum of twenty.

4301 NE Tillamook, Portland, OR
1 block north of NE 43rd & Sandy
BUS: #12 bus
MAX: 7 blocks from the Hollywood MAX station

Monday-Friday: 10 am-9 pm; Saturday, 10 am-5 pm. We take breaks between classes, during the holidays and the months of December and August. Be sure to check with us before coming over during those times.

Level 1 Help Desk (info@pfi.edu)
Technical issues with Populi
Issues with Zoom
Issues with Email Setup

Registrar (registrar@pfi.edu – or call (971) 801-7199)
Issues with Classes/Schedules
Financial Questions
Questions about transcripts

Director (director@pfi.edu or call the school @ (503) 927-5457)
Issues with Staff
Issues with the Building/Security
Issues with Internships/Graduation

PFI’s Online Learning Fee includes costs associated with administration, online class support, non-traditional course formats, and technology support. PFI charges per course or series rather than per credit (as is the cases with most institutions and colleges).

No emotional support animals are allowed in the buildings. PFI does not want to trigger other students’ or guests’ allergies that could be caused by the proximity of animals, or pet hair or dander infiltrating the fabric in the supply store.

Per the Americans with Disabilities Act and Oregon’s Service Animal Law, neither the Americans with Disabilities Act nor Oregon’s Service Animal Law includes what some people call “therapy” or “emotional support animals”. These ESA animals provide a sense of safety, companionship and comfort to those with psychiatric or emotional disabilities or conditions. Although ESA animals often have therapeutic benefits, they are not individually trained to perform specific tasks for their handlers. Under the ADA and Oregon law, owners of public accommodations are not required to allow ESA, only service animals.

PFI cannot ask about a person’s disability or demand to see proof of the animal’s training but PFI can ask what tasks it performs for the person, such as these examples under the ADA:
– Hearing dogs, which alert their handlers to important sounds, such as alarms and doorbells.
– Guide dogs, which help those who are visually impaired to navigate safely.
– Psychiatric service animals, which help those with mental or emotional disabilities by, for example, interrupting self-harming behaviors, reminding handlers to take medication, checking spaces for intruders, or providing calming pressure during anxiety or panic attacks.
– Seizure alert animals, which let their handlers know of impending seizures, and may also guard their handlers during seizure activity.
– Allergen alert animals, which let their handlers know of foods that could be dangerous (such as peanuts).

Under the ADA, a service animal is a dog that has been individually trained to perform tasks or do work for the benefit of a person with a disability. Oregon law uses the same definition, but uses the term assistance animals rather than service animals. Under the ADA and Oregon law, owners of public accommodations are not required to allow ESA, only service animals.

Unlike service animals, ESAs are not automatically allowed in commercial businesses and businesses have the right to accept or deny ESAs.

PFI is not required to allow ESAs into PFI buildings. If a student has a service animal, we ask 48 hours notice before allowing the animal into PFI buildings in order to notify other students and guests who may have concerns.

PFI prohibits discrimination against and among its customers, employees and students on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or whether all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program.

Its conduct policy is part of its policy manual and is in line with standards set by Oregon and national regulatory agencies. It is posted online here.

Yes. We have suggested amounts on-line. But you can purchase them over the phone, by mail or e-mail or in person for any amount you wish. Gift certificates are good for one year from date of purchase and are redeemable for classes or items from the supply store. For more, go to Gift Certificates.

Yes, we have a supply store. We sell fabric plus zippers, buttons, thread and other notions. Our prices are low because of our low overhead. We offer a 20 percent discount to current students. Hours for our supply store are on their website: portlandfashionsupply.com/