SUPPORT US
Portland Fashion Institute is a 501(c)3 nationally accredited private non-profit career institute of higher learning. It is Oregon’s only accredited fashion design school.
WHAT WE DO
PFI aims to be the best education center for apparel in the USA. Our teachers work in apparel. Our goal is to exceed expectations while giving students a fun and rewarding experience. That holds whether you pursue a career certificate or take just one or two classes for fun.
VISION
To support Portland, Oregon as a market center for the apparel industry.
WHAT WE VALUE
Fashion education for the nation
• Turning creative dreams into creative careers
• Supporting a debt free education #schoolwithoutdebt #studentwithoutdebt
• Promoting a progressive & ethical industry
• Supporting diversity, inclusion & accessibility
• Real skills, real jobs, real world knowledge
If you believe in our vision and values, you can help us grow. With your donation, you can contribute to PFI’s:
— Building fund. Help us create the Portland Apparel Center with up-to-date classrooms, innovative design labs, a production center, dormitories for new students and exhibit space so students, graduates and industry leaders can showcase their design skills.
— Fashion Design Scholarship. Each year PFI awards talented high school seniors scholarships to give them the skills to launch their careers. To date, 10 winners have used the award to study and work not only in Portland but in New York and London.
Thanks to your kind donation, you will be noted on our sponsor page unless you would like this gift to remain anonymous. All donations, bequests, transfers and gift are tax-deductible.
BRIAN FOSTER ENDOWMENT
Brian Girod Foster passed away peacefully at his home on July 2, 2021 after a courageous battle with a rare form of cancer. Brian had the gift of making others feel included. His generosity, creativity, and kindness touched the lives of hundreds of friends and community members.
Brian’s talents were as endless as his generous heart was. He cultivated many passions, including music and dressmaking. He designed and sewed many one-of-a-kind gowns, quilts, and costumes for his friends, family, and local theatre groups and studied couture seriously for over three decades. He came by his interests in sewing and fashion at a very early age, learning from his mother Anne G. Foster, who taught home economics at Portland Community College for more than 30 years. Through her, Brian developed a keen eye for fabric choices and garment construction techniques.
In the mid-1990s, Brian started attending workshops and classes held by a local sewing group to grow his already considerable talents and knowledge for sewing. There, he became good friends with Sharon Blair. When Sharon told Brian about her plans for Portland Fashion Institute, Brian was thrilled. He believed in Sharon’s vision and drive for this school. Until his untimely death, Brian was a strong advocate and supporter of PFI and its internationally talented student body.
Your generous gift to the Brian Foster Foundation Endowment will support the talents of aspiring designers for years to come and keep the vision alive for PFI’s Foundation to build an expanded and much needed new facility for the school and its students.
