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The School of Fashion Design, a 90-year-old institution, has tapped Jennifer Leclerc as executive director.
After first working with the Massachusetts school as a consultant in 2009, she said she immediately fell in love with the school, the staff and the creativity of the students. Leclerc was impressed by the values the school brings to the fine art of handmade garments and said there was nothing like it in the area so it “just stayed.”
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Leclerc, who most recently served as deputy director, said her role has evolved over the years. She officially begins her new position next month and will succeed Jim Hannon, who is now director of operations and compliance. Fashion is constantly changing and the school also recognizes these changes. “In a post-pandemic environment, the student community and our learning expectations have changed,” Leclerc said.
The School of Fashion Design attracts a broad demographic of students and welcomes many young students seeking an alternative to a four-year degree, as well as older adults seeking to change careers. Dedicated to the artistry of handmade garments, the school added computer-aided design decades ago and now offers 3D design, updated some of the changes in professional development, and added online courses. Looking forward to the next 10 years, the vocational training program will remain the core of the school, but workshops will be offered for fashion and design enthusiasts as well as home sewers to build community. In her hometown of Melrose, Massachusetts, Leclerc founded the Melrose Arts Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to arts advocacy and outreach.
The private nonprofit organization, which has been based in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood for its 90-year history, has between 50 and 55 students each semester. In response to the changing economy and workforce demands, it became a non-profit organization in 1955 and was renamed the Modern School of Fashion Design.
The 20-course certificate curriculum is shorter than a four-year program and costs $1,335 per class. All of the school’s scholarships are privately funded by independent donors, including some alumni. As the only school in New England dedicated exclusively to apparel design and manufacturing, Leclerc said there are four levels of design and pattern making alone. “This deep technical expertise is what we are truly known for. When our students graduate from this program, they will know how to make anything,” she said.
Some alumni from New Balance, Puma, TJX Cos., Tracksmith, Wolverine Worldwide and other brands with corporate headquarters or major hubs in Boston have stayed locally to work. The city has a “remarkably robust” costume design job market for costumes for film and television – in part because of Boston’s tax incentives for the film industry, Leclerc said. Alumni can be divided into three professional camps: they work for large companies, work in costume design or work in their own start-ups.
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