That and more is now possible in Westport for those who have discovered Ellen Gang, a career fashion designer with an established toe-hold in the cyclic world of the fashion industry for more than 35 years. Long a fixture in the industry, Gang has also started her own successful company, Once Upon a Pillow, creating personalized gifts, Judaica and scarves.
Ellen Gang's home studio, filled to the brim with color and flash, seems like the friendliest and most inviting place on earth, especially as she begins to describe the classes and challenges she has created for girls 11 to 18 who come to learn about fashion design, and leave with a buoyant creative spirit, a host of completed projects, and last but not least, a connection to the girls they learn with and the teacher who makes it all seem really challenging and fun.
"The possibilities are endless. The kids have so much potential. It all depends on how you direct it," Ellen says, in her studio surrounded by thousands of intricate tools of her trade, bolts of fabric, swatches, buttons, bows, ribbons, comfortable working tables, design books, and hundreds and hundreds of photos of the work done by her students, all arranged, labeled and accessible to the 11-18 year-olds who come to learn about the world of fashion and design.
It all started with an after-school class for middle school students interested in learning about fashion design. Then Ellen expanded to a summer camp program taking girls to exciting fashion venues. She also works individually with high school girls who want to prepare that all-important portfolio necessary to gain entrance to colleges like Fashion Institute of Technology where she also teaches, or Parsons School of Design, where a body of competent work is necessary to gain admission. Her students love her, and she is now teaching more classes to more girls, with another new mission in her life-long career, to teach the girls the challenges of fashion design in a warm, nurturing environment.
The girls are totally engaged, creating projects they never dreamed would look so fabulous, from creating their own clothing, to fabulous totes to gift pillows uniquely personalized and designed to please a loved one in their lives. The list of design projects goes on and on, limited only by the imagination of the teacher, who can create a project from almost anything. She pulls out a few raw materials - aluminum foil scraps, pieces of carpeting, cellophane, cupcake holders, a multitude of ordinary objects which can be used in a design challenge. "They have to stick to the challenge and be creative. It's hard, but they surprise themselves and they do it."
For middle school girls, projects include designing and sewing sun dresses, turning old blue jeans into pleated jean skirts, laminating tote bags with grommets and handles, making pajama pants, portfolio cases and small handbags. The middle schoolers originally signed up for a six-week class which met once a week last year, but ended up continuing throughout the year.
"They all wanted more," said Ellen. "So now we are in our second year, and I may start another class because more people want to come."
High school girls get even tougher design challenges, some even creating their own prom dresses, but all in the spirit of learning and fun. The pressure so famously captured on television and in the media is absent from the classes Ellen teaches.
In fact, the growing interest in her classes is a tribute to Ellen Gang, who for years taught elements of design, draping, and pattern-making at Gibbs College and now teaches at FIT, and is known for her creative abilities and her warm personality and her love of kids.
"She is one of Westport's hidden treasures," said Joni Usdan, a friend, mother of teen girls and realtor in town. "We have quite a few in Westport, but not very many are as modest in terms of their talents and accomplishments."
Part of the learning process includes day trips inside the world of fashion. This week Ellen took a group to New York City to witness a photo shoot at a real photography studio, replete with real models, real lights and cameras, a makeup artist and all the pressure that goes along with getting it right.
She's already taken the group to the offices of Teen Vogue and Glamour Magazine for an insider's look there. They have gone to a variety of museums, factories, and vintage clothing shops, all fun venues where they get the real scoop on the fashion world.
"I just want them to experience the joy of design. Some are drawn to fashion, some like to sketch. I teach them how to sew, how to use an inspiration in design, how to sketch it, execute it on paper, and talk about their inspiration."
Students can research their concepts, or look for inspiration in the fashion and design books or fashion magazines in Ellen's library that date back decades. Or they can be futuristic, consider green technology or convert trash to treasure, or draw inspiration from the world using themes from architecture, nature, the Olympics, even the presidential election.
"Some of the students come because they are really interested in fashion, some come because they love to sew or draw or love to be creative. In class they bond as they create something together. The girls blossom. It is so gratifying. They become friends, and they are so proud of themselves. I get to open their eyes. A lot of things are magical for them. Hearing them talk about it makes my day."
For more information, or to view the studio by appointment, contact Ellen Gang by phone at 222-1717, or by email ellensgang@gmail.com.