Just a disclaimer: these are my own experiences and if you have a problem with that please contact my assistant, Strax at 1800-DOG-ASSIST thank you.
Taf.tc is a sizeable fashion design school here, and they offer everything from the full diploma to short courses. I started taking these courses in May this year and by then I had been sewing for about 3 or so months. Most of these courses were online due to the pandemic and I took these classes from taf.tc Singapore.
- Beginner Sewing and Drafting (online)
- Intermediate Sewing and Drafting (online)
- Women’s jacket making (in person)
And these theory classes, although I will be focusing on the practical classes.
- Search engine optimisation (online)
- Sourcing, Costing and Tracking (online)
Having just finished my jacket making class on Friday, I don’t think I’ll be taking anymore sewing courses with them for the time being, namely because I’m incredibly busy, but also partly due to the following reasons.
- The curriculum is pretty heavy
For courses that are supposedly for Singaporean office-workers, there is quite a bit of “homework” in addition to the fast-paced curriculum. I wish the school informed prospective students of the amount of homework involved, especially for the jacket-making class. The jacket class had coincided with school reopening, so I was devoting a good chunk of my rest time to completing my tasks, which made sewing hella not fun. I think the school could also have extended the curriculum time for the jacket making classes so we had more time to complete the jacket.
2.Good teachers are important.
I was be very lucky to have a very kind and encouraging sewing teacher prior to my taf.tc experience and I did assume that most instructors would be the same. While I did encounter some very nice souls at the school, I have to admit it was a mixed bag. Especially for online sewing (not theory) courses, a teacher who knows how to use technology and encourage students is very important. I know I’m sometimes not the most malleable person and don’t like to do things for the sake of doing them, and the technological barrier certainly doesn’t help.
3. There is no such thing as a cheap(er) meal
When I purchased these courses, WSQ (workforce skills qualifications — it’s some sort of Singapore government funding for workers to upgrade their skills) funded 90% of the fees, though I think it’s dropped to 50% since September 1st. Now this isn’t the school’s fault as much as it is a critique of Singaporean attitudes, but the funding meant that results had to be seen. We had to finish whatever garment or assignment or we had to cough up the fees to pay for the 90%. The school was actually very kind in that aspect, as they provided extensions of assessment deadlines, though the looming feeling of responsibility is not great.
I would also point out that because of the whole funding tie-up and all, the general demographic of the students and teachers are older (or maybe I was just real lucky). That’s not really a problem in itself, but it does mean you’re not going to find any trail-blazing attitudes. I did get a pervasive sense of dressmaking being inferior to menswear (especially when it comes to tailoring) which didn’t really make sense to me. I’ve studied enough fashion history and done enough of my own sewing to know that historically that was not the case at all. There was so much to making womenswear — corsetry, those Victorian gowns, evening wear etc. Women’s work has always been derided, always deemed inferior, forgotten (read about the Mantua makers) or even demonised like the poor corset. Sure, maybe some modern womenswear garments are easier to sew than a man’s jacket, but that’s not even a fair comparison! Wedding and evening gowns demand a lot of work and hand sewing, and I’d say the workmanship is comparable to that of tailoring.
TL;DR: Just because it’s a “creative” space, doesn’t mean it’s progressive.
In conclusion, I would say that if you do want to learn pattern-making (not sewing), taf.tc’s lessons are structured and sufficient. However, if it is garment construction (ie making clothes) that interests you, I suggest you find a sewing teacher in your neighbourhood or something . Taf.tc courses are big on “theory” i.e. the drafting side of things, which is not a bad thing, it’s just different. I did go in wanting to learn drafting, so there’s that.
Steffi Heloise 