As summer approaches, Joanne Dice, founder of Haute Couture Academy, is inviting aspiring designers and beginners alike to take advantage.

Haute Couture Academy founder Joanne Dice proclaims the summer season as the “best time of year to learn how to sew.” While her specialized summer courses in corsetry, leatherwork and bustier-making are typically filled within days, Dice is focused on promoting the Academy’s open classes — ideal for newcomers eager to learn foundational sewing skills. “I can’t put a new student on an industrial machine and teach them how to make leather pants if they don’t know how to sew forward and backward,” she says, laughing.

Far from being a seasonal camp, these are signature programs taught with the same intensity and depth as their fall or winter counterparts — compressed into one focused week. Students complete months’ worth of material in just five days, often advancing a full year in skill level.

Dice emphasizes the unique value of these programs: “This isn’t just about fashion — it’s a life skill. Everyone who learns how to sew will use it for life.” For parents hesitant about the cost, she offers a compelling comparison. “People spend thousands on dance or sports, but kids often stop once university starts. Sewing? You’ll use it forever — to alter clothes, to express your creativity, even to save money.”

With rising retail costs and a market flooded by mass-produced garments, the ability to design and tailor your own clothing has never been more empowering — or practical. “This is an investment — in your child, in yourself and in a skill that pays for itself over and over again,” Dice says.

Interested in exploring a creative, confidence-building summer? Haute Couture Academy’s doors are open.

8099 Weston Rd., #10, Woodbridge, ON
905-264-9341
www.hcfashionarts.ca
@hcacademyoffashionarts