Faculty

A skilled professional designer, Rebecca has over 36 years of experience in the fashion industry with 16 years as a Fashion Design Instructor. Her continuous collaboration with a diverse group of designers and companies within the industry enables her to connect scholars with current and former fashion industry representatives. A true visionary, she has produced fashion exhibitions at varying levels showcasing the creative skill set of her fashion scholars.

Some of her accomplishments include:

1. Teacher of Distinction” by The National Educator’s Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc., March 2017;
2. Spirit of Advising (2020) and Master Adviser (2021) awards by Family Career Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) at both the state and national level; 
3. 10,000 grant per year (2021 / 2022) Partnership with MACY’S For BPD WASHHOUSE INC workshop for scholars; 
4. Certificate of Recognition from The State of New Jersey, Department of Curation (2021-22);
5. Governor’s Educator of the Year Program and Teacher of the Year for Newark School of Fashion & Design (2021-22); 
6. Nominee from Newark School of Fashion & Design for the Princeton Award for Distinguished Secondary School Teaching 2023.

A lover of draping and all things sewing, Rita completed her Bachelor of Art Degree in Fashion Design from the International Academy of Design & Technology, Schaumburg, IL. While there, she received several academic scholarships and graduated as class Valedictorian. After graduating, Rita continued to work in fashion and soon opened her own bridal company – Hana Couture Bridal. A designer and educator, Rita has also worked with many schools/colleges mentoring young designers and offering them experience in the fashion industry.

Having loved sewing from a young age, Elizabeth eventually realized she wanted to learn to make her own designs. After weighing the pros and cons of a traditional versus non-traditional education, Elizabeth chose to join Le Fashion Lab’s fashion design & garment construction program. While in the program, she impressed her instructors with her strong technical abilities, coachability, and attention to detail. After completing the program, Elizabeth has continued to build her skills by designing and sewing clothing for clients, as well as by working as an alterations seamstress. She is currently developing an online shop to sell her handmade designs. Elizabeth has a passion for helping students understand the details of sewing and fashion design so that they can have the confidence to bring their ideas to life. She is excited to be a part of Le Fashion Lab again.

A lifelong fashion enthusiast and extremely talented illustrator, Ruchika has been teaching fashion illustration classes throughout the Atlanta area for over 8 years. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Ruchika has earned a 3-yr diploma in Dress Designing and Garment Manufacturing from Sophia BKS Polytechnic, Mumbai; in addition to having more than 7-years of experience working as a Fashion Designer & Merchandiser in her native country, India. She also obtained a certificate in Quality control of garments and textiles from CMAI (Clothing Manufacturers Association of India) and a certificate in Adobe Illustrator from Arena Multimedia, Mumbai, India. Some of her awards include a Vogue design competition in Mumbai, India in 1999; and a diploma in design excellence, organized by “Sanskriti”, Mumbai, India in 2001. Ruchika is passionate about her work in helping student-designers build their fashion portfolio by bringing their vision to life on paper.

Marvalyn’s love story with sewing and fashion began at an extremely young each. Her professional training and expertise spans numerous schools and institutions in her native country of Jamaica, where she advanced her skills in sewing, patternmaking, men’s and women’s tailoring, and machine embroidery; while also supplying her own designs/creations to a local department store. After moving to the United States, Richards enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) in New York City, where she took courses towards certificates in both patternmaking and ladies tailoring. In addition to serving her own clients, Richards has also worked as a tailor for Lords of Tailoring in Brooklyn, NY. She is passionate about training the next generation of tailors and designers.