Education · 1 of 4
The path
Sewing skill is what gets you hired. Learn it at home, in a shop, or at college.
- 1
High school
Grades 10 to 12
Sewing and fashion classes if your school has them. Sew for yourself and friends. Take in a thrift-store jacket.
- 2
Alterations job or college
1 to 3 years
Dry cleaners and department stores hire helpers who can already hem and take in seams. Or take a fashion techniques or sewing program at a college; LaSalle College in Montreal and colleges in Toronto and Vancouver run them.
- 3
Learn fitting
1 to 2 years
Pinning a garment on a person and knowing what to change. This is what separates a sewer from a tailor.
- 4
Menswear, bridal or bespoke
3 to 10 years
Suits and wedding dresses are where the skilled, better-paid work is. Bespoke tailors train for many years under a master.
- 5
Your own shop
5 years and up
An alterations storefront or a home studio with regular clients.