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Fashion Camps Returning to Saratoga This Summer

Saratoga Springs is known for many things—horse racing, performing arts, history…the list goes on. But fashion design? Not so much. Sure, we have Staci Snider, Saratoga’s resident high-end design guru, but beyond her Congress Street shop, not much clothing actually gets made here in the Spa City.

In a few years’ time, that could all change, thanks to the efforts of Arlene Kay, owner of Buffalo-based company Fashion Lab NY, which teaches children, teens and adults the art, science and business of fashion. Last year, Kay hosted two week-long fashion camps for children ages 8-12 at Saratoga Paint & Sip Studio, and plans to return to Saratoga for two more camps this summer. “The campers get to be designers for a week,” says Kay, whose son lives in Saratoga. “We teach them how designers get inspiration, how to create mood boards, fashion illustration, how to design a collection, and then ultimately they learn to sew.” At the end of the week, campers model bags, hair accessories and a pair of shorts or a skirt—all of which they’ve created themselves—in a fashion show put on for family and friends.

“The camp not only teaches kids sewing and the path to becoming a fashion designer, but it teaches them such great skills,” Kay says. “Sewing is math, sewing is reading, sewing is patience, coordination.” And so a decade or two down the line, when these campers come of age, what will Saratoga be known for? Horse racing, performing arts, history…and maybe, just maybe, its cutting-edge, home-grown fashion scene. 

For more info on this summer’s camps, visit Fashion Lab’s website.

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