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Portland Fashion Institute -- Oregon's only private nonprofit fashion design college

Portland Fashion Institute is a nationally accredited private nonprofit career institute of higher learning and Portland’s only accredited fashion design college.

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CAREER PROGRAMS

Career Program Overview

Completing a career program gives you the right skills to enter the apparel industry with confidence. Apparel companies are looking for the skills we teach and a certificate from PFI will open opportunities for you, or you can branch off on your own and live your fashion dreams!

LEARN TO BECOME AN

Apparel Designer

Our most popular degree. Whether you are looking to start your own line of clothing or work at a large apparel company, this degree will prepare you for a wide range of opportunities.

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LEARN TO BECOME AN

Apparel Technical Developer

Want to get a job in the industry or work freelance? Here’s the path to take. It focuses on computer skills in Adobe and patternmaking so you can get work as a technical designer, product developer, patternmaker or fit engineer.

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LEARN TO BECOME AN

Apparel Entrepreneur

Learn what it takes to start your own Apparel Business and earn the skills required to build a business plan, understand the nuance of working with buyers, customers, and suppliers. Also learn about small business grant programs where you could win funds to launch your business.

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With concentrated effort, it’s possible to complete a program within two years’ study. Classes are given in the order they should be taken so you can meet the required prerequisites. The full curriculum begins each Fall but you can start any time. 

DOWNLOAD COURSE CATALOG

Learn from the Best

Designed by an advisory board from four major Portland apparel companies, all three of our programs are taught by instructors who work in apparel and are well-versed in current techniques. PFI courses can help you become industry proficient in clothing design, patternmaking, construction, manufacturing and production. We are apparel people teaching apparel people. We welcome you to join us!

When you enroll in a career program, you get:

  • Access to financial support, equipment and supplies
  •  First call on classes
  • A place in PFI’s annual fashion event and portfolio show
  • Networking with industry professionals
  • Career services

Employment After Completing Your Program

Can students get jobs after attending your classes?
We offer career services for those in our career programs. We do not guarantee job placement but more than 80 percent have gone into internships and jobs in the apparel industry and are working for companies from independent designers to major corporations. Of the remaining 20 percent, some have started their own retail and onllne stores. Others have started their own clothing lines.

What are students of the career programs doing after they graduate?
Starting their own lines of clothing or working for one of the many apparel companies like Nike, Columbia Sportswear, Adidas, Browzwear, Kohls, Nike Swim/Perry Ellis International, Fred Meyer, Duchess Clothiers, Hanna Andersson, Wildfang, Portland Garment Factory, Michael Curry Designs, and Portland Opera.

An Affordable Education

PFI is an accredited non-profit career school.  PFI strives to remain affordable. We keep the cost of completing a degree as low as we can. Plus, enrollees also have access to flexible payment options. Bottom line, we really do want you to be free from debt.

2026 Career Program Tuition Rates*
*subject to change
Apparel Designer:  $24,750
Apparel Technical Developer:  $24,750
Apparel Entrepreneur:  $24,750

START YOUR APPLICATION

Not ready for a career program? Try just a class or two for fun:
Just for Fun Classes

Thank you for taking the time to help me sort through my career in fashion. I have submitted my application to the apparel design program at PFI. I can honestly say I have learned more from the hour talking to you about portfolio development than my three years at Oregon State. – Kelli Mc

Meet our Alumni

Spent 2.5 years here, and It was a great experience, I learned so much and was able to take those skills and translate them into a career with The North Face as an Apparel Technical Developer. Without PFI and their great teachers, my dream of having a career in the fashion industry would never have been realized. They have some amazing teachers there.– Blake H

Meet our Alumni

The teachers and students are the best part of PFI. It was an amazing experience to engage in such a creative and talented community. Elle is amazing and really brought up my confidence in my skills. She even helped me get a job interview. Stephanie also has taught me a lot interning for her. She pushes me in a good way and I’m grateful to have gotten to work with her. — Aubrey DS

Meet our Alumni

Like most things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. PFI is a great place to gain the skills and tools needed to pursue a career in fashion, but it’s up to you to decide how you use that knowledge and those resources. — Emma Y

Meet our Alumni

I’ve been offered a contract role with Nike as a Senior Technical Designer on the men’s lifestyle apparel team. Most recently I’ve been working at a company called Rumpl in a sort of hybrid product designer/developer role. It’s been great but ultimately I’ve been looking to get back into the world of Nike and this is a great foot in the door! A friend of mine is currently a student there and she’s been telling me great things.

Thank you so much for your help and support over the years! I’ll have to come check out the new school building sometime soon — Zarela M

Meet our Alumni
What classes do you offer?

For class offerings for fun, download our Class Flyer

DOWNLOAD CLASS FLYER

Or if you are interested in a Career Path, you can download our class catelog:

DOWNLOAD PFI CATALOG

For class offerings for fun, download our Class Flyer

DOWNLOAD CLASS FLYER

No. We were founded to offer both “Classes for Fun. Classes for Careers.” Whether you take one class or several or pursue a diploma, our mission is to give you real skills and real world knowledge.

Yes, we have a page dedicated to Continuing Education.

Yes, contact info@pfi.edu to set up an appointment.

No student housing. But there are several apartments close by and more are being built every day. For your search, focus on rentals available in zip codes 97212-97215 and 97232. Portland is a very walkable town. Many ride bikes or use BikeTown rentals. PFI is also located near mass transit, 7 blocks north of the Hollywood Max station or 1 block north of the #12 bus stop at 43rd & Sandy. There are many restaurants, bistros and grocery stores in our neighborhood.

No. With a “class for fun”, unless you have applied for a career program or filled out the continuing education form and paid fees, you are registering for a non-credit class(es) at Portland Fashion Institute for the beginning dates, ending dates, clock hours and costs as listed on the webpage. Your attendance will be monitored, but your projects will not be evaluated and you will not get a grade. You also agree that you have read and understand PFI’s Cancellation, Refund & Student Conduct Policy.

We are apparel people teaching apparel people. You learn from professionals. All of our instructors have apparel industry experience and are employed in the industry. We teach techniques used in the apparel industry. You can take classes whether you are pursuing a career, continuing your education or just want to take one class.

Yes- in the summer July/August. Please subscribe to our newsletter (the form is at the bottom of the homepage) so you will get notified when registration opens for future classes. Summer kids classes are very popular and fill up fast – so act fast.

For those enrolled in one of PFI’s diploma programs, please refer to your enrollment agreement. For others, refunds are available until 48 hours before class start; 24 hours before open sewing or a private lesson starts.  Contact info@pfi.edu  Cancellation policy for Optitex class:  No refunds after one week before class starts. No refunds or transfers after class, open sewing or private lesson starts. Please don’t forfeit your fees! Please let us know if you can’t come so someone else can use that class or lesson time.

For hands-on classes: We prefer you do your work in class. That can save a lot of seam ripping. If you do work between classes, be sure you have clear instruction from your teacher. For lecture classes: You may be asked to do research online to present in your next class. You may even be asked to go shopping!

When students miss a class, they are welcome to register for a Private Lesson or Open Sewing to catch up on their work. You can find both of these options under the Classes For Fun tab on the PFI website.

hen seeking a refund, please send your original transaction id or receipt for the given class. People use different names, e-mails and credit cards. Having the transaction id or receipt gets us to the right registration. Without the transaction id or receipt we may refund someone with a similar name. Purchaser gets an automatic notice as soon as they register for a class and as soon as they get a refund. Our standards are the same as those used by most any retailer. Per the credit card company, no refunds after 180 days from date of purchase. We would keep your purchase on file for use on another day up to one year from date of purchase.

We offer career services for those who enroll in a full programs. More than 80 percent have gone into internships and jobs in the apparel industry and are working for companies from independent designers to major corporations. Of the remainder, some have started their own retail stores or started their own clothing lines. A very few have gone into film and theater. To see some of our graduates, visit the PFI Alumni page.

Portland hosts 41 apparel manufacturers. Companies range from adidas, Columbia Sportswear and Nike to smaller companies such as Hanna Andersson, Jantzen/Perry Ellis, Kroger and Pendleton. All are invited to our career days, portfolio shows and graduate runway shows. Since members of our advisory board and our instructors are hiring managers, they attend and hire from these events or just by knowing the students. It’s been said that Portland is number three in the nation for apparel manufacturing.

Yes. We take Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover. We also take payment over the phone. Find out more about financing a certificate program by contacting registrar@pfi.edu

PFI doesn’t offer loans. It isn’t supported by taxpayer dollars so it doesn’t yet have access to financial aid. Now that it is accredited, it is applying for Title IV eligibility. What PFI does accept:

— Payment from employers such a Nike, Columbia Sportswear, Hanna Anderson, Pendleton and the many other employers in the Greater Portland area.

— Payments from such places as WorkSource, Workforce, IRCO and Mercy Corps.

— Payment Plan information for full-time diploma program enrollees:

Bottom line: We keep our class fees affordable.

We do expect that the US Department of Education will soon approve PFI for Title IV eligibility. PFI would be able to issue 1099T tax forms to enrollees after that.

Classes must have a minimum of six students. During COVID, sewing classes have a maximum of eight. Patternmaking classes have a maximum of six. On-line classes have a maximum of twenty.

4301 NE Tillamook, Portland, OR
1 block north of NE 43rd & Sandy
BUS: #12 bus
MAX: 7 blocks from the Hollywood MAX station

Monday-Friday: 10 am-9 pm; Saturday, 10 am-5 pm. We take breaks between classes, during the holidays and the months of December and August. Be sure to check with us before coming over during those times.

Level 1 Help Desk (info@pfi.edu)
Technical issues with Populi
Issues with Zoom
Issues with Email Setup

Registrar (registrar@pfi.edu – or call (971) 801-7199)
Issues with Classes/Schedules
Financial Questions
Questions about transcripts

Director (director@pfi.edu or call the school @ (503) 927-5457)
Issues with Staff
Issues with the Building/Security
Issues with Internships/Graduation

PFI’s Online Learning Fee includes costs associated with administration, online class support, non-traditional course formats, and technology support. PFI charges per course or series rather than per credit (as is the cases with most institutions and colleges).

No emotional support animals are allowed in the buildings. PFI does not want to trigger other students’ or guests’ allergies that could be caused by the proximity of animals, or pet hair or dander infiltrating the fabric in the supply store.

Per the Americans with Disabilities Act and Oregon’s Service Animal Law, neither the Americans with Disabilities Act nor Oregon’s Service Animal Law includes what some people call “therapy” or “emotional support animals”. These ESA animals provide a sense of safety, companionship and comfort to those with psychiatric or emotional disabilities or conditions. Although ESA animals often have therapeutic benefits, they are not individually trained to perform specific tasks for their handlers. Under the ADA and Oregon law, owners of public accommodations are not required to allow ESA, only service animals.

PFI cannot ask about a person’s disability or demand to see proof of the animal’s training but PFI can ask what tasks it performs for the person, such as these examples under the ADA:
– Hearing dogs, which alert their handlers to important sounds, such as alarms and doorbells.
– Guide dogs, which help those who are visually impaired to navigate safely.
– Psychiatric service animals, which help those with mental or emotional disabilities by, for example, interrupting self-harming behaviors, reminding handlers to take medication, checking spaces for intruders, or providing calming pressure during anxiety or panic attacks.
– Seizure alert animals, which let their handlers know of impending seizures, and may also guard their handlers during seizure activity.
– Allergen alert animals, which let their handlers know of foods that could be dangerous (such as peanuts).

Under the ADA, a service animal is a dog that has been individually trained to perform tasks or do work for the benefit of a person with a disability. Oregon law uses the same definition, but uses the term assistance animals rather than service animals. Under the ADA and Oregon law, owners of public accommodations are not required to allow ESA, only service animals.

Unlike service animals, ESAs are not automatically allowed in commercial businesses and businesses have the right to accept or deny ESAs.

PFI is not required to allow ESAs into PFI buildings. If a student has a service animal, we ask 48 hours notice before allowing the animal into PFI buildings in order to notify other students and guests who may have concerns.

PFI prohibits discrimination against and among its customers, employees and students on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or whether all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program.

Its conduct policy is part of its policy manual and is in line with standards set by Oregon and national regulatory agencies. It is posted online here.

Yes. We have suggested amounts on-line. But you can purchase them over the phone, by mail or e-mail or in person for any amount you wish. Gift certificates are good for one year from date of purchase and are redeemable for classes or items from the supply store. For more, go to Gift Certificates.

Yes, we have a supply store. We sell fabric plus zippers, buttons, thread and other notions. Our prices are low because of our low overhead. We offer a 20 percent discount to current students. Hours for our supply store are on their website: portlandfashionsupply.com/