This week the Fashion Research Institute announced its short course for avatar apparel design for virtual worlds. This fast-paced course takes a student from novice user to functional avatar apparel designer by building essential skills in just 20 hours of instruction. Students completing the course can go on to supplement or replace their real life salaries by developing their own virtual goods design business.

Students learn how to develop their brand (label), develop their product, and create a storefront, all without ever leaving the safety and comfort of their homes. Instruction follows best practices as defined by more than 3 years of research in immersive spaces such as OpenSim and SecondLife
as well as current apparel industry practices. The class culminates with a virtual runway show where students show their designs to an audience of purchasers.

Avatar apparel design is becoming an increasingly important market. Last year, more than $5 billion in virtual goods were sold globally, said Shenlei Winkler, CEO of Fashion Research Institute. We have heard of designers making up to $125,000 USD annually with their own virtual world label. Our course gives new designers the essential skills to effectively enter this highly competitive premium content marketplace of avatar apparel design.

Recently my FashionCAD class at Buffalo State College completed a Fashion in Second Life Learning Module with Shenlei Winkler from the Fashion Research Institute, said Elaine Plivnen, Professor, Buffalo State College. The specialized learning module Shenlei developed was an excellent virtual learning experience for the fashion students. Under Shenlei's guidance, they quickly learned basic concepts of building and developing fashion garments in a virtual setting. Shenlei is a master virtual world builder and has developed and marketed successful in-world fashion labels. She also has 30 years experience as a real world designer she is the perfect professional to present the virtual future of fashion and the opportunities it can provide for students of fashion. These are critically important concepts for all fashion students as well as fashion professionals.

To register for Avatar Apparel Design 101, please visit http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/default.aspx?eventid=727953. Fashion Research Institute is the leader in researching virtual world applications for the apparel industry. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people to use immersive spaces to virtualize business, enabling companies to save time, money, energy, and the environment.

For more information, press only: Belvedere Fotherington, 646-699-4042, admin@fashionresearchinstitute.com

For more information on Fashion Research Institute: http://www.FashionResearchInstitute.com or http://shenlei.wordpress.com  

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