8 Fashion Design Camps for Middle School Students
Middle school summer camps offer an opportunity to explore interests and develop skills outside the traditional classroom setting. Participating in specialized camps, like those focused on fashion design, can have a significant positive impact on a student’s future. Early exposure to a subject of their choice through these camps allows them to build a solid foundation and discover interests that could shape their academic and career paths.
Not only does this hands-on experience enrich their learning, but it also enhances their high school trajectory by helping them identify and nurture their extracurricular interests. Below, we've curated a list of 8 fashion design camps tailored for middle school students. These camps provide an exciting gateway to creativity and skill-building, helping young designers explore their potential in the world of fashion.
In Fashion Design III, you’ll design a full garment—like a dress, romper, or jumpsuit—while refining your sewing skills. You'll learn how historical events and global cultures influence fashion and explore art concepts in apparel design. Whether you're new to sewing or experienced, you'll build confidence on the machine and work more independently on your projects. The session ends with a fun fashion show, where you’ll present your creation and experiment with your 'catwalk.'
Location: BCS Middle School, Los Altos, CA
Program Dates: Multiple sessions in June and July
Cost: $695
Eligibility: Rising 6-9th graders
Application Deadline: TBA for 2025
The New York Fashion Camp at Karen's School of Fashion offers a week-long immersive experience for you to explore the world of fashion design and sewing. Each day, you'll dive into a different designer or theme, sketch your clothing collections, create patterns, and sew your own garments. The week culminates in a Fabulous Fashion Show on Friday, where you can showcase your creations.
Running for ten weeks over the summer, each session focuses on a unique theme inspired by iconic fashion houses like Chanel, Gucci, and Alexander McQueen. All fabric and art supplies are provided, though you'll need to bring your own sewing tools, with options to rent sewing machines if needed. This camp is a blend of creativity and skill development, giving you a supportive space to express yourself and learn the ins and outs of the fashion industry.
Location: SoHo, New York, NY
Program Dates: June 16 – August 22, 2025
Cost: $635/Week
Eligibility: Ages 8-12
Application Deadline: N/A
The Daily Design Camp offers you a chance to enhance your skills and knowledge in the fashion industry. Through hands-on activities, workshops, and collaborative projects, you'll dive into various aspects of design, from sketching and fabric selection to garment construction, all under the guidance of experienced industry professionals.
This program is designed to spark creativity and innovation, helping you explore your design style and develop a portfolio of work. By the end of the program, you'll have a deeper understanding of the design process and the confidence to pursue your creative aspirations in the fashion world.
Location: Voorhees, NJ
Program Dates: June 24 – June 28, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: $550
Eligibility: Ages 11-17
Application Deadline: N/A
The Summer Camp at Camp Fashionista in Los Angeles is perfect for children and teens passionate about fashion and creative arts. You’ll engage in hands-on activities that let you explore your creativity and develop skills in sewing, drawing, knitting, crocheting, and embroidery. Projects include creating your own clothing and accessories, learning about fashion history, and mastering the basics of fashion illustration. The camp is designed to foster self-expression and build confidence in a supportive and inspiring environment. You’ll have to choose sessions from a range of half- and full-day camps.
Location: San Jose, CA
Program Dates: TBA for 2025, you can check the schedule here
Cost: Varies depending on the chosen camp
Eligibility: Ages 6 and up
Application Deadline: N/A
In this 8-week course, you'll create a complete fashion portfolio, working through every step of the design process. Each week focuses on a specific task, such as concept building, color palettes, fabric sourcing, print design, sketching, illustration, technical flats, and finally, presenting your collection. You'll submit weekly projects and receive feedback as we work together to refine your ideas.
The course includes interactive elements like weekly fashion pop quizzes to reinforce learning. The final assignment is a video submission of you presenting your collection, followed by personalized feedback to highlight your strengths and areas for growth. No prior experience is needed, and all students will receive a custom design template and additional resources!
Location: Online
Program Dates: Self-paced
Cost: $192
Eligibility: Ages 10-14
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
The Fashion Class's Fashion Sewing Camp in New York City offers an engaging and hands-on introduction to fashion for kids aged 6-12. You'll learn how to sew your own garments, create fashion sketches, and explore the basics of garment construction. The curriculum emphasizes creativity and skill development, with lessons on using sewing machines, draping, and pattern making. You'll also get to meet industry professionals through guest speaker sessions, giving you insight into various fashion careers.
The camp maintains a small cohort size of 12 students and 2 teachers to ensure personalized attention. This creates a supportive environment where you can freely express your creativity and collaborate with peers.
Location: Upper East Side or Upper West Side, New York, NY
Program Dates: TBA for 2025. In 2024, there were multiple one-week sessions between June 17 – August 30
Cost: $899/week
Eligibility: Ages 6-12
Application Deadline: N/A
7.
The Fashion Class offers a Fashion Design Summer Camp in NYC for teens aged 13-17. Middle school students in eighth grade can participate in this program, which blends sewing skills with the business aspects of fashion. You will cover essential skills like sewing, draping, marketing, and merchandising, and no prior sewing experience is needed.
The camp allows you to develop your own clothing designs from concept to creation, with hands-on activities including fabric shopping and sewing. The program maintains a small cohort size of 15 campers, and the instructors are graduates of fashion programs like Parsons and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Location: The Hyatt Times Square, New York, NY
Program Dates: TBA for 2025. Multiple one-week options were available in 2024: July 8 – 12, July 15 – 19, July 22 – 26, July 29 – August 2.
Cost: $1,200/week
Eligibility: Ages 13-17
Application Deadline: N/A
This is another option for eighth graders to experience the full fashion design process. You will create a clothing collection by designing a presentation board, making patterns, and sewing one or two garments. A team of experienced designers will help you with inspiration and fabric selection. This camp is perfect for enhancing your fashion portfolio for college applications. All fabric and art supplies are provided, but you’ll need to bring your own sewing supplies. Sewing machine rentals are available.
Location: SoHo, New York, NY
Program Dates: June 16 – August 22, 2025
Cost: $685/week
Eligibility: Ages 13-18
Application Deadline: Registration is currently open
One more option—The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a program for middle school students to work one-on-one with a mentor to explore their academic interests and build a project they are passionate about. Our mentors are scholars from top research universities such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and LSE.
The program was founded by a Harvard & Oxford PhD who met as undergraduates at Harvard. The program is rigorous and fully virtual. We offer need-based financial aid for students who qualify. You can find the application in the brochure!
To learn more, you can reach out to our Head of Partnerships, Maya, at maya.novak-herzog@lumiere.education or go to our website.
Multiple rolling deadlines for JEP cohorts across the year, you can apply using this application link! If you'd like to take a look at the cohorts + deadlines for 2024, you can refer to this page!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.