Otis College Opens Design School in the Fashion District

Otis College of Art and Design, which is moving from MacArthur Park to Westchester in January, has opened a satellite campus in the CaliforniaMart, located in the Fashion district (formerly known as the Garment district).

Otis alumni and students celebrated the opening of the fashion school Monday evening.

The new campus, which takes up 18,000 square feet and has been in operation for a month, houses the college’s fashion school, said Don Sweetnam, Otis’ alumni director.

The college decided to build the fashion school at the CaliforniaMart because it is at “the heart of the fashion industry,” Sweetnam said. The 135 fashion students are given hands-on training by professional designers, Sweetnam said.

“One of the things that distinguishes this school is that it replicates real-world demands. That’s what we are giving our students,” Sweetnam said.