Born in Tokyo, Japan, Bora Han brings fifteen years of experience in the fashion industry, two Bachelor’s degrees (including mathematics), and one Master’s to her role as Instructor for Fashion Design. She began her design career in 2001, founding her own design firm in 2003. She has worked with virtually every size of company, including startups, small and medium-sized businesses, and global corporations, and has exhibited twice at the Louvre.

Q: What is your favorite aspect of teaching Fashion Design at FIDM?

My goal is to create an environment of collaborative and explorative learning. Structured projects that teach specific techniques also teach students how to think ahead creatively. This approach allows my students to be forceful fashion leaders on a global level.

Q: What is something that inspires you about teaching FIDM students?

When I was in college, my favorite classes were always those taught by professors who were approachable and easy to get to know.

Some of my previous students are now good personal friends, some are collaborators of my fashion collection, and many have transformed the techniques taught in class into phenomenal fashion works. I consider myself privileged to have a vocation that I am passionate about, which positively affects other people’s lives.

Q: How has COVID-19 affected your teaching career?

The shift to remote learning has changed me in many ways as an instructor. This shift requires me to be more innovative and more creative in delivering the class content. Although it is the same content as before, the teaching method is now totally different. Every lecture requires an extra level of enthusiasm, as I have to think about using various technologies or changing my home office layout for different subjects to better deliver the content. It makes me happy to see that FIDM students can still make strides in remote learning environments.

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Q: What is your best advice to your students?

Know your work.

Learning to clearly explain your ideas is as important as the process or the design itself. You need to know how to explain the ways your design solves the problem set out in the brief. You need to show how you can be of value to others—be it a company or a client.

Interview: FIDM MODE

Photograph courtesy of Bora Han

Layout: Shuihan Ding