Sandra Doutsas has been teaching since 1983, her early years specialising in Primary Teaching. In 1994 she completed the Advanced Certificate in Designer Dressmaking (Small Business), during her studies she entered competitions and in 1995 her gown was chosen by The Australian Gown of the Year to travel in their show around Australia. Sandra joined RMIT in 1999 to teach sewing. Since this time she has helped to build the sewing short course to a high level and it has become well known for its exceptional standards. Her passion for teaching has continued to grow. Through continued observation, she has incorporated into her classes a variety of techniques and methods that have helped her students, especially those that are just beginning their sewing journey. In 2003 Sandra started her Fashion business in High Street, Northcote. She began with designing and making her own range of clothing and millinery as well as bespoke dressmaking for clients. She also ran sewing classes and millinery classes. Nowadays she has transformed her business into a very on-trend boutique and has successfully continued to maintain and run her classes on a regular basis. Her business has been nominated and won prizes in the Leader Business Awards as well as The Australian Business Quality Awards for Customer Service. Another of her achievements has been the appearance of her business on the TV show Coxy’s Big Break!

Vivien Daniels completed her Fashion Design and Technology studies at RMIT followed by her teacher training at Whitehorse Girls Technical School, which was affiliated with the Fashion Department at Box Hill TAFE. This provided Vivien with the opportunity to work with TAFE teachers and gain pattern making and fashion manufacturing knowledge. Vivien later returned to teach pattern making at Box Hill TAFE. She has kept abreast of developments in fashion and textile education and innovations in fashion technology.
Vivien taught textiles in the secondary education system for many years. More recently she has worked extensively in the Vocational Education and Training sector, teaching the Certificate in Applied Fashion Design and Technology to senior secondary students. Vivien considers one of her strengths to be her extensive garment construction knowledge and her ability to assist students to successfully fit their garments.
She has extensive knowledge of fibres and fabrics, their uses and suitability for different applications. Vivien also has an interest in sustainable fashion and encourages students to increase their awareness of sustainability and the impact of the fashion industry on our environment. Ideas of zero waste, recycling and up-cycling can be explored by evaluating the life cycle of garments.

Amber Taralaikov has 25 years experience in bridal wear. She launched her own Couture studio in 2000 with gowns and accessories and has expertise in fine details and embellishment work (lace, beading,tambour. etc). She expanded her knowledge by working with top bridal designers following her studies in Paris and London.
Amber has taught in fashion for 9 years from amateour level to final year students. She loves teaching to inspire people to get creative.