California School of Professional Fabric Design

	Zeida Rothman, longtime OPEN EXCHANGE lister, founded the California School of Professional Fabric Design in Berkeley 30 years ago, offering a unique vocational training in textile designing.

Without the Zeida's of the world, we wouldn't have the enjoyment of sleeping under beautifully designed down comforters, eating off of elegantly decorated china, or blotting our faces with thick patterned towels. An expert in creating patterns such as florals, paisleys and whimsy, Zeida has been making the material world a more beautiful place, one bolt of fabric and one wallpaper border at a time for the past 30 years.

She has been training hundreds of students in textile and surface pattern design at a unique vocational school in Berkeley. A native New Yorker, Zeida ran her own design company in Manhattan's garment district for 12 years before moving West.

Zeida's school, the California School of Professional Fabric Design, spontaneously grew from friends' request to teach them to design printed textiles and other products that have designs on them, for the mass-produced industry. She started teaching classes around her kitchen table and grew from there.

Today, her vocational school offers a comprehensive education, offering training for both high-end hand painted and computer designing. The quality of education speaks for itself, resulting in it's successful personalized job placement services for freelance and full-time employment.

As you enter the two story school you'll find an inviting open suite of light-drenched rooms, including a gallery of exquisite work done by current students. The library is an amazing support of inspiration for new designers, containing not only books on African and Victorian textiles, but a credenza crammed with magnificent giftwrap papers and a wide variety of gorgeous paper products that were designed by past students employed in the Industry.

Zeida's teaching style appears to be working. Graduates have gone on to secure jobs with companies like Old Navy, Pottery Barn, William's Sonoma, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Hallmark, Cost Plus World Market, and many other top companies. Kate, a recent graduate was placed in a company that had designed rugs for 'the White House." "I never thought I would get such a high-end job after just graduating and can enjoy coming into work every day!"

Another recent graduate is now designing an exclusive line of cashmere blankets, decorated with traditional American Indian motifs. They're trimmed in suede and are selling very well considering the price tag for each one.

Many of the school's alumni keep in touch with Zeida, sending her postcards or magazine clippings featuring their work. Currently employed graduates come back to the school to talk with new graduates at professional support meetings.

In the classes, students' work is carefully guided to meet criteria for professional designs. Zeida certainly isn't a pushover. When a design isn't quite right, she steps in and finely tunes the color and integrity of the design. "An eye for color"— oh my gosh, she is wonderful with color," says Vaswati, a current student. 'With her it's an art."

Zeida takes pride in her students' progress and finds satisfaction in passing along secrets of the trade she has learned over a lifetime. "I'm definitely doing my dream job," she says. I think people sense that and hopefully it will be contagious.