How The Fashion Class Is Stitching Together Impressive Franchise Growth

The Fashion Class is redefining what sewing lessons look like. What began in 2009 as a single children’s sewing class has grown into a full-fledged fashion education brand — now expanding through franchising. For founder Kerri Quigley, the mission has always been clear: Help kids (and adults) gain confidence, creativity and practical skills through fashion.

In a recent episode of the “Meet the Franchise” webinar, Quigley sat down with 1851 Publisher Nick Powills to discuss her franchising journey, the lessons she’s learned along the way and her vision for where the brand is headed.

Quigley says franchising was always part of her long-term plan. “I’ve been running my business for 15 years,” she said. “And I kind of early on started wanting to go the franchise route. Obviously, life gets in the way — pandemic, having kids — but here I am 15 years later, finally taking that leap into franchising.”

To turn The Fashion Class into a franchise-ready concept, she hired a consultant back in 2018 to create operations manuals, connect her with legal teams and register in franchise states. By June 2019, she was exhibiting at franchise shows. But just as she was building momentum, COVID-19 shut everything down.

“It was definitely tough. Not only was the franchise side of the business not happening, my studios were closed,” Quigley said. “We didn’t open for about six months. It was a wild time.”

Rather than slowing down, she used the pandemic to write a children’s fashion design book — and welcome her first child.

Reopening her Manhattan studios meant slowly rebuilding trust with families. “It was definitely a time where you had to build business back up,” she said. “People were afraid to come in, especially a children’s business where you’re working in close quarters.”

By the time business returned to pre-pandemic levels, she was ready to relaunch franchising — with a more deliberate, regional approach. “I definitely want to focus on slow growth until this is very, very manageable for me and I can have a larger team,” Quigley said.

Still, she’s ambitious. “I do want to open five within the next year. That is my personal goal,” she said. “And I do want to open a third corporate store where I live now in New Jersey. But quality of life is also very important to me.”

At the heart of The Fashion Class is Quigley’s personal story. As a shy child, her grandmother taught her to sew. “This became my passion. Making clothes, being able to wear them to school and say, ‘Hey, I made this’ at like 8 or 10 years old was just a huge confidence boost,” she said.

That same confidence-building is what she now hopes to deliver across the country. “There’s not a whole lot out there as far as children’s enrichment for kids who are more on the creative side,” she said. “Why not fashion? Why not sewing alongside sports or STEM?”

As she looks to the next chapter, Quigley sees The Fashion Class as more than a business. It’s a way to give children the same boost she once received.

“That is why The Fashion Class exists and why I’m franchising — to impart that story and that message to other young children across the U.S. who may be in the same boat,” she said.

With her first franchise opening soon in Virginia Beach, and her sights set on steady, regional growth, Quigley is proving that franchising and fashion education are a perfect fit.

A transcript of Powills’ interview with Quigley has been provided below. It has been edited for brevity, clarity and style.

Nick Powills: Right, Kerri. One scripted question and then all off the cuff. How did you accidentally fall into franchising? What’s your franchise backstory?

Kerri Quigley: Oh, interesting. I mean, I’ve been running my business for 15 years. Early on, I kind of started wanting to go the franchise route. Obviously, life gets in the way — pandemic, having kids — but here I am, 15 years later, finally taking that leap into franchising.

Powills: Okay, so it was part of the original business plan. Take me through the process of even becoming a franchise. Did you use a consultant? Did you do it on your own? What was that process like?

Quigley: How to start turning my business into a franchiseable concept? Yes, I used a consultant. This was pre-pandemic, going back to 2018. I hired a consultant to do my operations manual, connect me with the legal team, start the FDD process and get registered in the states I needed to be registered in. I’m a New York City–based business, and New York is one of those tougher states to get registration in.

Everything was approved. I did the IFA show that June, started doing sales and marketing, and by the next March, everything was shut down for quite some time.

Powills: Walk me through that. You’re a franchise, you do the show in June of 2019. What was your expectation for what would happen next? Were you thinking you’d have five or ten? Where was your head then? What was the reality? And how did you navigate that big reset?

Quigley: Sure. I think back then I was definitely younger, and it was just kind of like, “Hey, let’s do this, let’s see what happens.” I didn’t really go at it with a structured plan, which I know is a huge mistake. So maybe the reset was a great thing.

I do know the general rule of growing slowly and regionally in the beginning, which I think is very, very smart.

The reset during COVID — I mean, it was definitely tough. Not only was the franchise side of the business not happening, but my studios were closed. I had two studios in Manhattan, and they were shut down for quite some time. New York was very strict on that. We didn’t open for about six months.

It was a wild time. I know for everybody it was difficult. I spent my pandemic time writing a fashion design book for kids, and I had my daughter during that time, so I was busy. I stayed busy.

Powills: And then upon reopening?

Quigley: It was definitely a time where you had to build business back up. People were afraid to come in, especially to a children’s business where you’re working in close quarters. Manhattan spaces are tiny, so you’re next to people all the time. It was a good couple of years before I could say the business was back to pre-pandemic levels — and then better — and then I could start the franchise process again.

Powills: Okay, and now you’ve started it. You have unit one opening.

Quigley: Opening soon, yes.

Powills: Where are your expectations now? What does “winning” look like for the rest of this year and next year?

Quigley: Again, slowly and regionally until I get everything down pat — my training, my manuals — and really just have a wonderful system in place to make franchisees successful. That’s what I’ve been working on all summer, just getting this system in place. I know it’s a learning process and will change continually over time.

But I definitely want to focus on slow growth until this is very manageable for me and I can have a larger team.

Powills: So if I’m paraphrasing for you — you’ve now changed it. There are no expectations. You’re going to continue to do the right things for your business, and when or if you get the next franchisee, that’s when you get them. You’re not putting extreme pressure on yourself that, “We have to sell a franchise by X time.” You’re now in a place where you’re saying, “Whatever direction we grow in, that’s how we’ll grow.”

Quigley: I would say I have a little bit more drive than that. I do want to open five within the next year — that is my personal goal. And I also want to open a third corporate store where I live now in New Jersey. But quality of life is also very important to me, so I want to make sure it’s all very manageable until I can hire a larger team.

Powills: Yeah. I’m always fascinated by this path: “I’ve made the decision to franchise my business… I’ve franchised my business… I’ve sold my first franchisee… here’s where my expectations go.” That’s part of why I’m opening up this part of the process.

The other reason is, whenever we’ve taken a franchisee, we try to simplify the buying process: What’s the founder’s vision? What are we trying to accomplish? Because the franchise buyer has to believe in the founder’s vision. Then there’s differentiation on the product, cost to get in, how much I can make, where you’re growing, and validation.

We’ve hit growth — you’re keeping it regional. Now we’re working through vision. The number I’ve heard is that 87% of first-time franchisors don’t sell a franchise in their first year. That number stays pretty consistent for the first two years.

So you think about that, and then you go back to the front end, where obviously someone has to excite you enough to franchise the business. To actually get unit one done, sometimes it can feel turbulent or chaotic. Like, “Why is this not working? We exhibited at a show — where are the franchise buyers?”

I always back up and say: it’s complex. The complexity of franchising is tough. But what I’m hearing is that the foundational work you’re doing should pay dividends as you move forward. Any comments on that?

Quigley: I hope so. That’s all I can say. I definitely see it — it can be chaotic and disheartening at times, for sure. And then you’ll get a very heartfelt email from someone who really believes in the concept. I got one last night, which is why it’s fresh in my mind.

Someone who really, really believes in the concept, who wants to open, is so excited — and then you’re like, “Okay, I’m not crazy. Other people see the value, see the vision, and want to start their own business.”

Powills: That person — were they a fan of the brand already? Did they have a relationship with the business?

Quigley: No, they did not.

Powills: Great. I like that. If you can understand the business opportunity from afar, that’s great.

So let’s talk about vision, cost to get in, how much you can make. What’s your answer there?

Quigley: I do have an Item 19 in my FDD. It currently lists my two Manhattan stores. They’re so close together that I don’t break out sales. So, it’s in my FDD, right? I can say just the specific numbers that are in there — nothing beyond it.

So, my two stores gross $955,000 together. The average unit volume between those two is $539,000. I have a really great customer return rate of 55%. People really love the business. Kids will start as a child and continue until they’re a teenager, continuously taking classes.

Last year, we had 2,900 individual bookings with an average order value of $321. Obviously, in Manhattan I can charge a little bit more, but I think it gives potential franchisees a good look at what the numbers could be.

Powills: So the buildout — was it about $500,000?

Quigley: No, the initial investment range is $140,000 to $250,000 to build out. With brick-and-mortar, there are so many things to consider — size, market, rent, construction.

Powills: You have some data with Virginia Beach coming in soon, right?

Quigley: I do.

Powills: I assume it’s in that range?

Quigley: Yes. She’s actually on the lower end of the range. She found a beautiful studio in a high-end shopping center, great location, great rent and super small-business-friendly landlords. The excitement is definitely building down there. Her construction came in on the lower end.

Powills: That’s why I asked the elevator pitch question. My thought was, you’re probably going to say something like, “We teach kids sewing.” But you said, “We teach sewing and fashion from ages 2 to 102.” That’s pretty powerful. You already have the message.

And if you want to lean into it — you said something that I think could be your branding line. Something like, “Creative kids find their spotlight.”

You’re giving creative kids an outlet to shine. That’s what you’re doing, and you’ve been doing it for 15 years.

So, if you can blend that emotional side — “creative kids find their spotlight” — with the factual side — “we teach sewing and design” — you’ve got something pretty special.

Quigley: That resonates. That’s exactly what we see. You have the sporty kids who have their spotlight in soccer or gymnastics. And then you have the kids who maybe aren’t into that, and they need their own outlet.

Powills: Exactly. And it ties back to your story. You were that creative kid, right?

Quigley: Yeah, I was that kid. I learned to sew when I was five. It was my thing, and it built my confidence. When you wear something you made, it’s a powerful feeling. That’s the experience we’re giving to kids today.

Powills: That’s gold. That’s your personal story. It makes you relatable. It’s why parents trust you with their kids — because you’ve been there, and you know what it does for confidence.

Quigley: Confidence is huge. That’s the main thing. Sewing is the vehicle, but what we’re really doing is building kids’ confidence and independence.

Powills: And when you tie it back to your franchising pitch, that’s the part that people buy. They buy the purpose.

On top of that, it’s not just a purpose-driven business — it’s also a good business. It works financially. Parents are spending on enrichment, and sewing isn’t a fad. It’s timeless. I mean, Singer is still around.

Quigley: Exactly. That’s another point — sewing has stood the test of time. It’s always going to be relevant in some way. And the skills are transferable — patience, problem solving, creativity.

Powills: And you’re modernizing it. This isn’t grandma’s sewing circle. You’re making it fun, fashionable and kid-centered.

Quigley: Right. That’s always been important to me. Bright, colorful studios. Teachers who are engaging. Projects that kids actually want to make and wear.

Powills: Love it. Okay, last thing: What advice would you give to someone listening who’s curious about franchising with you?

Quigley: I’d say if you’re passionate about fashion, design or working with kids, and you want a business that gives you purpose and flexibility, this is a great opportunity. You don’t have to have a fashion degree. You don’t even have to sew, though it helps. What you need is the drive to build a business and a love for helping kids shine.

Watch the full webinar here.