MyCity4HerRADIO with Guest Ella Pritsker

As a young child in Soviet Russia Ella Pritsker began a life long love of fashion design by creating doll clothes for her handmade paper dolls.

She later advanced to clothing for herself and for her friends. At the age of 21 while in Austria and Italy waiting to emigrate to the U.S., destiny would have it that she met three “old world” European dressmakers and was exposed to the exciting world of high fashion. Each taught her a piece of the fine art of hand stitched custom couture. “That’s when I knew this was what I would do with my life,” she said.

In the states, she began her couture business and gained a following with herELLA MODA line, being named Baltimore’s Best Custom Couture by BALTIMORE Magazine in 2002. In 2009 Ella decided to share her skills with others and has created the Maryland Academy for Couture Arts.

The Academy’s goal is to preserve the fine art of custom couture and give others with a lifelong love of fashion a chance to learn the fine sewing techniques she has learned to create wonderful fashions for themselves or others, and eventually to make their living doing something they love.