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How Vladimir and Tatiana Kozorovitskiy built a Global Dressmaking Education Business

Dressmaking Academy was created to teach couture techniques rarely shared outside elite ateliers. Today, the platform supports a global community of dressmakers, adding over 100 new members during Peak Season by focusing on real skills, mentorship, and long-term transformation.

Dressmaking Academy was built on a belief that feels almost radical in the world of high fashion: that couture-level skills shouldn’t be hidden, guarded, or accessible only to a select few. Founded by acclaimed bridal designer Tatiana Kozorovitsky and led today alongside her son Vladimir Kozorovitskiy, the Academy has grown into a global learning platform for aspiring and working dressmakers who want to master high-end bridal and eveningwear techniques.

With decades of atelier experience at its foundation and a strong emphasis on practical, repeatable results, Dressmaking Academy blends deep craftsmanship with modern digital education. Using Thinkific, the team has built not just a course library, but a long-term learning community where students develop real skills, confidence, and careers.

100+

new members

4.9

star rating across 250+ reviews

The challenge

The challenge that led to Dressmaking Academy existed long before online education was common.

As Tatiana’s bridal brand grew in the early 2000s, she ran into a serious industry-wide issue: finding highly skilled sewists capable of constructing structured corsets and couture wedding gowns was extremely difficult. These techniques were rarely taught openly and often treated as closely guarded secrets.

Instead of lowering standards or accepting the shortage, Tatiana chose a different path. She began teaching live classes inside her atelier, openly sharing the exact methods she used in her own couture work. The goal wasn’t just education; it was sustainability. By training students properly, she could both elevate the craft and hire from within her own talent pipeline.

The classes quickly gained popularity, but scale became the next obstacle. Even with growing demand, in-person instruction could only reach so many people. When students began recording lessons for personal review, a new realization emerged: learning was more effective when students could rewatch complex techniques again and again.

Going online was the obvious next step. But at the time, it was far from easy.

The solution: going online

In 2010, Dressmaking Academy launched its first online corset-making course using compiled footage from live classes—distributed on DVDs. Despite the limitations of the era, the response was immediate and global.

Over time, teaching became the core of the business. As the course library expanded and demand grew internationally, Vladimir became increasingly involved, first behind the scenes and eventually full-time. By 2016, he was producing, translating, and promoting courses for an English-speaking audience, and in 2019 the family relocated to the U.S. to fully scale the Academy.

“It took off immediately. Within a few years, teaching and mentoring designers around the world became [Tatiana’s] main focus. And seeing what her students were able to create, I couldn’t not get involved. I was working as an art director in a large video production studio in Tel Aviv, and I helped from behind the scenes for years. In 2016, I took on a bigger role producing, translating, and promoting the courses for the English-speaking world. And a few years later, I committed full-time to the mission: making real, practical couture education accessible to anyone who wants to learn.”

But as the business grew, the technology struggled to keep up. Hosting a large and expanding course library required custom code, fragile systems, and constant workarounds. Managing sales, students, and content became unnecessarily complex.

When Dressmaking Academy moved to Thinkific in 2020, that friction disappeared.

Thinkific gave the team a stable, intuitive platform that supported both their educational depth and their long-term vision. Instead of fighting the tech, they could focus on creating high-quality content, mentoring students, and building a thriving global community.

The strategy: delivering value, connecting, and building trust

Dressmaking Academy’s growth has never been about shortcuts. Their strategy is built on three pillars: deep value, human connection, and long-term trust.

Education that delivers results

The Academy doesn’t aim to overwhelm students with content: it aims to help them actually learn.

Courses are designed around real garment construction, pattern logic, fitting, and professional workflows. Tatiana remains deeply involved in instruction, ensuring that what’s taught reflects real-world couture standards, not theory.

Weekly live Zoom Q&As allow students to get feedback in real time, reinforcing the feeling that they’re supported throughout their learning journey, not left alone with pre-recorded videos.

Proof, visibility, and authority

Trust is reinforced through consistent proof of student success.

Dressmaking Academy regularly shares photos of student work, testimonials, and real outcomes—from couture bridal gowns to successful fashion businesses. With nearly 250 Google reviews and a 4.9-star rating, new students see clear evidence of the Academy’s impact.

The team also shows up consistently in public. Daily Instagram content and frequent YouTube publishing have helped them surpass 100K followers and subscribers on each platform, signaling long-term commitment and credibility.

Strategic AI use

AI has become an important part of how Dressmaking Academy scales access and support while preserving the craftsmanship and mentorship at the core of its education.

One of the biggest impacts has been translation. For years, the team relied on human translators to adapt courses for English-speaking students. Today, AI-powered translation has proven not only faster, but in many cases more accurate and consistent, especially when it comes to highly technical sewing terminology. This shift has allowed Dressmaking Academy to move more quickly, maintain quality, and lay the groundwork for expanding into additional languages in the future.

AI also plays a key role in student support through Coutura AI, the Academy’s student assistant powered by Thinkific. Coutura AI helps students get answers faster, find the right lessons for their specific needs, and stay supported between live classes and Zoom sessions. This improves the learning experience without adding friction or delays.

At the same time, the team is intentional about what remains strictly human. Anything that requires taste, judgment, or real mentorship (course creation, garment construction techniques, pattern logic, fitting advice, and detailed feedback) stays in the hands of experienced instructors. Tatiana’s real-world couture expertise and the ongoing, personal connection with students are the heart of Dressmaking Academy.

Peak Season Summit strategy: scaling growth without losing the human touch

Peak Season represents the Academy’s biggest enrollment opportunity of the year, but the goal isn’t short-term sales—it’s attracting students ready for long-term transformation.

Community-led promotion

During Peak Season, Vladimir intentionally leaned into community building rather than hype.

Free live Zoom sessions covered practical topics dressmakers care deeply about: pricing, profitability, niche selection, and growing a fashion business through Instagram and Pinterest. These sessions doubled as organic promotion, as existing members naturally shared their experiences and results without being prompted.

Consistency over hype

Rather than relying on a single launch moment, the team focused on sustained presence:

  • Increased email cadence, often two emails per day
  • Daily social posting across Instagram and YouTube
  • Ongoing value through case studies, testimonials, and live education

This approach kept the offer clear, familiar, and trustworthy throughout the season.

Structured Peak Season phases

Each phase of Peak Season served a distinct purpose:

  • Members-only pre-sale: Rewarded loyalty and encouraged upgrades
  • Early-access waitlist: Created urgency with limited bonuses and strict deadlines
  • New course releases: Injected excitement and fresh value into the offer
  • Public Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Opened access to a wider audience
  • End-of-year holiday push: Refreshed the offer with new bonuses and a final deadline

Urgency was always paired with genuine value.

“We hosted a series of free live Zoom meetings focused on practical topics dressmakers actually care about, like pricing and profit, choosing a niche in couture, and how to use Instagram and Pinterest to grow a fashion business. Those sessions became a very natural form of promotion because the members who joined were genuinely sharing their experiences and results with Dressmaking Academy, without us even asking. The classes, tools, community, and support are so useful that people want to talk about it.”

Thinkific features that enabled peak season success

Thinkific Commerce tools played a critical role in executing this complex campaign smoothly:

  • Coupons made Peak Season pricing easy to understand and apply
  • Abandoned cart emails helped recover sales during high-traffic periods
  • Bundles allowed the team to package their all-access Academy offering effectively

By having these tools built into the platform, Dressmaking Academy stayed focused on education, community, and support—not technical execution.

“Overall, the strategy was less about “hype” and more about real value: real case studies, real testimonials, and real human connection. That approach worked extremely well for us.”

The results

Peak Season delivered one of the most meaningful growth moments in Dressmaking Academy’s history.

In November and December alone, over 100 new members joined the Academy—a significant milestone for a business centered on long-term learning rather than one-off purchases.

More importantly, the community grew stronger. Students showed up consistently, engaged deeply, and committed to developing real couture skills. Many went on to launch brands, ship internationally, participate in competitions, or create once-in-a-lifetime garments for loved ones.

For Vladimir and Tatiana, success isn’t just measured in revenue. It’s measured in transformation—and in seeing a global community of dressmakers confidently bring their ideas to life.

“When I hear that someone launched her own brand, started shipping worldwide, participated in international events, won a national competition, or simply made a one-of-a-kind couture wedding gown for her daughter on the most special day of her life… that’s the kind of moment that makes my heart genuinely full. It’s when I know we’re doing something meaningful, not just selling courses.”

Boost your own online learning business’ sales with the knowledge from Thinkific’s Peak Season Summit Event! Watch the replays on demand for free here.