The Japan Lolita Association, presided over by an official “Kawaii (cute) Ambassador,” was only established this February—but they’ve wasted no time spreading cuteness, both nationally and internationally. In addition to opening member registration world-wide, this April saw them going one step further with the creation of a unique two-year technical college course.

That’s right, now you can get your credentials in cuteness!

Called the “Gothic and Lolita Fashion Course,” the first year focuses on “studying the construction of Western clothing and the basics of fashion as well as learning to sew and pattern skirts and shirts.” In the second year, students “study the history of gothic and lolita fashion” and how to create clothes in their own visions.

However, the course isn’t just about making clothes—students are also taught basic business skills and how to create a brand. Finally, they get to host a show of their original designs.

It all sounds surprisingly practical, doesn’t it? I know at least one person in the office who may or may not be considering a career change right now, in fact.

In an interview with Yomiuri Online, Natsumi Urata, an 18-year-old first-year student, said, “In Kyushu, you can only get lolita clothes on the Internet or from specialty stores in Tenjin [a shopping district in Fukuoka City], so I want to try making clothes to my taste and, in the future, getting them displayed in stores.”

Lolita fashion originated in the latter half of the 1980s, and spread through popular culture via music, manga, anime, and so on. The appearance of a lolita-fashion-loving character in the 2004 film Shimotsuma Monogatari (re-titled Kamikaze Girls in English) helped push the fashion and culture directly into the view of the mainstream.

The school also proudly boasts of students’ opportunities to meet with industry professionals like Misako Aoki, the lolita model and Kawaii Ambassador herself, who is also, interestingly enough, a registered nurse. In addition, the school sponsors a “tea-time” for high school students to meet Ms. Aoki as well as representatives from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, a preeminent lolita boutique chain.

If you’re ready to sign up, tution for the two-year program comes to about three million yen (US$29,000) if we got our math right. The admissions page doesn’t mention whether or not they accept non-Japanese students, but an in-person interview is conducted and they limit admissions to only 80 students a year. Good luck, ladies!

Source: Yomiuri Online, Omura Beauty and Fashion Technical School

Images: Wikimedia, Omura Beauty and Fashion Technical School, Aoki Misako Ameblo page