Luxury Womenswear & Couture Fashion Designer / Patternmaker / Sample Maker

Luxury Womenswear & Couture Fashion Designer / Patternmaker / Sample Maker

Company: Iconic Lady® | House of Iconic™

Location: Chicago, IL (U.S.-Based Applicants Only; Chicago Preferred)

Job Type: Part-Time | Project-Based

Starting Compensation: $30.00 per hour

Schedule: Flexible, based on collection development and project needs

Opportunity: Ongoing projects as the brand grows

About Iconic Lady®

Iconic Lady® is an emerging luxury womenswear fashion brand under the House of Iconic™ umbrella, dedicated to celebrating femininity, sophistication, confidence, elegance, and exceptional style.

Our design philosophy embraces the intersection of high fashion, couture-inspired craftsmanship, modern femininity, and elevated ready-to-wear.

We design for women who appreciate distinctive silhouettes, luxurious details, originality, and clothing that makes a statement while maintaining timeless sophistication.

As we prepare for the next chapter of our brand, we are intentionally building a creative team that embodies our commitment to creativity, excellence, femininity, craftsmanship, and innovation.

Position Overview

Iconic Lady® is seeking an exceptionally talented, imaginative, and technically skilled Luxury Womenswear & Couture Fashion Designer who can independently transform original design concepts into beautifully constructed, finished garments.

This is a hands-on creative position requiring proficiency in fashion design, patternmaking, draping, fabric cutting, professional sewing, garment construction, and sample development.

We are looking for a designer who possesses both artistic vision and exceptional technical ability. The ideal candidate understands how to create sophisticated, feminine, fashion-forward garments while maintaining high standards of fit, craftsmanship, and attention to detail.

We are not looking for someone who simply follows trends or produces fashion illustrations.

The selected candidate must be able to design, create patterns, cut, sew, and produce finished garment samples independently, without relying on a separate patternmaker or seamstress.

Key Responsibilities

Collaborate directly with the Founder and Creative Director to conceptualize and develop original luxury womenswear collections.
Translate creative direction, inspiration, mood boards, and collection themes into innovative fashion designs.
Develop original sketches, fashion illustrations, technical flats, and garment specifications.
Independently draft, modify, and refine garment patterns.
Apply draping techniques to create distinctive silhouettes and achieve proper fit.
Select and recommend fabrics, textiles, trims, embellishments, and garment finishes.
Professionally cut, sew, assemble, and construct garment samples.
Produce complete, wearable samples that accurately reflect approved designs.
Conduct fittings and make necessary pattern and construction adjustments.
Create feminine, sophisticated, fashion-forward silhouettes with elevated design details.
Apply couture-inspired construction techniques and refined finishing.
Maintain consistency in design quality and the overall Iconic Lady® aesthetic.
Develop accurate technical documentation and tech packs for sample development and future production.
Participate in collection planning, design reviews, and creative development meetings.
Complete agreed-upon deliverables within established project timelines.
Maintain professional communication and collaboration throughout each project.

Required Skills & Qualifications

1. High Fashion & Luxury Womenswear Design

Demonstrated ability to develop original, innovative, sophisticated womenswear designs.
Strong understanding of femininity, silhouette, proportion, fit, and contemporary luxury fashion.
Ability to translate creative inspiration into cohesive, distinctive collections.
Experience designing elevated ready-to-wear, luxury womenswear, or couture-inspired garments.

2. Patternmaking & Draping

Proficiency in drafting original garment patterns.
Ability to modify patterns and make adjustments based on fit and design requirements.
Strong knowledge of draping techniques and garment structure.
Understanding of pattern grading and garment proportions is a plus.

3. Professional Sewing & Garment Construction

Advanced sewing skills and the ability to independently construct professional-quality garments.
Experience with fabric cutting, garment assembly, seam finishes, closures, linings, and detailed construction techniques.
Ability to create wearable samples from original designs and patterns.
Strong attention to precision, craftsmanship, and garment finishing.

4. Fabric & Textile Knowledge

Strong understanding of fabric properties, movement, structure, and suitability for different silhouettes.
Ability to recommend fabrics and materials that support luxury design concepts.
Familiarity with couture-inspired details, embellishments, and specialty construction techniques.

5. Digital Fashion Design & Technical Documentation

Required:

Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator for professional fashion technical flats, garment illustrations, and design details.
Ability to develop comprehensive garment tech packs, including measurements, construction specifications, fabrics, trims, and finishing details.
Ability to translate original designs into accurate technical documentation for sample development and future production.

Preferred:

Adobe Photoshop for mood boards, textile concepts, and fashion presentations.
Experience with fashion CAD software for digital patternmaking.
Familiarity with CLO 3D or similar 3D garment visualization software.
Experience with Gerber AccuMark, Optitex, or comparable digital patternmaking systems.

Digital design proficiency must be supported by demonstrated hands-on expertise in patternmaking, cutting, sewing, and finished garment construction. Software skills alone do not meet the qualifications for this position.

6. Professionalism & Creative Collaboration

Excellent communication, organization, and time-management skills.
Ability to work independently while remaining aligned with the brand’s creative vision.
Strong problem-solving abilities and willingness to refine designs.
Dependability, accountability, and commitment to meeting deadlines.
Ability to receive creative feedback and contribute innovative design solutions.

Formal education in fashion design is preferred. Candidates with exceptional technical skills, professional experience, and a strong portfolio will also be considered.

Our Ideal Designer

We are seeking someone who:

Is exceptionally creative: Brings fresh ideas, originality, imagination, and innovative design concepts.
Understands femininity: Creates garments that celebrate the female form with elegance, sophistication, and confidence.
Values excellence: Takes pride in precision, construction, craftsmanship, and refined finishing.
Possesses a luxury design mindset: Understands the distinction between ordinary clothing and elevated designer fashion.
Can execute independently: Has the technical skills to take a design from concept to a finished garment.
Is passionate about fashion: Appreciates artistry, distinctive silhouettes, beautiful fabrics, and elevated details.
Is dependable and professional: Communicates effectively, meets deadlines, and follows through on commitments.
Respects the creative vision: Collaborates with the Founder while contributing original ideas and professional expertise.

Creativity, technical skill, femininity, craftsmanship, and excellence are essential to this position.

Position Structure & Schedule

This is a part-time, project-based opportunity supporting the development of new Iconic Lady® fashion collections.

Design assignments will be based on active collection development, new creative projects, and the evolving needs of the brand.

There are no guaranteed weekly hours. Project schedules, deliverables, estimated hours, and deadlines will be established before each assignment.

We are seeking a designer interested in developing an ongoing creative relationship with Iconic Lady®.

Compensation & Growth Opportunities

Starting Compensation: $30.00 per hour

Compensation will be provided for approved project work, with the scope, estimated hours, and deliverables agreed upon before each assignment.

Opportunity for ongoing projects as the brand grows.

Future compensation increases may be considered based on demonstrated design excellence, technical craftsmanship, successful project execution, expanded responsibilities, and continued company growth.

Location Requirements

Applicants must currently be based in the United States.

Iconic Lady® is seeking a U.S.-based designer to support effective communication, scheduling, collaboration, and timely collection development.

Must currently reside and work in the United States.
Must be available for mutually agreed-upon meetings during U.S. business hours, preferably Central Time.
Must be able to participate in virtual design meetings and project reviews.
Chicago-based designers are preferred but not required.
Applicants residing outside the United States will not be considered.

Portfolio & Application Requirements

A professional design portfolio is mandatory.

Applicants must submit:

A current resume highlighting relevant fashion design experience.
A professional portfolio showcasing original luxury womenswear, high-fashion, or couture-inspired designs.
Photographs of completed garments personally designed and constructed by the applicant.
Examples of original patterns, draping, or technical garment development work, when available.
Examples of technical flats or tech packs created using Adobe Illustrator.
A brief description of their design aesthetic and relevant experience.

Applicants must clearly identify which portfolio pieces they personally designed, patterned, and constructed.

Applications without a professional portfolio and evidence of completed garment construction will not be considered.

Interview & Selection Process

Qualified candidates selected for interviews will be invited to participate in a live virtual portfolio and garment presentation via Zoom.

During this presentation, candidates may be asked to:

Present two or three original garments they personally designed and constructed.
Display completed garments on a mannequin or dress form, when available.
Demonstrate garment construction details, including seams, finishing, structure, and fit.
Present examples of original patterns and explain their patternmaking techniques.
Discuss fabric selection, draping, construction methods, and creative decisions.
Present examples of technical flats or garment tech packs.
Explain their process for developing a garment from initial concept through completed sample.
Discuss their experience designing sophisticated, feminine, luxury womenswear.

This hiring process does not include a custom design challenge or speculative sample-development assignment.

Candidates will be evaluated based on their existing professional work, demonstrated technical abilities, creativity, craftsmanship, communication, and alignment with the Iconic Lady® brand.

Join the Vision

Iconic Lady® is entering an exciting new chapter, and we are intentionally seeking the right creative talent to help bring our vision to life.

We believe exceptional fashion requires more than beautiful sketches. It requires imagination, artistry, technical excellence, precision, and the ability to transform a vision into something extraordinary.

We are looking for a designer who shares our passion for femininity, sophistication, creativity, innovation, and exceptional craftsmanship.

If you have the imagination to create, the technical expertise to execute, and the passion to contribute to an emerging luxury fashion brand, we welcome your application.

Iconic Lady® | House of Iconic™

Where femininity meets fashion. Where creativity meets excellence.

Pay: $30.00 per hour

Expected hours: 10.0 – 20.0 per week

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Chicago, IL 60653