Handmade Clothing Designer (Volunteer)

Mentor A Promise is a New York City–based nonprofit serving children and youth (ages 5–18) experiencing housing instability, grounded in the belief that every child is a Promise—full of potential, dignity, and possibility. We deliver consistent, high-quality programming across mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, and creative expression in shelters, schools, and community spaces, creating structured environments where students can grow, be seen, and build lasting skills.

About the Role

Mentor A Promise is seeking talented Handmade Clothing Designers to help design and create original garments and textile pieces for PromiseBrands. We are especially interested in designers and makers skilled in traditional and contemporary handcraft techniques, including:

• Hand knitting
• Crochet
• Sewing
• Embroidery
• Weaving
• Quilting
• Hand embellishment
• Textile manipulation
• Upcycling and reconstruction
• Other garment-making and textile crafts

The Handmade Clothing Designer will have opportunities to develop original concepts, experiment with materials and techniques, create prototypes and finished pieces, and collaborate with MAP’s broader fashion and creative teams. We welcome both experienced designers and highly skilled independent makers and artisans whose expertise may have been developed outside traditional fashion-industry pathways.

Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week with a minimum 6-month commitment required. Remote design collaboration with NYC-based opportunities as needed.

Responsibilities

Handmade Garment Design & Creation

• Design and create original handmade garments, accessories, and textile pieces.
• Translate sketches, concepts, mood boards, or creative direction into physical designs.
• Select appropriate yarns, fabrics, fibers, trims, and other materials.
• Apply handcraft techniques with strong attention to construction, durability, fit, and finish.
• Create prototypes, samples, and finished pieces.
• Explore new combinations of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design.
• Maintain high standards of quality throughout the making process.

Creative Development

• Develop original garment concepts individually and collaboratively.
• Contribute ideas for collections, capsule projects, special pieces, and creative experiments.
• Participate in design reviews and creative discussions.
• Research relevant materials, techniques, craftsmanship traditions, and design references.
• Experiment with color, texture, silhouette, pattern, construction, and material.
• Help develop pieces with a recognizable creative identity rather than simply reproducing existing designs.

Craftsmanship & Responsible Design

• Champion the value of handmade and small-scale production.
• Explore responsible sourcing, durability, repairability, reuse, and waste reduction.
• Help identify opportunities to incorporate reclaimed, repurposed, or responsibly sourced materials.
• Document construction techniques when appropriate so successful designs can be understood or reproduced.
• Respect the cultural origins and histories of traditional textile and garment-making techniques.

Collaboration

• Work with Fashion Creative Directors and designers to develop cohesive concepts.
• Collaborate with patternmakers, sewists, textile designers, product developers, and other makers.
• Participate in fittings and make appropriate garment adjustments.
• Work with models when evaluating fit, movement, comfort, and presentation.
• Collaborate with PromiseStudios when photography, film, or other visual production is needed to document completed work.
• Share knowledge and techniques with other members of the creative team.

Qualifications

Strong candidates may bring experience in:

• Handmade fashion
• Fashion design
• Knitwear
• Crochet
• Sewing or tailoring
• Textile design
• Embroidery
• Weaving
• Quilting
• Fiber arts
• Patternmaking
• Upcycling
• Costume construction
• Artisan or traditional crafts

Formal fashion education is not required. We value demonstrated craftsmanship, creativity, curiosity, reliability, and willingness to collaborate. Strong candidates will demonstrate:

• Skill in at least one garment-making or textile craft
• Strong attention to detail and finishing
• Understanding of garment construction
• Creative and conceptual thinking
• Ability to interpret creative direction
• Appreciation for materials and craftsmanship
• Willingness to experiment and learn
• Ability to complete projects reliably
• Respect for other designers' ideas and intellectual contributions
• Commitment to responsible and collaborative creative practice
• Alignment with MAP’s mission and values

What Success Looks Like

Success means PromiseBrands develops handmade work that feels intentional rather than mass-produced, contemporary without losing respect for craft, and creative without sacrificing quality. Designers bring their own ideas and techniques to the team. Craft knowledge is shared and preserved. Materials are selected thoughtfully. Finished pieces demonstrate care in both concept and construction. And the people who actually make the work are recognized as an essential part of the creative process.

Why This Role Matters

Before clothing became an industry, it was a craft. Someone selected the fiber. Someone developed the technique. Someone cut, stitched, knitted, woven, embroidered, repaired, and passed knowledge from one generation to another. PromiseBrands wants to preserve that human connection while exploring what handmade fashion can become today.

Benefits

• Opportunity to develop original handmade fashion and textile projects
• Collaboration with designers, creative directors, models, makers, and other creative professionals
• Portfolio-building opportunities and appropriate creative credit
• Experience developing work from concept through finished garment
• Opportunities to experiment with materials and traditional and contemporary techniques
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Opportunity to help build the handmade and artisan design practice within PromiseBrands