Jessica Chan

Freelance Soft Goods Designer and Developer · Jessica Chan Designs

San Francisco, CA

In My Own Words

Hi! I’m Jessica Chan, a freelance Soft Goods Designer and Developer based in San Francisco, California. Specializing in concept design/development, sewn prototyping and pattern making, I provide an all in one unique service to clients that encompasses the design process from start to finish. My love for cycling and the outdoors has influenced a lot of my designs and the companies I work with.

Work Experience

Freelance Soft Goods Designer + Developer

Jessica Chan Designs

2016 – Present

Working with clients on a wide variety of soft goods projects. Providing clients with a unique all in one experience of being able to design and develop a product from concept to production.

Founder, Designer and Maker

Tunitas Creative

2018 – 2023

Personal passion project of designing, developing and producing soft goods. All products are designed, prototyped, tested, and sewn in house in small batches. Tunitas is a space to explore techniques and design in soft goods, alongside managing a small business, understanding the market and trends, researching materials and trims, and building relationships with suppliers.

Designer and Production Assistant

Joshu + Vela

2016 – 2016

Collaborated with the Creative Director to design and produce new products. Responsible for concept and market research, ideation sketching, pattern making, prototyping, sample sewing, and material research and sourcing. Managed several projects while fulfilling each deliverable with a given time frame. Worked with the in house sewing team on construction of new products and updating existing products. Additional tasks included production scale cutting of fabric, leather and compiling trims.

Designer and Developer

Rickshaw Bagworks

2014 – 2016

Collaborated with the Creative Director/CEO to design and develop new products that align with the brand aesthetic and their commitment to wasteless manufacturing processes. Daily tasks involved concept design and sketching, drafting patterns, prototyping, and sample making. Managed working with the in house production team to collaborate on the construction process of new products and to modify existing products to help streamline the production process. Created small to large unit Illustrator sewing pattern layouts/markers for fabric to be laser cut out.

Apparel Design and Development Intern

Betabrand

2013 – 2014

Collaborated and conceptualized new products with the design team. Updated and created new flat drawings for new and existing products. Created tech packs and BOMs. Sourced fabrics and trims from vendors and suppliers. Learned the ins and outs of bringing products to life in a fast paced environment.

Apparel Design and Development Intern

Mountain Hardwear

2011 – 2011

Shadowed designers and developers on projects to learn the process of taking a design from concept to production. Created BOMs and entered spec data into PLM. Attended fit sessions and audited samples taking note of areas needed for future revisions. Updated and created new flat drawings for the upcoming season. Spent time with the Materials specialist learning about materials and compiling and organizing fabric samples.