Pattern Maker | Cut & Sew Knit

VANCOUVER LOCAL APPLICANTS ONLY

POSITION: Pattern Maker

DEPARTMENT: Design

REPORTS TO: Chief Design Officer

Position Overview

TONA is hiring a highly motivated Pattern Maker who will work closely alongside our Chief Design Officer and Product Developer. A Pattern Maker at TONA will join the organization with an extensive knowledge of cut & sew knits, spandex, apparel construction, pattern making and fit. This Pattern Maker will have a passion and standard for creating truly best in class products. The ideal candidate will thrive in a startup environment and will bring apparel designs to life in a tangible way while creating and maintaining the fit, form, function, and specifications of the garments.

About the Chief Design Officer

As one of the founding designers for Lululemon®, this Chief Design Officer created many of the most iconic and recognizable activewear designs of the past two decades. She led the design on over 15 trademark Lululemon styles that remain bestsellers to this day, co-developed the original Luon® fabric – the most popular activewear fabric in the world – and is the designer behind the Wunder Under®, the legging that started it all.

From Lululemon to the Design Lead for Global Women’s Sportswear at Nike®, and Design Director of Women and Men’s Sportswear at Under Armour®, she holds 11 patents for development of the styles that pioneered the $380B category we know today as “activewear”.

As a former competitive athlete who works out six days a week, she wondered why there was no legging made “just for women like her” created by women designers, giving back to women’s charities, supporting the physical and mental health of women, and available as ubiquitously as the yoga-first brands.

With a history of innovating new categories, she is now applying her craft to this solution, creating the next generation of activewear, designed specifically for Girls Who Gym™.

That company is TONA Activewear.

Key Accountabilities

PATTERNMAKING

• Develop and execute 1st patterns from CADS, block, and garment specs.
• Create 1st patterns that reflect standard fit and specs while executing the Head of Design’s vision and ensuring said patterns are ready to be adapted for bulk production.
• Translate a 2D concept into 3D product by developing a pattern that considers fabric and construction to create the desired silhouette and size proportion.

ALTERATIONS AND FITTINGS

• Attend fittings with Design, take correction notes and execute corrections.
• Ensure fit comments/corrections are made in a timely manner and all patterns are updated.
• Work alongside Product Development to ensure factory submits sample/pattern match specifications. This includes examining the factory patterns to ensure accuracy, fit, balance, and construction details.
• Take part in development fit sessions on the fit model and work with design to achieve the intended aesthetic and perfect body fit.
• Partner with Sample Sewers.
• Oversee the in-house sample development process from pattern conception to approval by working closely with Product Development and Chief Design Officer to ensure calendar deadlines are met.

You

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 8-10 years of pattern making experience in women’s apparel and garment manufacturing including construction, draping, and sewing knowledge.
• Knowledge of cut & sew knits and stretch fabrics.
• Experience with women’s athletic apparel strongly preferred.
• High proficiency with Gerber AccuMark systems.
• Proficiency in communicating with Asian manufacturers and flexibility with accommodating Asian time zones.

SKILLS FOR SUCCESS:

• Strong organization and follow up skills.
• Autonomous, takes initiative, takes feedback well, and is accountable.
• Accepts responsibility.
• Detail oriented with great time management skills.
• Never misses a deadline.
• Passionate about working with stretch knits.
• Creative problem-solver / solution-seeker.
• Understands the beauty of startup potential: seeks a sense of ownership, pride and contribution over their work.
• Brings exceptional skill sets and experience but is open to growth and learning.
• Values and enhances culture.

About TONA

TONA Activewear is on a mission to create the next generation of activewear for a physically and mentally healthier planet.

TONA set out to solve one of the most pressing and commonly expressed frustrations in women’s activewear today – there is not a single brand that provides the ultimate fit, aesthetic, and comfort in conjunction with the fabric integrity, longevity, and sustainability that stands up to high-intensity workouts with the shape, support, coverage and compression the premium female consumer demands.

By developing their own proprietary fabrics, TONA is able to provide women with the aesthetic they love, the support they desire and the durability they deserve – designed by the founding designer of Lululemon – who created many of their most iconic, best-selling styles to this day.

TONA will provide a more luxurious, higher aesthetic, longer-lasting evolution of leggings, tops, sports bras, and outerwear to the significantly underserved $380B premium activewear and sportswear market.

Think elevated aesthetic of Lululemon + elevated performance of Nike = TONA ACTIVEWEAR.

Mission

When suicide impacted our Founder’s family, he went on a mission to create the most customer-obsessed company in activewear and fashion to support the physical and mental health of women, and the prevention of teen suicide and self-harm – so other families would not have to experience the same pain and suffering his family had. That company is TONA ACTIVEWEAR.

“In the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work. Perhaps, then, you might gain that rare tranquility that comes from knowing that you’ve had a hand in creating something of intrinsic excellence that makes a contribution. Indeed, you might even gain that deepest of all satisfactions: knowing that your short time here on this earth has been well spent, and that it mattered.”

– Jim Collins, Good to Great –

Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t

Compensation

Compensation for this position will consist of base salary, and a comprehensive benefits program.