Heather Howard
Womenswear Designer / Patternmaker
541-418-1347
heathermorrainehoward@gmail.com
heathermorrainehoward.blogspot.com
Skills
Technical: research and design development, drafting and pattern making, clothing construction, hand sewing, draping, technical flats, fashion illustration and rendering.
Industrial Equipment: single needle sewing machine, over-lock, cover-stitch, button, buttonhole, keyhole, and bar-tack machines.
Computer: Mac OSX, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Gerber.
Experience
Finisher, July 2009 - Present
Souchi, 807 NW 23rd Ave., Portland OR 97120
*Worked and assisted owner Suzi Johnson and studio manager Cori Williams at Souchi's studio where hand-loomed knitwear is created. Finished knit garments with hand sewn pockets, buttons, and other finishings and completed wholesale orders for Fall 2009 as well as Spring 2010 collections.
Stitcher, May 2009 - June 2009
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Costume Shop, 15 S. Pioneer St., Ashland OR 97520
Joined a team creating costumes for Henry VIII Designed by Susan E. Mickey for OSF's Elizabethan Theatre. Completed mock-up's, hand-sewed trim, hem's finishings and many other tasks.
Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week February 2009
Designed and produced by hand a collection of eleven looks for inclusion in Academy of Art University show. Work included inspiration research and development of U.S. history including Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and early Sierra Club photographs, fabric experimentation with sun dying and sun bleaching, patternmaking and sewing of garment samples including alterations through fitting process. Worked closely with Fashion Director Simon Ungless and textile designer Cat Janky.
Design Assistant, January 2008 - June 2008
Nice Collective, 2544 3rd Street, San Francisco CA 94107
Worked with a team on the New Romantics and Voix de Ville Fall 08’. Maintained organization, patternmaking, cutting and sewing samples, as well as utilizing Gerber.
Design Assistant, September 2006 – March 2007
Estrella Tadeo Designs, Mission Statement, 3458-A 18th Street, San Francisco CA 94110
Patternmaking for custom and limited-edition tailored menswear.
Sales Associate, February 2000 – March 2009
Shoe Biz II 1553 Haight Street San Francisco, CA 94117
Sales and coordination of stock, inventory, following shoe trends and in-store special events. Inventory includes a wide range of inexpensive to high-end shoes and collectable sneakers.
Freelance Portrait, Fine Art, and Archival Slide Photographer, 1992 - 2002
Shot and developed small, medium, and large-format black & white and color film as well as black & white and color photographic printing.
Education
Master of Fine Arts in Fashion Design, Class of 2009
Academy of Art University 180 New Montgomery, San Francisco CA 94103
Academy of Art University Spring 2008 Fashion Show. Shown as a group collaboration.
Jewelry collaboration project with sculptor Mike Feeney. Collaboration displayed in window of Saks Fifth Avenue, Union Square, San Francisco.
Design collaboration project for M.A.C. (Modern Appealing Clothing, Hayes Valley, San Francisco). Spring 2007
Worked with high-end San Francisco retail store M.A.C. to design a collection for their customer. Collaborated with classmate Emily Melville and used local landmarks as inspiration. The thirteen-look collection included experimental draping techniques.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking, Class of 2002
San Francisco Art Institute, 800 Chestnut Street, San Francisco CA 94109
Etching, Screen Printing, Illustration, and Photography.
