It's Time for a Garment District

My name is Jess Crane, and I am a multidisciplinary artist and business consultant based in the Chicagoland area. I hold a B.A. in Fashion Design from The Illinois Institute of Art–Chicago and an M.S. in Recreation, Sport and Tourism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I have been connected to AIBI since approximately 2006. When I graduated with a degree in fashion design, there were very few visible opportunities in the Chicagoland area for someone pursuing a career as an apparel designer. The industry felt scattered, difficult to access, and hard to navigate—especially for emerging designers who wanted to start and sustain their own apparel businesses. At that time, AIBI was the one organization that offered genuine community, networking, and access to people, tools, and resources within the fashion and sewn-products industry. Other organizations existed, but many focused on other sectors of fashion or did not provide meaningful support for emerging apparel design talent. AIBI helped make the local industry feel more accessible and connected. Like many fashion design graduates in Chicago, I found work through adjacent roles rather than in a position specifically titled “apparel designer.” I gained experience in apparel and product development, technical design, merchandising, retail, and related areas of the industry. While these positions were not always the direct fashion-design opportunities I had envisioned, they gave me valuable practical knowledge about how apparel products move from an idea to a finished good. Eventually, I started my own business, using my fashion design education along with the skills I developed through those varied professional experiences. From Chicago, I offered apparel and sewn product development services to clients throughout the United States. I consistently worked to keep production in Chicago and in the United States whenever possible because I believe local manufacturing supports jobs, strengthens small businesses, and preserves essential industry knowledge. However, finding and accessing the resources needed to build a product locally was often extremely difficult. Manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, sample rooms, and specialized service providers were scarce and not always easy for emerging designers to locate. Because those resources were limited, they could also become guarded by those who had already secured access to them. This created a real barrier for designers of my generation—particularly independent designers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs without established industry networks. As our generation began to take on leadership roles within the industry, many of us recognized the need for a more transparent, collaborative, and accessible apparel ecosystem in Chicago. We understood that designers should not have to rely on private connections, trial and error, or inaccessible information to Page 1 of 2 8/21/2026 develop and manufacture their products. They should be able to find resources, build relationships, learn production processes, and grow viable businesses within their own city. That is why a Chicago garment district is vital. It would create a visible, connected home for designers, pattern makers, sample makers, manufacturers, suppliers, educators, students, and small-business owners. It would make the local production ecosystem easier to find and access while encouraging collaboration instead of gatekeeping. A garment district would help retain creative talent, strengthen local manufacturing, create career pathways, and allow more of the value created by Chicago-based design to remain in Chicago. AIBI is the organization best positioned to help make this vision a reality. For decades, AIBI has provided the community, industry knowledge, and practical resources that designers and sewn-products businesses need. It understands both the creative side of fashion and the operational realities of bringing a product to market. AIBI has earned the trust of designers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and industry professionals by serving as a connector across the local apparel ecosystem. For me, AIBI represents the kind of support that was difficult to find when I was beginning my career. It helped create access where there had been isolation, community where there had been fragmentation, and opportunity where there had been uncertainty. AIBI has the experience, relationships, and commitment necessary to lead the development of a more visible, equitable, and sustainable garment industry in Chicago. I strongly support AIBI and its leadership in advancing a Chicago garment district. Sincerely, Jess Crane Multidisciplinary Artist Business Consultant Historical Preservationist Regional Director of FGI Chicago Managing Board Member of AIBI Chicago Founder of Jess Crane Design, LLC, Illinois Fashion History, & Forma Numa Apparel [email protected]