About Jess
Jess Crane is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, consultant, and community builder with a passion for innovation, sustainability, and lifelong learning. Her career spans business consulting, concept and product design, fashion design, technical design, textile print, marketing, graphic design, music, writing, and fine art. She is the founder of Jess Crane Design, LLC, which offers services to help entrepreneurs and organizations bring their ideas to life.
Strategy & Services
As a business consultant, Jess helps organizations identify growth opportunities, improve their operations, and develop effective strategies for success. Her creative services include website design, graphic design, promotional marketing plans, apparel and product design, advertising, event planning, business organization charts, market research, and competitor analysis.
Jess has extensive experience in studio arts, the full product development lifecycle, and business operations. Her ability to synthesize across disciplines allows her to support clients through both strategic and creative lenses.
Community & Leadership
Jess serves as the Regional Director of Fashion Group International (FGI) Chicago and as a Managing Board Member of the Apparel Industry Board Inc. (AIBI). She has also served as Nominating Chair for FGI Chicago and was previously recognized with a Programming Award by Fashion Group International.
In 2023, she launched Illinois Fashion History, a personal project dedicated to documenting and preserving the state’s fashion legacy through community submissions, historical storytelling, and archival research.
She holds a BFA in Fashion Design from The Illinois Institute of Art Chicago and an MS in Recreation, Sports and Tourism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Masha DeHaan of Varyform and Jess Crane with FGI Chicago 2018 Programming Special Recognition Award.
Fashion Projects & Recognition
Jess’s fashion work blends sustainability, storytelling, and creative reuse. She has created garments for fundraisers and exhibitions including Trashion Revolution, Discard Disco, ShadowBall, ReFashioning History, and UNITY.
The Bride (2013): An editorial garment featured in 44FLOOD’s TOME 2 – Melancholia and exhibited at the Last Rites Gallery in New York City. This emotionally expressive, body-displayed piece marked Jess’s first formal fashion exhibition.
2021
Ric-Rac Revival: Created for Discard Disco: The Winter of Our Discarded Content virtual event, this ensemble used upholstery and drapery remnants, ric-rac, and ribbons to create a cropped jacket and matching skirt. Ric-rac strands unraveled from a box-pleated back yoke, creating dynamic movement. The skirt featured curved seaming and an arched hemline to echo the flowing trims. Styled with birds and floral greenery in the hair, the look embraced whimsical detail.
2022
Contributing Artist & Editor, CHIC in Chicago: Jess volunteered for AIBI’s annual fundraiser by gathering materials from local designers, digitizing and sketching illustrations, editing copy, and co-organizing the coloring book CHIC in Chicago: 35 Years of Fashion with Executive Director Ambar Campos.
2023
Down the Rabbit Hole: Designed for Discard Disco, this ready-to-wear look was made from a mystery box of upcycled materials for a fundraiser benefiting The WasteShed.
Plastic Flow: Created for Triveni Institute’s Trashion Revolution, this conceptual garment used 309 single-use plastic bags, representing the number used per minute in Chicago. Styled with a “trashbrella,” raindrop earrings, and storm-themed hair/makeup, it served as a visual protest. The piece was featured on WTTW News in May 2023.
3D Scanned Ready-to-Wear Debut: In October, Jess presented her first digital-process look using virtual body scanning and 3D patterning, sewn in-studio and worn at the 2023 Chicago Fashion Showcase hosted by Minted Media at Guild Row.
2024
Transformation: Created for Triveni Institute’s ShadowBall, this garment made from upcycled t-shirts and drapery explored themes of resilience and chronic illness. It was modeled by Jess at Macy’s State Street and featured gold upholstery trim and integrated lights.
Sparkling Shores: Lakefront Legacy: Designed for ReFashioning History, a fundraiser for the Evanston History Center, hosted by Tommy Walton. The piece honored the beauty and fragility of the lakeshore through shimmering textures and thoughtful reuse.
Eco-Bloom Couture: A high-fashion piece for Trashion Revolution constructed from plastic jugs, grocery bags, and packaging. Inspired by Oscar de la Renta, this work showcased floral motifs made entirely from waste materials.
FGI Panel Moderator: Jess moderated A Chat with Past Rising Star Award Winners, hosted at Swaby Chicago, featuring Shernett Swaby, Jivesh Toor, and Tracey Mayer.
Podcast Feature: Jess was featured in Why Don’t We Dress for Dinner Anymore?, a podcast hosted by Teddi Krochman and Melissa Pierce.
FGI Rising Star Awards: Jess served on the planning committee for the return of FGI Chicago’s Rising Star Awards, held in October after a 10-year hiatus.
2025
Regional Director, FGI Chicago: Jess began her term in January 2025, leading programming and partnerships that support Chicago’s fashion professionals.
Chair, Blue Jacket Fashion Show Brunch: Jess led planning for the inaugural event in February, a fundraiser for ZERO Prostate Cancer, hosted at Guild Row.
UNITY Fundraiser Show: In May, Jess presented a curated group of past sustainable pieces for UNITY, a Northwestern University student-organized event benefiting Snow City Arts.
Chicago Fashion Week Advisory Council: In June, she accepted an invitation to join the advisory council for Chicago Fashion Week 2025, contributing her expertise in design, sustainability, and community engagement.
Creative Background in Music
In addition to her design work, Jess is an accomplished musician, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter with over a decade of experience in performance, composition, and band management. She released three full-length albums and one compilation album across two bands, serving as vocalist, bassist, lyricist, and creative director. She also led booking and promotion efforts for both groups.
Today, Jess continues to perform as a hobbyist musician, participating in community events and singing in her local church choir. Her passion for music remains an integral part of her creative life.
Musical Skills & Training
Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Piano, Songwriting
Advanced Music Theory
Electronic Music Composition
Booking & Band Management
Performance Affiliations
Elwood Garden Ukulele Strummers: Ukulele, Vocalist
The Terranauts (Indie/Folk/Punk): Bassist, Vocalist, Songwriter, Band Management
Quarters Only (Ska/Rock): Vocalist, Songwriter, Band Management
Guitar Ensemble: Classical Guitar, Upright Bass
Jazz Band: Electric and Upright Bass
Jazz Quartet: Electric and Upright Bass, Songwriting
String Orchestra: Upright Bass
Jess’s versatility and collaborative spirit allow her to integrate seamlessly into a wide variety of musical projects and styles. Whether playing solo or with a group, she brings creativity, precision, and a love of connection to every performance.
Creative Philosophy
Through all of her work—whether designing garments from discarded materials, mentoring emerging creatives, planning fashion industry events, or making music—Jess Crane remains dedicated to using creativity as a force for personal and collective transformation. Her work embodies the belief that art, fashion, and storytelling can be innovative, expressive, and deeply impactful when grounded in purpose, sustainability, and community.
Jess Crane and Ambar Campos of AIBI at the CHIC in Chicago: 35 Years of Fashion with AIBI Coloring Book Launch Party.