Freelance Fashion Designer

ANKO is looking for an exceptional Freelance Womenswear Fashion Designer to collaborate with us on upcoming collections. We are specifically looking for a designer in the true sense of the word — someone capable of developing original silhouettes, experimenting with proportion, structure and drape, understanding how garments interact with the female body, and translating ideas into distinctive, beautifully considered pieces. We are looking for high-level womenswear design with a strong creative point of view. This is not a graphic design, T-shirt design or basics-focused role.

We are interested in designers whose work demonstrates:

• Strong, original and elevated womenswear design
• Innovation in silhouette, shape, draping, structure and proportion
• A sophisticated understanding of garment construction and craftsmanship
• Interesting manipulation of fabrics, materials, details and finishing
• The ability to create new design ideas rather than simply reinterpret existing garments
• Strong understanding of the female form and how clothing can sculpt, reveal, conceal and move around the body
• The ability to develop distinctive design codes and recognisable details
• A strong individual point of view while still being able to design within an established brand language
• Experience developing cohesive collections rather than disconnected individual pieces

Please do not apply if your portfolio consists primarily of T-shirts, graphic apparel, basic shirts, standard trench coats, basic trousers, skirts, simple dresses or conventional everyday separates. Being able to design a well-cut trouser, shirt, skirt or trench coat is valuable, but that alone is not what we are hiring for. We want to see design intervention. We want to see what you can do with silhouette. How you manipulate fabric. How you approach construction. How you create volume. How you drape. How you rethink proportion. How you develop unexpected details. How you take a familiar garment and push it somewhere new. Your portfolio should make us stop and ask: “How did they think of that?”

A note on AI: We are not looking for AI-generated fashion concepts or AI-generated portfolios. AI-generated images will not be accepted as evidence of design ability. We want to see how you think as a designer — your sketches, development process, experimentation, construction thinking and how an idea evolves from concept into an actual garment.

What we want to see when applying:

• A portfolio with a strong focus on high-level womenswear.
• At least 2–3 projects showing your design process, from initial research and sketches through development and final garment or technical resolution.
• Examples demonstrating experimentation with silhouette, draping, structure, construction, textile manipulation, detailing or craftsmanship.
• Where possible, photographs of finished garments, not only illustrations or renders.
• Your location and availability for freelance projects.

We care less about where you studied or which brands you have worked for than whether you can actually design. We are looking for someone with imagination, technical understanding and a genuine ability to create — someone who does not stop at “this is a dress” but asks “what else could this dress become?”

To be considered for this role, please apply directly by email at anko@theankoshop.com with:

• Role: Freelance Womenswear Fashion Designer
• Brand: ANKO (@theankoshop)
• Engagement: Freelance / Project-Based