Our Team.

Founder & Managing Director

Cara Austine-Rademaker is the founder of the Couture Pattern Museum, an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of haute couture patterns and celebrating the untold narratives of fashion history. With over two decades of dedication to saving and preserving rare sewing patterns, Cara has turned a lifelong passion into a unique museum that showcases the art of fashion design and sharing untold stories through the collection.

​

Guided by two respected mentors—a renowned haute couture designer and a former Christian Dior professional—Cara has honed her skills in the art of couture and historical dress reconstructions. Her leadership at the museum is defined by innovation, creativity, and a dedication to preserving the craft and "know-how" of haute couture fashion. Outside the museum, she enjoys reading literary classics, cooking, and advocating against human trafficking and abuse.

​​

Q: Is Cara's Background in Fashion or Museum Curation?

​

No. Cara’s career background is in finance, healthcare, and the arts. Before founding the museum, she began her professional journey in actuarial science before transitioning to finance, where she became the youngest officer and AVP at City National Bank in Beverly Hills. There, she worked with high-profile entertainment clients, closed the largest syndicated deal in the bank’s history, served on the Women’s Executive Committee for a national non-profit, Sister to Sister, and chaired the Young Entrepreneurs Council at the Century City Chamber of Commerce. She was selected to develop the Healthcare Council at the bank, where she played a pivotal role in developing a brand-new healthcare division that continues to operate to this day.

​

Cara was exposed to the challenges in healthcare finance and began volunteering at UCLA, Venice Family Clinics, and the USC Dental Mobile Clinic which inspired a career shift toward healthcare. She pursued studies at USD Nursing School and Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences and served in patient advocacy at a heart hospital. Throughout her career, she nurtured a lifelong passion for couture sewing, while volunteering to create custom garments for patients and nursing home residents in need of adaptive clothing and articles.

​

Q: How Did the Idea of a Museum Begin?

While making custom and adaptive clothing, nursing home residents would often ask to see the patterns or photos of the dresses made from them. It always sparked conversations, brought back memories, and created moments of connection and joy. When nursing home residents passed away or moved out of their homes into care facilities, the next generation would often throw their couture collections into the dumpster. Cara witnessed the devastation of new nursing home residents who had lost everything. Many had cherished and protected these patterns for their entire lives, but overnight, they were discarded because the next generation didn’t see their value. This passion to save their collections ultimately led Cara to develop the Couture Pattern Museum after recognizing a critical gap—no museum or library was preserving or collecting this important history. Her vision for the museum has taken decades to build but has remained consistent. Without her intervention, there was a very real risk that these assets and their history could have been lost forever.​

​

Cara volunteers her time to the Couture Pattern Museum, with 100% of funds raised directly supporting museum operations, exhibits, and events. Her dedication ensures that every contribution furthers the mission of preserving and celebrating the history and artistry of haute couture. Through her vision, the Couture Pattern Museum preserves, inspires, and educates, celebrating the rich heritage and often overlooked stories in fashion.