Founding Designer Program

How to qualify

To become eligible, complete both of the following:

Create your Tailore Studio

Complete payment setup and any required payment verification

Your Studio Overview will show your progress. When all requirements are complete and Founding Designer spots are still available, your Founding Designer status will be activated automatically. Enrollment is open for a limited period, so complete both steps while spots remain.

Creating a Tailore account by itself does not reserve a Founding Designer spot. Eligibility is confirmed once the required Studio and payment setup steps are complete.

Founding Designer rates

Studios whose payout account processes payments directly

Founding Designers receive a 7% Tailore platform rate, compared with the standard 10% rate.

Stripe’s payment-processing fees are deducted separately and may affect the Studio’s net earnings.

Studios in countries where Tailore processes payments and pays out on the Studio’s behalf

Founding Designers receive a 12% Tailore platform rate, compared with the standard 15% rate.

This rate reflects the additional cost of processing and paying out those transactions, which Tailore carries for these Studios. It follows how your payout account is configured during onboarding, not where you live, and your Studio Overview and Earnings pages always show the rate that applies to you. Other applicable third-party charges may apply where disclosed.

How long the Founding Designer benefit lasts

Your Founding Designer status and badge are permanent once earned, provided your account remains in good standing.

The reduced Founding Designer platform rate applies for 12 months beginning with your first successful client payment on Tailore.

Starting the reduced-rate period with your first successful payment means you do not lose part of your benefit while setting up your Studio or waiting for your first project.

Your first successful payment must occur within 12 months of qualifying for the Founding Designer program to activate the reduced-rate period.

After the 12-month reduced-rate period ends, Tailore’s standard platform rate applies to proposals approved after that date. Projects whose proposals were approved while your reduced rate applied keep the Founding Designer rate.

Your Founding Designer badge and status remain permanently associated with your Studio after the reduced-rate period ends.

How the rate applies to projects and payments

A project’s platform rate is recorded when your client approves the proposal, at the rate shown on that proposal.

If the proposal is approved while your Founding Designer rate applies, the project uses your Founding Designer rate.

Once a project’s rate is recorded, it applies to every payment on that project, even if your 12-month Founding Designer reduced-rate period ends later.

Proposals approved after your reduced-rate period ends record Tailore’s standard platform rate.

A proposal approved at the Founding Designer rate keeps that rate for the whole project.

The applicable Tailore fee is deducted from each successful client payment. This can include:

deposits

milestone or installment payments

final balances

full payments

other eligible project payments

The Tailore fee is not charged when a proposal is created, approved, or when a payment is requested. It is deducted only after a client payment is successfully processed.

If a project is paid in multiple parts, every payment uses the rate recorded when the proposal was approved.

There is no Tailore listing fee or monthly fee. Tailore client service fees are currently waived during Early Access.

How refunds affect the Tailore fee

Tailore only keeps its percentage fee on the portion of a payment the Studio ultimately retains.

For a full refund, Tailore reverses the full Tailore fee associated with that payment.

For a partial refund, Tailore reverses its fee in the same proportion as the refund.

For example:

If 100% of a payment is refunded, 100% of the Tailore fee is reversed.

If 40% of a payment is refunded, 40% of the Tailore fee is reversed.

Tailore keeps its fee only on the portion of the payment retained by the Studio.

Stripe or another payment provider may not return all third-party processing charges when a payment is refunded. Where applicable, those charges may still affect the Studio’s net earnings.

The amount a client is eligible to receive is determined by the approved project terms, deposit terms, and Tailore’s Payment and Refund Policy.

Where to see your status and rate

Before activation, your Studio Overview will show your Founding Designer eligibility progress, including:

completed requirements

any remaining requirement

whether payment verification is pending

Once all requirements are complete and spots remain, Tailore will apply your Founding Designer status automatically.

After activation, your Studio will show:

Founding Designer rate active

Your Tailore platform rate: 7%, or 12% for Studios whose payments Tailore processes and pays out on their behalf

Your active Founding Designer status and applicable payment rates will also appear in your Earnings experience and transaction details.

If you have completed payment setup but your payment account is still being reviewed, your status may show:

Payment verification pending

Your eligibility will be completed automatically once your payment account is approved, provided Founding Designer spots remain available. You do not need to repeat payment setup.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Founding Designer code? No. Founding Designer eligibility is applied automatically once the required Studio and payment setup steps are complete and spots remain available.

Do I need to publish a listing to qualify? No. Publishing a listing is not required. Designers may use Tailore for marketplace projects or to manage clients they already work with.

Does my Studio need to be public? No. A Studio may remain available by direct link and still qualify, provided the required Studio and payment setup steps are complete.

Does creating a Tailore account reserve my place? No. Founding Designer eligibility is confirmed once the required Studio and payment setup steps are complete and Founding Designer spots remain available.

When does my 12-month reduced-rate period begin? Your 12-month reduced-rate period begins with your first successful client payment on Tailore after your Founding Designer status is activated. Your first successful payment must occur within 12 months of qualifying for the program.

How long does the reduced rate last? The reduced Founding Designer rate lasts for 12 months from your first successful client payment.

Is the Founding Designer badge permanent? Yes. Once your Studio earns Founding Designer status, the badge remains part of your Studio permanently, provided your account remains in good standing. The badge remains after the reduced-rate period ends.

When is a project’s platform rate locked? When your client approves the proposal, at the rate shown on it. Every payment on that project then uses that rate.

What happens if my Founding Designer period ends before a project receives its first payment?If the proposal was approved while your Founding Designer rate applied, the project keeps that rate. Proposals approved after your reduced-rate period ends record the standard rate.

What happens to a project that was approved before my 12 months ends?If the proposal was approved while your Founding Designer rate was active, that project keeps the Founding Designer rate for all of its payments, even after your reduced-rate period ends.

What happens when all Founding Designer spots are filled?Enrollment is open for a limited period. Once all spots are filled or the enrollment period ends, new Studios will no longer be enrolled and will receive Tailore’s standard platform rate. Studios that already earned Founding Designer status keep their Founding Designer badge permanently, and any active reduced-rate period continues according to its terms.

Where can I see the fee charged on a payment? Go to Earnings and open the relevant transaction to view the gross payment, Tailore fee, refunds or adjustments, and net earnings.