Associate Designer
Women’s Active & Lifestyle Apparel
Location: New York, NY 10018 (Onsite, 5 days/week, 9am–6pm)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Compensation: Up to $75,000–$80,000 annually (depending on experience)
Overview:
We are seeking an Associate Designer to support the women’s active and lifestyle apparel category, with an emphasis on knitwear, performance product, and casual sportswear. This role is highly hands-on and will partner closely with Senior Design, Technical Design, Production, and Merchandising to translate seasonal concepts into market-ready collections.
Responsibilities:
- Contribute to the full design lifecycle for women’s active and lifestyle apparel—from initial inspiration and concept boards through final style handoff.
- Create accurate flats, construction call-outs, and detailed CAD artwork in Adobe Illustrator for presentations and tech packs.
- Build and update the design components of tech packs (artwork, trim details, colorways, placement, and measurements) in collaboration with Technical Design.
- Research trends in women’s activewear, athleisure, and sportswear—silhouettes, fabrics, trims, and graphics—and summarize findings through digital/physical inspiration boards.
- Assist in the development of seasonal color stories, print direction, and graphic applications that are cohesive across product assortments and aligned with target pricing.
- Maintain an organized library of fabrics, trims, print standards, and reference samples to support quick decision-making for the team.
- Attend fittings, capture detailed notes, and follow up on updates to ensure fit, construction, and overall design intent are preserved throughout the sampling process.
- Support cross-functional communication by sharing updated sketches, BOM details, and any design changes with internal partners in a timely manner.
- Help prepare presentation materials for internal milestone meetings and line reviews, including boards, CAD overviews, and line sheets.
- Ensure style information, sketches, and color/print details are accurately maintained in all relevant systems and documents.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or a closely related field preferred.
- Professional experience in women’s apparel design, with a strong preference for activewear, performance, or sportswear; candidates with deeper experience will be prioritized within the stated salary range.
- Advanced command of Adobe Illustrator and working knowledge of other Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
- Familiarity with knit constructions, stretch fabrics, and performance textiles for women’s product strongly preferred.
- Refined sense of color, proportion, and styling appropriate to the women’s active and lifestyle market.
- Exceptional organization and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple styles, deadlines, and seasonal calendars at once.
- Effective verbal and written communication skills; comfortable collaborating with Design, Technical Design, Production, and Merchandising teams.
- Ability and willingness to work onsite in New York City, Monday through Friday.
