Job Summary:
Rag & Bone is seeking an Associate Designer, Sweaters to support the design and development of the women’s sweater category from seasonal concept through final sample approval. This role is ideal for a creative, detail-oriented designer with strong taste level, a solid understanding of sweater construction, and the ability to balance brand-right design with commercial needs.
The Associate Designer will partner closely with the Senior Designer, Merchandising, Technical Design, Production, and overseas vendors to help create compelling, modern, and well-executed sweater collections. This person should have a strong eye for yarn, stitch, texture, silhouette, color, and proportion, while also being highly organized and comfortable managing multiple styles across seasonal deadlines.
Responsibilities:
Seasonal Concept & Research
Support seasonal research and concept development for the sweater category, including trend direction, runway, vintage, market, competitive shopping, yarn innovation, stitch ideas, color, texture, and silhouette.
Assist in building seasonal mood boards, concept decks, stitch and yarn boards, and presentation materials for internal design reviews and market milestones.
Identify new sweater opportunities that align with the brand aesthetic, customer, seasonal direction, and business needs.
Design Development
Create original sketches, CADs, stitch layouts, and colorways using Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop.
Assist in developing yarn, stitch, trim, and construction ideas that support the overall seasonal assortment.
Prepare detailed design sheets and tech packs, including stitch callouts, yarn information, gauge, measurements, construction details, trims, placements, and finishing details.
Support color development, lab dip review, yarn submits, knit-downs, strike-offs, and sample approvals to ensure accuracy and brand alignment.
Maintain and update seasonal design boards throughout the development process.
Sweater Technical Execution & Samples
Partner with Technical Design and Product Development to ensure sweater designs are feasible, well-constructed, and clearly communicated to vendors.
Review proto samples, knit-downs, stitch trials, color submits, and SMS samples for accuracy of stitch, hand feel, proportion, fit, construction, quality, and overall design intent.
Attend fittings and proto reviews, take clear notes, track revisions, and support follow-up comments to vendors.
Communicate design updates, sample comments, and development direction to domestic and overseas partners in a clear and timely manner.
Help ensure seasonal deadlines are met across sketch, tech pack, proto, SMS, market, and production handoff stages.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work closely with Merchandising to support assortment needs, key item strategy, and seasonal line planning.
Partner with Product Development and Production on yarn sourcing, costing, sampling timelines, vendor capabilities, and quality standards.
Collaborate with Technical Design to maintain fit, proportion, construction integrity, and sweater feasibility.
Support seasonal design presentations, proto reviews, adoption meetings, market prep, and sample organization.
Organization & Department Support
Maintain organized digital and physical design files, including seasonal sketches, CADs, yarn libraries, stitch references, sample comments, tech packs, and development records.
Update internal systems with accurate sweater-specific information, including yarns, gauges, stitch details, colorways, trims, and construction notes.
Track samples, knit-downs, submits, and development status across the seasonal calendar.
Prepare samples for meetings, fittings, and presentations, including steaming, organizing, labeling, and setting up boards and racks as needed.
Support the Senior Designer with day-to-day design tasks, research, meeting preparation, and special projects.
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Knitwear Design, Textile Design, or a related field preferred.
2 to 4 years of apparel design experience, preferably within sweaters, knitwear, or contemporary women’s ready-to-wear.
Strong understanding of sweater construction, yarns, gauges, stitches, knit-downs, fully fashioned techniques, trims, finishing, fit, and garment construction.
Strong sketching, CAD, technical flat, and design sheet abilities.
Proficiency in Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop required.
Experience with Miro, PLM, or similar design and research tools is a plus.
Strong eye for color, proportion, texture, silhouette, and brand-right product.
Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple styles, deadlines, and seasonal deliverables.
Strong communication skills and comfort working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Portfolio required. Sweater or knitwear work strongly preferred.
Rules we live by | Rules you live by
- Be a Good Human – Be original, be authentic. Stand for diversity, equitability & inclusivity
- Have No Fear – Innovate, solve problems
- Own Every Decision – Work together, get results
- Quality Matters – Not only with product but we see it in our people
- Make Shit Happen – Be disciplined, be competitive
- Paid Time Off
- Clothing Allowance
- Generous Employee Discount
- Paid Parental Leave
- Membership to Calm and access to other wellness benefits
- Medical, dental, vision and ancillary benefits
- 401k
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design, Knitwear Design, Textile Design, or related field
- 2 to 4 years of apparel design experience
- Strong understanding of sweater construction, yarns, gauges, stitches, knit-downs, and finishing
- Strong sketching, CAD, technical flat, and design sheet abilities
- Proficiency in Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop
- Experience with Miro, PLM, or similar design and research tools
- Strong eye for color, proportion, texture, silhouette, and brand-right product
- Highly organized with ability to manage multiple styles, deadlines, and seasonal deliverables
- Strong communication skills and comfort working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment
- Portfolio required (sweater or knitwear work strongly preferred)
What We Do
Interested in joining one of the most dynamic fashion brands in the world? To view and apply to all headquarter and retail jobs at rag & bone, please visit our website and careers page: http://www.rag-bone.com/careers From its origins in New York in 2002, rag & bone instantaneously distinguished itself by combining British heritage with directional, modern design. Today, the brand has become synonymous with innately wearable clothing that innovatively melds classic tailoring with an edgy yet understated New York aesthetic. Inspired by a desire to create beautifully constructed clothes, rag & bone prides itself in the time-honored techniques of supremely skilled, local manufacturers at some of the oldest factories in the country. The importance of quality, expert craftsmanship and attention to detail resonated deeply, informing the brand’s core philosophy. With a downtown sensibility, signature clean silhouettes and an inherent integrity, rag & bone continuously redefines urban style. In 2007, rag & bone won the Swarovski Award for emerging talent in Menswear and in 2010, the brand was bestowed the industry’s most prestigious honor when named Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). rag & bone offers a full range of men’s and women’s ready to wear, /JEAN, Standard Issue, footwear and accessories collections. rag & bone operates 35 stores worldwide, ten of which are in New York City. Stores are also located in Washington, D.C.; Boston, Massachusetts; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Greenwich, Connecticut; Aspen, Colorado; and Bal Harbour, Florida. International stores are located in London, UK; Tokyo, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Taipei, Taiwan and Hong Kong. rag & bone is also available in boutiques and department stores in over 53 countries worldwide.
