Associate Designer- Men’s Outerwear & Accessories

Carhartt, Inc.; Dearborn (MI); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Carhartt, Inc. in Dearborn, MI is seeking an Associate Designer for Men's Outerwear & Accessories to translate consumer needs and brand vision into innovative product solutions.

You will collaborate with Design, Merchandising, and Product Development to support end-to-end creative work from research to final refinement. The role involves sketching, rendering, and prototyping, participating in market trips, and assisting in seasonal direction while maintaining quality and GTM milestones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Apparel Design or related field required or equivalent work experience.
• Proficiency in design software including Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop).
• Knowledge of garment construction and apparel materials.
• Familiarity with PLM/Web PDM systems.
• Strong interpersonal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Assists in creating consumer-focused designs for assigned category, meeting consumer needs.
• Collaborates with Insights Team and consumers for relevant functional designs and market insights.
• Supports seasonal direction; researches materials and technologies; participates in market trips and trade shows.
• Sketches designs in 2D/3D for presentation and technical specification.
• Partner with Design Resources Art Team for seasonal art concepts and direction.
• Ensure seasonal direction is followed and GTM milestones are met with cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate with Product Development and Raw Materials for material/color development.
• Assist in-season handoff of designs to Product Development and Technical Design Teams.
• Manage and maintain Design-owned PLM responsibilities.

Skills

Apparel design

Garment construction

Adobe Creative Cloud

CLO3D 3D modeling

WebPDM/PLM

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Apparel Design, or related field

Job description

Position Details

Title

Associate Designer- Men's Outerwear & Accessories

Department

Product Design

Reports to

Maura Morgan

Location

Dearborn, MI

Job Classification

Hybrid

Job Summary

The Associate Designer brings ideas to life by translating consumer needs, market opportunities, and brand vision into innovative product solutions. Collaborating across Design, Merchandising, and Product Development teams, this role assists with the end-to-end creative journey, from consumer research and market inspiration through concept creation, sketching, rendering, prototyping, and final refinement. With a passion for solving real-world problems, the Associate Designer assists in the creation of durable, functional, and meaningful products that empower hardworking consumers and shape the future of the brand.

Representative Responsibilities

• Assists in the creation of consumer-focused designs for their assigned category, or subcategory that meets or exceeds the needs of our consumers.
• Collaborates with Insights Team as well as Consumers to create relevant functional designs. Plans and participates in job sites, consumer insight surveys, round tables, etc.
• Supports seasonal direction, researching to maintain and develop knowledge of the industry including materials and relevant technologies. Plans and participates in market trips, tradeshows to gather product and material insights.
• Sketches designs in both 2D and/or 3D for both presentation and technical specification
• Partners with Design Resources Art Team to build seasonal art concepts, direction for category needs.
• Partners with cross-functional teams to ensure seasonal direction is followed to deliver highest quality product while meeting all GTM milestone dates.
• Partners with Product Development and Raw Material teams to deliver on seasonal direction within raw materials, color & wash development.
• Assists in-season handoff of designs to the Product Development and Technical Design Teams
• Manage and maintain Design-owned PLM responsibilities
• Attends fit sessions, supporting design point of view and documenting any edits needed
• Presents new ideas and concepts within design team and cross-functionals, builds story telling skills, supports presentations as needed at key meetings and milestones. Partner with Design Resources Presentation team to build and set up for all key meetings.

Required Education

• Bachelor's degree in Apparel Design, or related field. Equivalent work experience may be considered in lieu of degree.

Required Skills & Experience

• 0-1 yrs of work experience in apparel design
• Knowledge of apparel design and garment construction required
• Fabric, trim, and color knowledge within the Apparel and Textile industry.
• Proficiency in design software and tools, including Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop), and 3D modeling/rendering tools (e.g. CLO3D)
• Experience with Web PDM/ PLM System or similar
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to develop strong business relationships.
• Excellent written and oral communication skill with all levels including management and external partners
• Outstanding organizational skills with demonstrated ability to prioritize workload and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent attention to detail
• Manage/Create visual tools under the time and budget set for GTM Milestones (Design Resources focused)

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• This position has a Hybrid location: Associate will work on-site regularly as needed for work activities.

• Office environment: open office setting and collaboration workspaces.
• Light lifting up to 10lbs
• Willing to work some weekends if necessary
• Domestic and international travel required (up to 20%)

• Carhartt is a tobacco free workplace.

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