Designer

Stateless; New York (NY); On-site; USD 51,143 - 72,840; Full time

Job summary

Stateless, a fashion consulting firm in NYC, is seeking a Full-Time or Freelance Designer. The role includes collaborating with clients and product development teams to create trend-setting designs across apparel categories. Candidates are expected to have 5–7 years of experience in apparel design, excellent communication skills, and proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, along with the ability to manage multiple projects efficiently.

For this position, a bachelor's degree or relevant certification in Fashion Design is preferred. The job offers a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a focus on detail-oriented design processes.

Qualifications

• 5–7+ years of apparel design experience across various categories.
• Advanced understanding of garment construction and fabric.
• Strong professional writing skills for client recaps and design comments.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates closely with clients and internal teams to understand needs.
• Creates commercially viable designs maintaining brand identity.
• Tracks design updates and ensures alignment with production timelines.

Skills

Apparel design experience

Excellent communication skills

Attention to detail

Ability to work under pressure

Proficiency with Adobe Illustrator

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design

Relevant certification in Apparel Design

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Google Workspace

Slack

Job description

Stateless is a fashion consulting firm based in NYC that has established a reputation for producing trend‑setting designs, functional apparel, and memorable brands. Our team consists of industry experts with experience in major American and International fashion companies. We bring a professional edge to our clients' design and development processes through our creative concepts, global network of factory vendors, and suppliers. Our firm plays an essential role in our clients' product supply chains, ensuring efficiency and innovation.

Position Summary

• Collaborates closely with Clients, Product Development, Technical Design, and Production teams to understand brand vision, seasonal direction, product needs, price targets, delivery timelines, and overall business goals.
• Creates trend‑right, commercially viable designs across multiple apparel categories while maintaining each client’s unique brand identity, aesthetic, and customer needs.
• Develops and presents design concepts, silhouettes, trims, graphics, and product ideas in a clear, professional, and client‑facing manner.
• Must be an excellent communicator who is comfortable presenting ideas, explaining design rationale, receiving feedback, and aligning with clients and internal teams in real time.
• Serves as a client‑facing design partner and represents Stateless with professionalism, confidence, clarity, and strong follow‑through.
• Creates and updates CADs, sketches, line sheets, presentation decks, design boards, and development materials as needed to support client meetings and internal development.
• Partners with Product Development and Technical Design to ensure designs are feasible for development, costing, fit, garment construction, production, and delivery goals.
• Supports fittings, sample reviews, design meetings, and development touchpoints by providing clear feedback and actionable direction.
• Maintains highly organized design records, sample notes, development updates, artwork files, fabric/trims references, and client‑facing materials.
• Tracks design updates, approvals, changes, deadlines, and outstanding action items to ensure work stays aligned with production and development calendars.
• Must be hyper‑vigilant and detail‑oriented when reviewing sketches, CADs, comments, samples, color, trims, artwork, client notes, and development changes.
• Works efficiently across multiple clients, product categories, seasons, and deadlines in a fast‑paced consulting environment.
• Upholds and improves department‑specific design standards, process, organization, presentation quality, record keeping, and tools.
• Utilize AI to benefit all team members and clients to visualize a sketch as an actual garment. Constantly on the lookout for newest AI apparel design, sketching and tech pack tools for speed and efficiency: Fashion.ai , Chat GPT, Claude, Nano Banana

Environment

• Fast‑paced, multi‑directional environment. Individual must be highly adaptable, extremely organized, and able to manage shifting priorities with calm urgency.
• Must thrive in a high‑energy environment at the speed of fashion with ever‑changing priorities.
• Must be comfortable working across multiple clients and projects at once while maintaining accuracy, professionalism, and strong communication.
• This role requires someone who is proactive, polished, solutions‑oriented, and able to operate with a high level of accountability.

Job Requirements

• Must be able to be in‑person in the NYC office for multiple meetings, fittings, reviews, and client‑facing touchpoints per week or as needed.
• Strong apparel design experience across various product categories such as knit, woven, sweaters, active, athleisure, sportswear, contemporary, menswear, womenswear, and/or childrenswear.
• Advanced understanding of garment construction, fabric, fit, color, trims, finishing details, and product development.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.
• Must be comfortable client‑facing and able to present design ideas, respond to feedback, clarify next steps, and communicate professionally with clients and cross‑functional partners.
• Must be extremely organized, detail‑oriented, and hyper‑vigilant when managing multiple projects, client comments, design updates, samples, deadlines, and deliverables.
• Ability to manage a multitude of diverse products, deadlines, and priorities concurrently in a fast‑paced, demanding work environment.
• Ability to work within calendars and maintain deadlines across multiple projects and clients.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, problem‑solve, and follow through without constant oversight.
• Strong professional writing skills for client recaps, design comments, development notes, and internal communication.

Experience

• 5–7+ years of apparel design experience across categories preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or relevant certificate in Fashion Design, Apparel Design, or related field preferred.
• Advanced Adobe Illustrator skills required.
• Strong ability to create CADs, sketches, design boards, line sheets, presentations, and client‑facing design materials.
• Corporate fashion experience preferred.
• Consulting, agency, or client‑facing design experience preferred but not required.
• Experience working with overseas and domestic vendors preferred.
• Working knowledge Google Workspace, Slack, Project Management Systems and AI Tools preferred.

Job Title: Full‑Time or Freelance Designer

Hourly rate: $45/hour