Fall 2026 Design Operations Intern

Proper Cloth; New York (NY); On-site; USD 27,276 - 38,848; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Lunch credit

Hourly rate $24 + lunch credit

Job summary

Proper Cloth is seeking a Design Operations intern to join our Product Team for the Fall to keep our design studio running smoothly. The role focuses on organization of both physical and digital workspaces so the team can move fast and focus on the creative work.

This hands-on, operations-driven internship sits inside a busy design team, offering exposure to how a modern luxury menswear brand develops product from concept through to finished collection.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in fashion design, textile design, merchandising, or related field.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented with strong systems skills.
• Comfortable with physical and digital organization and managing product data.
• Interest in menswear, fabric, and product quality; proactive mindset.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and organize the physical design studio: fabrics, samples, trims, and mood boards.
• Build and maintain a system to track incoming samples and log arrivals.
• Organize fabric swatch libraries by mill, season, and category for fast reference.
• Support ClickUp line sheet by updating data fields and product status.
• Assist with design reviews, mood boards, and production prep tasks.

Skills

Highly organized

Detail-oriented

Self-starter

Project management

Education

Fashion/Textile design or merchandising degree

Tools

ClickUp

Miro

Google Workspace

Clo3D

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

We're looking for a Design Operations intern to join our Product Team for the Fall to keep our design studio running smoothly. The most important part of this role is organization — making sure our physical and digital workspaces are in great shape so the design team can move fast and focus on the creative work. You'll get meaningful exposure to how a modern luxury menswear brand develops product, from fabric selection through to the finished collection.

This is a hands-on, operations-driven role within a design team — ideal for someone who is highly organized but also genuinely interested in product, materials, and construction. You won't be observing from a distance — you'll be embedded in a working design team during one of our busiest development periods.

Requirements

Core Responsibilities

Studio & Sample Organization (Primary Focus)

• Maintain and organize the physical design studio: fabric swatches, sample garments, trim libraries (buttons, snaps, hardware), reference garments, and mood board materials
• Build and maintain a clear system for tracking incoming samples — log arrivals, photograph and tag samples, file by season/category/status
• Organize and archive fabric swatch libraries by mill, season, and category so the team can pull references quickly during fabric appointments and design reviews
• Keep the sample closet current — ensuring approved samples are accessible, archived seasons are properly stored, and returns/sends are tracked

Digital Organization & Support

• Support the ClickUp line sheet by adding swatch images, updating product status fields, and ensuring entries have complete data (pricing, arrival dates, supplier info, SKU counts)
• Document all existing Proper Cloth Design Details for digital library and reference documents
• Take photos to document design and construction of reference samples (inside, outside, collars, cuffs, hems, linings, etc.) for future design references

Design Support

• Assist with fabric appointment prep — pulling relevant swatches, organizing competitive references, and preparing mood boards
• Help prep design reviews and concept presentations with organized visual materials
• Support the team with ad hoc tasks during production and concepting: measurement documentation, photography coordination, competitive shopping, and fabric sourcing research

What You'll Learn

• How a menswear brand develops product from concept through production — the full lifecycle across shirts, pants, knitwear, and outerwear
• Fabric knowledge: mills, weaves, cotton types, yarn construction, finishing treatments — the technical language of quality menswear
• How design systems work in practice: named models, construction hierarchies, and how individual design choices express brand positioning
• PLM and collection management using ClickUp, Miro, and industry-standard tools
• How a small, high-output design team balances creative ambition with production discipline

Who You Are

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in fashion design, textile design, merchandising, or a related field
• Highly organized and detail-oriented — you're the person who keeps track of everything and builds and maintains systems that actually work
• Comfortable with both physical and digital organization — equally at home filing fabric swatches and managing project management software
• Genuine interest in menswear, fabric, and product quality — you don't have to be an expert, but curiosity matters
• Self-starter who can see what needs doing without being told — in a small studio, initiative and proactivity is everything
• Exposure to ClickUp or PLM, Miro, Google Workspace, or similar tools (or a fast learner)
• Bonus: experience with Clo3D, Adobe Creative Suite, or garment measurement/tech packs

Details

• Location: NYC office in SoHo
• Schedule: Mon-Thurs, late August through mid-December

Benefits

• Compensation: $24.00/hr + $20/day lunch credit