Footwear Design Associate — Trend-Driven & Cross-Functional

J.Crew Factory; New York (NY); On-site; USD 64,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & well-being benefits

Associate discount across brands

Summer Fridays

Job summary

Madewell in New York, NY is seeking an Associate Designer, Footwear to join our design team and help bring footwear vision to life across seasonal collections. This role partners with Merchandising, Sourcing, and cross-functional teams to develop on-brand, commercially relevant product.

The Associate Designer will support design and development from concept to production, contributing to seasonal direction while managing details, tech packs, and deadlines to bring product to market.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of footwear design experience in fashion or vertical retail.
• Strong understanding of footwear design, construction, materials, and manufacturing.
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Footwear Design, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Support the design and development of seasonal footwear collections across key categories.
• Research fashion, color, material, silhouette, and consumer trends to inform product development.
• Create sketches, technical drawings, colorways, and design concepts under the Footwear Design team.
• Build and maintain seasonal design presentations, line plans, mood boards, and product documentation.
• Collaborate with Design and Merchandising to understand business needs and seasonal product strategies.
• Work with Sourcing to ensure designs meet quality, cost, and timing expectations.
• Review samples and provide feedback on design, construction, materials, color, and fit.
• Participate in sample reviews and seasonal milestone meetings.
• Maintain product information and ensure design details are communicated clearly during development.
• Support creation and maintenance of tech packs and product specifications.

Skills

Footwear design

Adobe Illustrator

Sketching

Technical drawing

Education

Bachelors in Fashion/Footwear Design

Tools

Adobe Photoshop

Job description

Madewell in New York, NY is seeking an Associate Designer, Footwear to join our design team and help bring footwear vision to life across seasonal collections. This role partners with Merchandising, Sourcing, and cross-functional teams to develop on-brand, commercially relevant product.

The Associate Designer will support design and development from concept to production, contributing to seasonal direction while managing details, tech packs, and deadlines to bring product to market.