Sweaters Design Associate: Concept to Sample

Rag & Bone; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Rag & Bone is seeking an Associate Designer, Sweaters to support 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

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or related field.
• 2–4 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.

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.
• Design Development: Create original sketches, CADs, stitch layouts, and colorways using Procreate, Illustrator, and Photoshop; develop yarn, stitch, trim, and construction ideas.
• Sweater Technical Execution & Samples: Partner with Technical Design and Product Development to ensure sweater designs are feasible, well‑constructed, and clearly communicated to vendors.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Merchandising to support assortment needs and seasonal line planning; collaborate with Product Development and Production on yarn sourcing, costing, sampling timelines, and vendor capabilities.
• Organization & Department Support: Maintain organized digital and physical design files; update internal systems with sweater‑specific information; prepare samples for meetings, fittings, and presentations.

Skills

Sketching & CAD

Adobe Illustrator

Procreate

Photoshop

Tech packs

Knitwear design

Color & proportion

Organizational skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design

Tools

Miro

PLM

Job description

Rag & Bone is seeking an Associate Designer, Sweaters to support 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