Women’s Associate Designer, Sweaters

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

Reporting

Senior Designer

Job Summary

Rag & Bone is seeking an Associate Designer, Sweaters to support the design and development of 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 compelling, modern, and well‑executed sweater collections. The ideal candidate has a strong eye for yarn, stitch, texture, silhouette, color, and proportion, while also being highly organized and comfortable managing multiple styles across seasonal deadlines.

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. Assist in building seasonal mood boards, concept decks, stitch and yarn boards, and presentation materials for internal design reviews and market milestones. Identify new sweater opportunities that align with the brand aesthetic, customer, seasonal direction, and business needs.

• Design Development

  Create original sketches, CADs, stitch layouts, and colorways using Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop. Assist in developing yarn, stitch, trim, and construction ideas that support the overall seasonal assortment. Prepare detailed design sheets and tech packs, including stitch callouts, yarn information, gauge, measurements, construction details, trims, placements, and finishing details. Support color development, lab dip review, yarn submits, knit‑downs, strike‑offs, and sample approvals to ensure accuracy and brand alignment. Maintain and update seasonal design boards throughout the development process.

• Sweater Technical Execution & Samples

  Partner with Technical Design and Product Development to ensure sweater designs are feasible, well‑constructed, and clearly communicated to vendors. Review proto samples, knit‑downs, stitch trials, color submits, and SMS samples for accuracy of stitch, hand feel, proportion, fit, construction, quality, and overall design intent. Attend fittings and proto reviews, take clear notes, track revisions, and support follow‑up comments to vendors. Communicate design updates, sample comments, and development direction to domestic and overseas partners in a clear and timely manner. Help ensure seasonal deadlines are met across sketch, tech pack, proto, SMS, market, and production handoff stages.

• Cross‑Functional Collaboration

  Work closely with Merchandising to support assortment needs, key item strategy, and seasonal line planning. Partner with Product Development and Production on yarn sourcing, costing, sampling timelines, vendor capabilities, and quality standards. Collaborate with Technical Design to maintain fit, proportion, construction integrity, and sweater feasibility. Support seasonal design presentations, proto reviews, adoption meetings, market prep, and sample organization.

• Organization & Department Support

  Maintain organized digital and physical design files, including seasonal sketches, CADs, yarn libraries, stitch references, sample comments, tech packs, and development records. Update internal systems with accurate sweater‑specific information, including yarns, gauges, stitch details, colorways, trims, and construction notes. Track samples, knit‑downs, submits, and development status across the seasonal calendar. Prepare samples for meetings, fittings, and presentations, including steaming, organizing, labeling, and setting up boards and racks as needed. Support the Senior Designer with day‑to‑day design tasks, research, meeting preparation, and special projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Knitwear Design, Textile Design, or a related field preferred.
• 2 to 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.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off
• Clothing Allowance
• Generous Employee Discount
• Paid Parental Leave
• Membership to Calm and access to other wellness benefits
• Medical, dental, vision and ancillary benefits
• 401k