Knitwear Designer

Fung Group•New York, NY

61d•$70,000 - $80,000

About The Position

Responsible for designing and executing trend-driven concepts that align with customer needs and drive sales. Partners with the Sales team to gather market insights and develop elevated seasonal knitwear collections-from concept through delivery-for major retailers. Manages the end-to-end design process, including yarn and stitch development, while ensuring timely execution and maintaining strong relationships with factories, suppliers, and design partners.

Requirements

4+ years of experience in sweater design
Strong understanding of yarns and the full sweater development process
Excellent multi-tasking and project management skills; ability to manage multiple design timelines concurrently
Creative, detail-oriented, and trend-aware
Proficient in design software (Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.)
Strong communication and presentation skills for internal and external collaboration
Experience managing and mentoring junior team members, interns, or assistants
Strong decision-making, prioritization, and organizational skills
Demonstrated ability to innovate within design and development

Responsibilities

Identify global emerging trends in stitch, pattern, concept, and yarn development, providing trend-right direction tailored to retailer needs
Conduct competitive analysis and prepare yarn selections, print references, design concepts, presentation boards, mock-ups, 3D CADs, and inspirational imagery for internal and customer-facing meetings
Collaborate with the Design team on seasonal yarn research and development for each collection
Partner with the Hong Kong team to develop and present seasonal yarns to VP, Director, and Sales leadership
Guide Asia counterparts in sourcing and developing new yarns-both core and novelty-across all accounts
Design and oversee development of customer-specific yarn knitdowns
Partner with customers to share yarn trends and provide direction for account-specific assortments
Attend trade and trend shows in New York City to collaborate with mill partners on yarn and silhouette development
Develop seasonal sweaters with cost engineering considerations customized to each account
Conduct market shopping in New York, Montreal, and Los Angeles to gather inspiration and trend data; partner with Asia and NY teams to incorporate newness into analytics
Design according to style plans, account needs, and emerging trends
Maintain calendar discipline to ensure on-time execution across all development milestones
Create Illustrator sketches, review spec sheets and line sheets, and maintain accurate product development logs and design archives
Select and review raw materials, trims, and yarns; manage stitch libraries and materials archives
Approve lab dips with the Design Director, ensuring color accuracy and consistency with brand standards
Coordinate follow-up with cross-functional teams including Technical Design, Overseas Design, Sales, Production, and Vendors
Manage interoffice communication and ensure information flow across internal teams
Build and maintain strong relationships with mills, vendors, and internal stakeholders
Partner with Sales and Senior Management in preparing and presenting customer-specific concepts and designs
Maintain and grow relationships with yarn mills to support innovation and development across accounts