Senior Designer, Women's Sweaters

vineyard vines•Stamford, CT

About The Position

The Senior Designer, Women's Sweaters assists the Design Director with the design and development of women’s sweaters, contributing to the overall success of Vineyard Vines. The role calls for a proactive designer who looks for opportunities to improve existing processes and apply creative best practices. The designer develops seasonal concepts, trends, yarn and silhouette direction, and balanced sweater assortments aligned with the brand. They manage the sweater design process from research and sketching through yarn, stitch, trim, and fit direction; attend fittings; collaborate on blocks; create original artwork and layouts; and prepare detailed flats and pattern artwork. The role works closely with Product Development, Merchandising, Tech Design, production, and other internal and external partners to support accurate development information and meet yarn-booking deadlines. The designer also participates in meetings, fabric shows, and trend shopping, and helps expand historically successful styles into larger franchises.

Requirements

At least 6 years of experience working in sweater design.
In-depth knowledge of sweaters and cold-weather accessories, sweater construction, knit machinery, mills, yarns, gauges, stitches, fit, and finish.
Excellent creativity, a high taste level, and a strong understanding of the Vineyard Vines aesthetic.
Strong fashion and trend knowledge, with the ability to focus on a new direction each season.
Knowledge of fabric and trim sourcing and strong relationships and resources.
Excellent Photoshop and Illustrator skills, Microsoft Excel skills, familiarity with a web PDM-type program, and Point Carré or other knitwear pattern-mapping technical software skills.
Excellent communication and presentation skills.
Strong time-management skills and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment; excellent delegation skills.
Good interpersonal skills and ability to work with a team.
Upbeat, positive attitude.
Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design.

Responsibilities

Create original, innovative seasonal designs with the Design Director that align with concept, trends, and the brand.
Design and present key trends, yarn direction, and silhouettes to deliver a balanced assortment of key items and fashion must-haves.
Manage sweater design processes, including market research, designing, sketching, yarn selection, exploration of gauges and stitches, trims, and fit direction.
Attend proto and regular fittings and develop blocks with Design Directors and Tech Design.
Execute initial seasonal development by creating original artwork and layouts.
Work with Product Development, Merchandising, and Tech Design to ensure accurate information flow throughout development.
Create detailed flats for presentation.
Create detailed intarsia, pattern, and stripe artwork using Point Carré or similar technical software.
Assist with daily follow-up involving internal and external partners.
Participate in group meetings, fabric shows, and trend shopping.
Create compelling sweater assortments that are well received by design and merchandising leadership.
Communicate with the production team to ensure yarn-booking deadlines are met.
Bring brand-appropriate newness and innovation to the sweaters category.
Grow key categories into larger franchises by expanding on historically successful styles.