Fashion Designer - Design & Product Development Lead

The Role
This is not a sketch-and-hand-off design job. You will run our design department end to end: you
design the product, you develop the samples, you manage the factories that make it, you get it
through pre-production, and you're accountable for what shows up in the box.
If a fit is wrong, a fabric fails, a delivery slips, or an inspection catches a defect - that's your call
to make and your problem to solve. In exchange, you get real authority over the product and a
direct line to the founder.
We're looking for someone who is genuinely strong on both sides: creative enough to build a line
with a point of view, and operationally rigorous enough to land it on time, on spec, and on cost.
What You'll Own
Design & Collection Development
• Build seasonal and monthly drop collections: research, mood boards, silhouette
development, flats, colorways, and line plan
• Produce complete tech packs - construction callouts, POMs, stitch and seam specs,
trims, labels, packaging - in Illustrator
• Maintain the brand's design language across every category and drop
• Feed sales, return, and review data back into design decisions: what sold, what came
back, and why
Sample & Fit Development
• Drive the full sample cycle - proto, fit, SMS, PP, TOP - and hold the calendar on each
round
• Run fit reviews and issue clear, prioritized correction comments
• Work with our pattern maker on blocks, fit corrections, and grading; approve or reject
every sample
• Keep sample tracking, revision history, and approvals organized so nothing ships off an
outdated spec
Manufacturing & Supply Chain
• Own day-to-day communication with overseas factories, mills, and trim/packaging
suppliers
• Source and approve fabrics and trims - evaluate stretch, recovery, opacity, hand-feel;
manage swatch, lab-dip, and strike-off approvals
• Negotiate and track costing, MOQs, and lead times; flag cost or margin risks early
• Vet and onboard new vendors as we grow; build backup supply for critical materials
• Maintain the production calendar backward from launch dates and escalate slippage
before it becomes a delay
Pre-Production & Production
• Issue and confirm bulk orders: quantities, size ratios, and delivery windows
• Approve pre-production samples and bulk fabric before cutting
• Track WIP through the factory and keep the team informed on real dates, not optimistic
ones
• Manage labeling, packaging, care/content compliance, and shipping documentation with
our logistics partners
Quality & Inspection
• Set our quality standards and inspection criteria per style - what passes, what doesn't,
and the tolerance on each POM
• Manage inline and final inspections (factory QC, third-party inspectors, or our China-based
team), review inspection reports, and rule on hold/accept/rework
• Audit bulk against the approved sample and spec; drive corrective action on defects and
chargebacks where warranted
• Close the loop: turn recurring defects and fit complaints into spec, pattern, or vendor
changes
Team & Process
• Direct the work of pattern makers, freelancers, and design interns; review their output
• Document our processes so the pipeline doesn't live in one person's head
• Report status, risks, and decisions to the founder clearly and without prompting