Job Description
Associate Apparel Designer
Virtual Req #3349
We are seeking an ASSOCIATE APPAREL DESIGNER to join the Women’s Design Team at Orvis! This is a remote position with the ability to travel to the Orvis home office in Vermont.
We are looking for an individual with product design and development experience, and a passion to develop great products that solve problems by driving innovation, quality and performance. The ideal candidate will be responsible for relevant, innovative, seasonal design concepts for a specific category.
For more than 160 years the Orvis name has stood for outdoor traditions, quality, and customer satisfaction. At Orvis, we do not sell what we, ourselves, would not be proud to own or give as a gift. Our associates deserve to be proud of our service and our products, and we rely on every associate to apply our “pride of ownership” credo to drive our quality and innovation. “Good enough” is not our standard. We need to strive for perfection in our products and customer service, to propel our growth and the pride that will fuel our team.
Position Interfaces:
This position will report to the Senior Product Designer. While you will contribute to the overall development of Orvis design concepts for a given season, you will have ownership of a particular sub-category which could vary from time to time. You will interface with cross functional partners in merchandising, sourcing and technical design. The ideal candidate will be organized, self-managed and have the ability to work collaboratively to accomplish goals.
Responsibilities:
- The design and development process of Orvis branded Women’s Apparel within given categories
- Responsible for driving the design, prototyping and final specifications for innovative, technologically advanced products in women’s sportswear and technical apparel
- Research and identify trend direction, mood and concept boards
- Adherence to seasonal calendar and deadlines
- Interface with Merchants, Sourcing, Material and Tech Design, and Manufacturing Partners to collaborate and create seasonal product assortment
- Ensure quality at all phases in the development process through product lifecycle
- Collaborate with sourcing to complete vendor negotiations for costing and implementation of best sources to assure product delivery and quality
- Travel to factories, vendors, regional training events and industry trade and sourcing shows
Competencies and Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree with professional experience in all facets of the product design, development and commercialization process
- 3-5 years’ experience in design and development within the retail industry, preferably women’s. Outdoor market experience a plus
- Strong ability to self-manage the seasonal design phase, visual line planning, and color story recommendations
- Demonstrated proficiency in Adobe Suite for product design and visual line planning
- Intimate working knowledge of patterns and material constructions techniques within the competitive marketplace
- Knowledge of sustainable solutions in performance fabrications and finishes as well as finishing techniques a plus
- Exceptional attention to detail and strong follow-up
- Strong sketching ability, experience in garment construction and knowledge of textiles and finishes preferred
- Ability to anticipate and meet deadlines and to work on multiple projects and seasons
- Excellent oral and written communication
- Presentation skills and the ability to influence preferred
- Demonstrated experience and proficiency in the use of programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
- Flexible travel required in this position for shows and events (3-5 weeks/year)
- Must be familiar with the Orvis product line, culture and lifestyle
Performance will be measured on the successful completions of the following:
- On schedule design and development of best-in-class products
- Deliver initial concept sketches to support product development
- Responsible for product creation from tech packs to commercialization
- Quality, as measured by returns, as well as feedback from customers, sales personnel in retail and wholesale
- Cost of goods and sourcing strategies for above categories