Associate Designer

Job Title: Associate Designer

Position Overview

The Associate Designer, Aéropostale supports the development and execution of seasonal apparel collections, with a primary focus on collaborative initiatives, licensing, and third-party vendor programs. This role works closely with internal cross-functional partners and external vendors to ensure collaborative product aligns with Aéropostale’s brand identity, design vision, quality standards, and seasonal timelines.

The Associate Designer will play an integral role in day-to-day design development, technical execution, and coordination across multiple stakeholders. Serving as the key liaison between head designers and third-party vendors and licensing teams, this role ensures clear communication, timely follow-ups, and accurate execution of design intent. The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, and thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, combining strong communication skills with a solid foundation in garment construction and apparel development.

Key Responsibilities

Design & Creative Support

• Act as the primary point of contact between the design team and third-party vendors
• Clearly communicate design intent, fit comments, and product details
• Coordinate and track all sample submissions, lab dips, and design approvals
• Manage incoming and outgoing submits to ensure deadlines are met
• Maintain professional, timely email correspondence with vendors
• Support head designers by documenting and following up on fit comments
• Maintain organized design libraries, records, and sample archives
• Assist in the preparation of design packages, decks, and presentations
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to keep projects aligned and on schedule
• Support the design development of collaborative and third-party collections, ensuring alignment with brand standards
• Contribute to seasonal concepts, color palettes, prints, and silhouettes specific to collaboration initiatives
• Create and update technical sketches and flats using Adobe Illustrator
• Support fabric, trim, wash, and color selection in partnership with the Designer
• Contribute to mood boards, concept decks, line reviews, and collaboration presentations
• Conduct trend, market, and competitive research using digital platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, WGSN, and Miro

Product Development & Vendor Coordination

• Create, update, and maintain detailed and accurate tech packs, including measurements, construction details, BOMs, and design comments
• Support fit sessions by capturing detailed notes, tracking revisions, and following up on required changes
• Assist with sample management, including tracking, organizing, reviewing, and maintaining sample libraries
• Track product updates throughout the development lifecycle to ensure accuracy and on-time execution
• Support communication with third-party vendors and overseas factories to uphold design intent and brand expectations

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Merchandising, Technical Design, Production, and Sourcing teams to align collaborative product with line plans, costing, and timelines
• Assist in managing seasonal calendars and collaboration-specific milestones
• Support adoption meetings, line reviews, and cross-functional checkpoints

Administrative & Operational Support

• Organize and maintain design files, collaboration decks, reference libraries, and seasonal boards
• Update PLM systems, line plans, BOMs, and internal tracking tools
• Support market preparation, collaboration launches, and internal presentations

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or a related field preferred

Experience

• 1–3 years of experience in apparel design or product development (including internships)
• Experience working on collaborations, licensed product, or with third-party vendors strongly preferred
• Apparel industry experience required
• Portfolio required

Skills

• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; PLM experience a plus
• Working knowledge of garment construction, fabrics, and fit
• Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly when working with external partners
• Basic understanding and hands-on experience using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Vizcom) for ideation, concept development, and design visualization

Personal Attributes

• Strong interest in collaboration-driven product and brand partnerships
• Proactive, adaptable, and open to feedback
• Highly organized and comfortable managing multiple timelines
• Team-oriented with a positive, collaborative mindset
• Ability to balance creative thinking with execution and deadlines

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift and transport garment samples and sample boxes
• Ability to attend fittings, reviews, and seasonal meetings