Apparel Merchandiser/Designer

Location: New York, NY
Employment Type: Full-Time
Schedule: Monday through Friday – Standard Business Hours
Salary: Based on Experience

We are seeking a highly motivated and creative Apparel Merchandiser / Designer to join our growing team. This hands-on role combines apparel design, product development, merchandising, and trend forecasting to create commercially successful collections for a variety of retail channels.

The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of the fashion industry, exceptional design skills, and experience working with overseas factories from concept through production. This position is ideal for someone who is passionate about identifying emerging trends, developing innovative products, and bringing apparel collections to market.

• Research fashion trends, consumer preferences, retailers, and competitors to develop trend-forward apparel collections.
• Design original apparel, graphics, color palettes, prints, and seasonal product concepts.
• Build product assortments tailored to off-price, mid-tier, and mass-market retailers.
• Create detailed tech packs, CADs, artwork, and production-ready files.
• Select fabrics, trims, washes, embellishments, and garment details while maintaining target cost objectives.
• Collaborate closely with sales, product development, sourcing teams, and overseas factories throughout the sampling and production process.
• Review fit samples, pre-production samples (PPS), and top-of-production (TOP) samples, providing clear feedback and factory comments.
• Analyze sales performance, market trends, and customer feedback to support future product development and merchandising strategies.
• Present seasonal product concepts, line plans, and merchandising strategies to internal teams and customers.
• Stay current on fabric innovations, garment construction techniques, printing methods, embroidery, and manufacturing processes.
• Ensure products meet quality, cost, and timeline objectives from concept through production.

• 3+ years of experience in apparel merchandising, apparel design, product development, or a related field.
• Strong proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
• Thorough understanding of garment construction, fabrics, fit, costing, and apparel manufacturing.
• Experience creating comprehensive tech packs and working directly with overseas factories.
• Strong knowledge of current fashion trends and the ability to forecast future market trends.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong communication, presentation, and problem-solving abilities.
• High attention to detail and a passion for creating commercially successful apparel collections.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

• Experience developing apparel for off-price, mass-market, department store, or specialty retail channels.
• Knowledge of sourcing, product costing, and production timelines.
• Experience working with licensed brands or private label apparel is a plus.
• Familiarity with PLM systems and product lifecycle management processes is preferred.