Senior Designer, Women's Sweaters

##### **Senior Designer, Women's Sweaters**

##### **About Us**

vineyard vines is a highly successful, privately held, American clothing and accessory retailer founded in 1998 on Martha’s Vineyard by brothers, Shep & Ian Murray. With Shep & Ian still at the helm today, vineyard vines has experienced exponential year-over-year growth and now operates over 120 retail locations including an outlet division, a successful e-commerce business, a domestic distribution center, and an expanding corporate headquarters. In addition, vineyard vines is carried in major department stores such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdales as well as numerous specialty boutiques across the US. 

vineyard vines was founded on a state of mind that Every day should feel this good. You don’t need to be on a beach, by the ocean, or on vacation to have those moments. It’s a state of mind that we all experience, and one where everyone is invited. At vineyard vines, we don’t just live an #EDSFTG life away from our desks—we bring it to work with us, too. 

Our company culture is fun, encouraging, and welcoming to all. We work hard and play harder, and we never take ourselves too seriously. Our number one priority is making vineyard vines a great place to work for all employees. Our team is our family, and we are committed to building an inclusive environment across all channels, departments, and stores. We hope you’ll join us and see what the smiling pink whale is all about. 

**Overview:** 

This individual will be responsible for assisting the Design Director with the designing and development of women’s sweaters. This position contributes to the overall success of Vineyard Vines. This candidate should be proactive in their approach, look for opportunities to improve upon existing structures and find creative ways to utilize best practices. 

**Key Responsibilities:** 

* Create original and innovative designs each season in conjunction with the Design Director that are on concept, trend and brand appropriate
* Design and present key trends, yarn and silhouette direction delivering a balanced assortment of key items, fashion key items and fashion must-haves
* Responsible for managing design process for men’s and women’s sweaters including: market research, designing, sketching, selecting yarns, trying new gauges and stitches, trims as well as fit direction
* Attend all proto and regular fittings; develop blocks in partnership with Design Directors and Tech Design
* Play a key role in executing initial development for each season through creation of original artwork and layouts
* Work closely with cross functional teams – Product Development, Merchandising, and Tech Design to ensure information flow is accurate throughout the development process
* Create detailed flats for presentation
* Create detailed intarsia, pattern, and stripe artwork in Point Carré or similar technical software
* Assist in all aspects of daily follow-up with external and internal partners
* Participate in group meetings, fabric shows and trend shopping
* Creates compelling sweaters assortment that is well received by design and merchandising leadership
* Communicates fluidly with production team to ensure all yarn booking deadlines are met
* Effectively brings newness and innovation to the sweaters category that is in line with the vineyard vines brand aesthetic but also pushes newness
* Grows key categories into larger franchises by expanding upon styles that has been historically successful

**What You Bring:** 

* 6+ years of experience working in sweater design
* In-depth knowledge working with sweaters and cold weather accessories, sweater construction, including knit machinery, familiarity with mills, yarns, gauges and stitches, fit and finish
* Excellent creativity, a high taste level and a strong understanding of the Vineyard Vines aesthetic
* Innate knowledge of fashion and trends with the ability to focus into the new direction each season
* Knowledge of fabric and trim sourcing with strong relationships and resources Computer skills: Excellent Photoshop and Illustrator skills, Microsoft Excel, a web pdm type program as well as Point Carre or other pattern-mapping technical software designed for knitwear
* Excellent communication and presentation skills
* Strong time management skills and ability to thrive in a face paced environment; excellent delegation skills
* Good interpersonal skills and ability to work with a team
* Upbeat, positive attitude
* Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design

**Every Day Will Feel This Good Because:** 

* We have a fun-spirited, entrepreneurial culture filled with truly "good" people
* We offer a generous employee discount so you can rep the lifestyle on and off the boat
* We offer a competitive salary package, 401(k), commuter benefits, paid family leave, HSA/FSA options, and comprehensive health insurance
* We have an onsite gym and wellness programs to keep you active
* We offer Summer Fridays, a competitive vacation policy, and paid holidays