Associate Apparel Designer
duffield laneGrand Rapids (MI)
About the role
Associate Women's Apparel Designer Duffield Lane · Grand Rapids, MI · On-site · Full-time Duffield Lane is a women's coastal and lake lifestyle apparel brand, born out of a love for the water, warm-weather style, and the easy, insider feeling of a favorite summer place. We've been in business for 13 years, with a strong wholesale presence in 300 specialty boutiques alongside a rapidly growing ecommerce and custom sweater business. We're headquartered in Grand Rapids, where our full team, shipping and fulfillment, sales, marketing, and design, works under one roof. It's a fun, energetic, entrepreneurial team, and we're excited about where we're headed.
About the role:
We're looking for an Associate Designer to grow into a full design role over time. You'll start by owning process-driven design work independently, then build your creative and technical range through hands-on mentorship as you take on more responsibility. This is an in-office role (occasional WFH) working closely with our in-house fabric library and design team. For the right person, this role is a real path toward owning a full category as our next Designer, working alongside our Lead Designer, as our team continues to grow.
Responsibilities:
Build and maintain tech packs, track and organize samples, and check production against spec Create design mockups for our custom sweater program in Photoshop Support fit sessions and help process fit comments Handle routine factory follow-ups on sampling and approvals Assist with photo editing for product and marketing imagery Grow into concept sketching, CADs, direct factory communication, and independent ownership of a category over time What we're looking for 2-4 years of apparel design or technical design experience Proficiency in Illustrator and Photoshop Comfortable with tech packs, spec sheets, and garment measurement Solid sketching fundamentals with room to grow toward construction-accurate, realistic sketching Able to work independently on process-driven tasks Knitwear or children's apparel experience a plus
Compensation:
Commensurate with experience To apply: Please include a portfolio or work samples showing your sketching and technical design work alongside your resume. Portfolios can be emailed to info@duffieldlane.com
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