Senior Designer - Knitwear

Coach is a global fashion house founded in New York in 1941. Inspired by the vision of Creative Director Stuart Vevers and the inclusive and courageous spirit of our hometown, we make beautiful things, crafted to last—for you to be yourself in.
 
Coach is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands committed to stretching what’s possible.
 
A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

Senior Designer, KNITWEAR  RTW  /  New York, NY

Primary Purpose: The Senior Designer will work with the Senior Director, Design – RTW to initiate concepts each season that are fashion driven, reflective of the creative vision and Coach aesthetic. You will be a part of a dynamic, creative environment where you will collaborate with talented designers and cross-functional partners in the business.

The successful candidate will bring exceptional design expertise to craft elevated knitwear that blends modern design with the heritage and sophistication of the Coach brand.

Creative Development

• Partner with the Senior Director to refine knit designs from initial idea to show sample across Women’s and Men’s Collection and Multi channels.
• Lead design research for knitwear from initial concept stage.
• Research and develop stitch and garment concepts for both seasonal collections and special projects.
• Conduct seasonal research—visual, vintage, and trend-based—to inspire and inform design direction.
• Create mock-ups for stylist meetings, both in 3D and digitally rendered formats.
• Research seasonal yarns and collaborate with knitwear vendors to drive innovative fabric development.
• Create a knitwear assortment across collection and multi-channel, leveraging shared design concepts and materials for greater cohesion.

Team Leadership

• Mentor and manage junior designers, providing guidance, feedback, and clear delegation.
• Oversee team output and ensure deadlines and business objectives are met through collaborative leadership.

Brand Consistency

• Ensure product is created that protects brand integrity.
• Ongoing research to develop and pitch new branding concepts.

Collaboration & Communication

• Collaborate with the design team on concept boards, concept styling and seasonal color direction.
• Work closely with design, merchandising, product development and technical design teams to align creative vision with business objectives and deliver cohesive, market-right product.
• Partner with merchandising to analyze market trends and align designs with business needs.
• Engage cross-functionally with Merchandising, Concept, Print, and Product Development teams; actively participate in category meetings.
• Present design work to internal partners, maintaining strong relationships throughout the process.

Strategic Thinking & Execution

• Solve design challenges with a balance of creativity and product knowledge; confidently push back on ideas that don’t align with brand right decisions.
• Ensure timeline adherence to calendar by completing design cards accurately and delivering to development on schedule.
• Manage development to ensure all samples are received for product presentations.
• Uphold design integrity, quality, and timeliness throughout the entire development cycle—from concept through commercialization.

This role calls for a visionary designer with technical mastery, an eye for detail, and the leadership to bring bold ideas to life.

The accomplished individual will possess…

• Must possess a strong fashion sense and have the ability to interpret trends
• Must have knowledge in knitwear design and yarn technology
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to interact with a diverse group at all levels
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and follow-up
• Must be flexible and adapt easily to change
• Passion for RTW and a thirst for knowledge

An outstanding professional will have…

• Minimum 7 years’ design experience, preferably in knitwear
• Bachelor’s Degree in Design or related field
• Excellent hand sketching skills; ability to create both freeform garment renderings and renderings on figure drawings
• Ability to CAD technical drawings and strength in image manipulation
• Experience developing product directly with factories; understanding of knitwear development from concept through commercialization
• Understanding of materials, and garment construction & performance (i.e. strong knowledge of fabric, material quality, and how it will perform as a garment)
• Understanding of garment fit & and ability to independently conduct fittings on a model
• Strong working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Microsoft Office

Our Competencies for All Employees

Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.
 
Our Competencies for All People Managers
Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
Developing Direct Reports and Others: Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person's career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.                                                                                                    
 

Coach. is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Tapestry, Inc. will provide applicants and employees with reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Tapestry People Services at 1-855-566-9264 or [email protected]

Visit Tapestry, Inc.

Base Pay Range

$115,000.00-$135,000.00

Here are some of the benefits that we offer: Medical insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, 401 (K), Paid Paternity and Maternity leave, Commuter Benefits, Disability insurance and Tuition assistance. Please click here for a complete list of U.S Corporate Compensation & Benefits.