Full-Time
Technical Designer
Centric Brands
1,001-5,000 employees
Designs and markets licensed apparel brands
Compensation Overview
$62k - $95k/yr
New York, NY, USA
Hybrid
Hybrid work arrangement indicated.
Bachelor's
 UI/UX & Design (1) |
|---|
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- Extensive knowledge of girls' silhouettes, construction, sewing techniques, related textiles, and trim.
- Technical understanding of body growth and how it applies to fit.
- Knowledge of pattern making, construction, industry fit knowledge, and grading.
- Comprehensive understanding of product engineering, development, manufacturing, and child safety guidelines.
- Ability to lead fittings and take detailed and accurate notes.
- High accuracy in math skills for correct specification revisions.
- Superior organizational and written communication skills.
- Proficiency in Flex PLM, Adobe products, Microsoft Office, and 3D Browzwear.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-performance environment while maintaining a high level of accuracy and accountability.
- Excellent time management skills and ability to effectively prioritize workload and meet deadlines.
- A degree in Fashion Technical Design or Patternmaking.
- Five or more years of children's technical design experience.
- Partner with the creative design team to achieve the aesthetic while adhering to a production time and action calendar.
- Collaborate with the Technical Design Director and cross-functional partners to determine appropriate fit and functional intent for each product design.
- Manage all technical requirements and processes from product development through production.
- Create and maintain detailed tech packs, including specifications, tolerances, grading, detail sketches with construction and stitching, and fit evaluation comments.
- Measure and evaluate garments from proto samples through TOP samples.
- Conduct fit sessions on live models and mannequins to evaluate samples for fit, measurement, construction, pattern shaping, and functionality.
- Provide internal and external technical direction on corrective actions needed to bring samples to brand fit and styling requirements.
- Issue grading guidelines to vendors after fit approval.
- Partner closely with production teams to maintain on-time delivery throughout the pre-production process and proactively monitor seasonal workload.
Centric Brands designs, sources, markets and distributes apparel, accessories, beauty, and entertainment products for kids, men, and women, including many licensed brands. It operates end-to-end from product creation to retail and digital commerce, serving mass retailers, specialty stores, department stores, and online. The company differentiates itself with a large catalog of licensed brands and a mix of owned labels and joint ventures, supported by global offices for design and sourcing. Its goal is to help partners grow by providing brand-building and distribution expertise while delivering high-quality products with responsible social impact.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
New York City, New York
Founded
2018
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- July 2026 Claire's deal expands Centric into 7,000 Walmart, Kohl's, and CVS doors.
- January 2026 Palm Tree Crew JV opens globally marketable apparel and accessories for festival fans.
- May 2026 A Star Is Born adds Vanessa Hudgens-powered kids' product pipeline launching in 2027.
What critics are saying
- Centric's 2020 bankruptcy history signals fragile margins if retailers tighten orders.
- License concentration creates renewal risk; losing Ugg, Calvin Klein, or Disney would hit revenue fast.
- AI and sourcing efficiency do not protect Centric if Blackstone-backed lenders demand deleveraging in 2027.
What makes Centric Brands unique
- Centric Brands scales licensed brands across 100-plus labels with design and sourcing muscle.
- January 2026 Fownes deal added Ugg, Timberland, Cole Haan cold-weather capabilities.
- Centric pairs IP licensing with retail distribution across apparel, accessories, beauty, and kids.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Company Match
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Flexible Work Hours
Hybrid Work Options
Employee Discounts
Professional Development Budget
Company News
Visions of Tomorrow: retail tech leaders say AI success starts with ending old processes. July 30, 2026 12:45pm "We decided to literally blow everything up," said Jessica Murphy, co-founder and CEO of True Fit, describing the moment roughly two years ago when she told her chief technology officer to scrap the company's existing systems and rebuild from scratch. "There were no sacred cows." That radical reset was a primary theme of a conversation at Sourcing Journal's Visions of Tomorrow event on Monday, where Murphy and Meg Ball, senior director of creative technology and AI enablement at Centric Brands, shared experiences of how their businesses have deployed AI within their businesses. The two executives arrived at similar conclusions: layering AI onto outdated processes risks accelerating inefficiencies rather than creating meaningful change. "You can't put an AI workflow onto a broken process," Ball told SJ Denim's executive editor Angela Velasquez during the panel. "That just creates a faster broken process." Ball, who joined Centric Brands without a predecessor or a blueprint for how to introduce AI across the organization, said one of her first moves was to sit down with product designers and teams to understand there daily tasks and the technologies they were working with. During those meetings, the teams would dig into the tech stacks and each user's roles and responsibilities, before determining whether they wanted to maintain the same processes going forward. "Most of the answers are, absolutely not," Ball said. The processes became about mapping the full product lifecycle, including bottlenecks and handoffs, and figuring out where technology could accelerate what people were already trying to do, rather than bolting AI onto the outside of an unchanged process. Murphy described a comparable reckoning at True Fit, where 20 years of incremental growth had quietly hardened into what she called a "Frankenstein system." The fashion fit and sizing intelligence platform kept running into the same excuse for why it failing to innovate as quickly as it had liked - obsolete infrastructure. "Twenty years in tech is old," Murphy asserted, "And 20 years when you are developing technology is ancient." While the internal rebuild was initially expected to take a year, it instead took two. However, the changes delivered more progress than the previous 18 years combined. For Ball, the clearest early wins of AI deployment have been product visualization and speed to market. Centric Brands has onboarded around 150 creative users onto new tools, letting designers turn ideas that have "been in their head for years" into something they can show retailers, buyers and sales teams almost instantly. According to Ball, with these AI-driven workflows in place, the apparel and accessories company has been able to cut budget for sampling, photo shoots and studio time. "The weight goes to zero, which to me is very, very powerful," Ball said. But she pushed back on the fear that AI flattens creativity into something generic. With two decades of experience across product development, screen printing, graphic design and art direction, she argued that trained judgment is even more essential in determining what designs to keep, scrap and refine. "[Our teams] could create 400 different variables of something now before their coffee even is cold," Ball said. "But they still need to understand how to go back in and look at what they're developing and use the skill. We really encourage teams to make sure they're taking their best skill that they have and just amplifying it up a degree." Murphy, whose company built its business on unifying fragmented retail data, warned that even the best AI tools are only as useful as the information feeding them. She said retailers often struggle due to having more disparate data than other industries, which leads her to advise anyone looking to implement AI-powered systems to establish a single source of truth before pushing full speed ahead with a new strategy. "If machines can't read it, then the world can't see it," Murphy said, applying that logic both to True Fit's own systems, as well as the ad tech and marketing platforms retailers are simultaneously trying to plug in. Both visionaries returned to the same closing idea: AI won't create differentiation on its own. "If everybody just uses the same stuff and doesn't bring in their own special sauce, then we'll be copycats of each other," Murphy said. SJ Newsletters
Authentic ready to drive GUESS brand's next chapter across North America. By Samantha Loveday July 30, 2026 Authentic Brands Group has announced a new network of operating partners for GUESS in the United States and Canada, accelerating the brand's growth across key consumer categories through Authentic's global platform. The appointments represent the next phase of Authentic's strategy for GUESS following its partnership with the brand. By aligning existing businesses with best-in-class operators, Authentic is optimising the portfolio, expanding category leadership and creating new opportunities to drive long-term growth across North America. Guess and Authentic have appointed Centric Brands for children's apparel, sleepwear and accessories, as well as men's sleepwear, underwear, plus small leather goods, belts and cold-weather accessories across the family. Vandale Industries will lead women's intimates and sleepwear, while Creative Home Ideas/YMF will expand GUESS into the home category with bedding, bath, décor, rugs, lighting, kitchenware, outdoor accessories, hydration products, stationery and pet products. Orly Shoe Corporation will oversee socks and slippers, while E.S. Originals will spearhead children's footwear. "GUESS has built decades of equity as one of the world's most recognizable fashion and lifestyle brands," commented Jarrod Weber, global president, sports and lifestyle at Authentic. "Our focus is on continuing to develop that brand in thoughtful ways, bringing consumers the categories they expect from GUESS while ensuring every product reflects the style, quality and point of view that have made it iconic. By partnering with best-in-class operators, we're creating new opportunities for consumers to experience the brand across more aspects of their everyday lives."
Claire's Merch Headed to Walmart, Kohl's and CVS. Licensing pact with Centric Brands paves way for tween retailer's expansion. 13 hours ago May 19, 2026 Claire's merchandise will soon be available in more than 7000 stores in North America operated by such brands as Walmart, Kohl's and CVS. That will be happening thanks to a new licensing agreement between Ames Watson (Columbia, Md.), the tween retailer's owner, and Centric Brands LLC (New York). "The partnership represents a key milestone in Ames Watson's strategy to scale Claire's beyond its core retail footprint of 900-plus owned locations and build a more diversified, multichannel growth platform," the partners said in a news release. The pact calls for Centric Brands to partner with Claire's to develop an exclusive collection of trend-driven assortments across multiple categories, including cosmetics, jewelry, hair accessories, stationery, bags and novelty Items. Centric will also seek to expand the brand into additional retailers and categories across apparel, accessories, home and sleepwear sectors. The deal also opens the door for Centric Brands and Claire's to leverage Centric's relationships with entertainment studios and other IP holders, bringing co-branded licensed products to shop-in-shop and wholesale channels, the partners said. "This partnership marks an important step in Claire's evolution into a true multichannel brand platform," says Ames Watson Co-Founder and Partner Lawrence Berger. "By expanding our presence beyond our own stores, we're able to meet consumers wherever they shop, while continuing to invest in the in-store experiences that define the brand, like ear piercing." Said Alex Fogelson, EVP, Division Head at Centric Brands: "We are proud to partner with Ames Watson and Claire's on this exclusive licensing agreement, which reflects Centric Brands' ability to scale beloved brands across multiple retail channels and categories." Centric Brands is a collective specializing in product design, development and sourcing, retail and digital commerce, marketing and brand building. Its portfolio includes licenses for 100-plus brands, ranging from Calvin Klein to Ugg. In addition to Claire's, brands owned or invested in by Ames Watson include Champion, Lids, Hungry and Zygo. Drawing on more than 125 years of history serving the retail design market, VMSD magazine provides retail professionals with the most up-to-date, innovative retail design ideas and industry news through its industry-leading magazine, website, social media channels and bulletins. Featured video. MasterClass: 're-sparkling' retail: using store design to build trust, faith and brand loyalty. HOW CAN WE EMPOWER and inspire senior leaders to see design as an investment for future retail growth? This session, led by retail design expert Ian Johnston from Quinine Design, explores how physical stores remain unmatched in the ability to build trust, faith, and loyalty with your customers, ultimately driving shareholder value. Presented by: Ian Johnston Founder and Creative Director, Quinine Design You may like.
Cool Brands announces strategic licensing partnerships with Centric Brands and Jay Franco & Sons for its children's lifestyle brand "A Star Is Born", co-founded by Vanessa Hudgens. May 6, 2026 NEW YORK-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Cool Brands, a brand management, creation, and licensing company, today announced that A Star Is Born(TM), a contemporary children's lifestyle brand co-founded by actress, singer, and entrepreneur Vanessa Hudgens, has signed long-term strategic multi-category licensing partnerships with Centric Brands and Jay Franco & Sons. Retail introductions are slated to begin in 2027. A Star Is Born enters the market as a lifestyle ecosystem for newborns through age eight, built to scale across both soft and hard lines, offering accessible solutions for young parents. The brand addresses growing consumer demand for elevated, thoughtfully designed children's products that serve both child and parent. With Vanessa's more than 78 million social media followers globally, Hudgens brings built-in cultural relevance and direct access to a highly engaged millennial and Gen Z parent audience. "Our goal for A Star Is Born is to make life easier for parents without sacrificing design or comfort," said Hudgens. "Creating thoughtful products for young families like mine is a dream come true." Cool Brands is breaking the traditional celebrity-brand mold with A Star Is Born. Rather than a short-term capsule or endorsement-driven launch, the company built the platform from the ground up as a long-term, multi-category licensing venture, with Hudgens' involvement in product development, drawing inspiration from her personal journey into motherhood. "A Star Is Born embodies Cool Brands' mission to build brands with naturally positive cachet in partnership with creative talent and best-in-class manufacturers," said Ezra S. Ashkenazi, Founder and CEO of Cool Brands, and a Principal and Founder of iHome Audio. "Over the past three decades, I've had the privilege of pioneering consumer and lifestyle brands and products across multiple categories. We are honored to partner with Vanessa, whose strong product intuition and warm, relatable spirit are reflected in the creative process, particularly during this meaningful chapter of her life as a mother." Centric Brands, a leading global lifestyle collective, will serve as the brand's lead soft goods licensee, producing apparel, soft footwear, bath accessories, and kid-safe cosmetics. The engagement contains more than 90 distinct products across these categories, establishing a robust, multi-season, and departmental product pipeline. "With A Star Is Born, we're merging Centric's design expertise and retail reach to create something that feels both elevated and deeply personal within the baby and children's space," said Rob Smith, President, Kids at Centric Brands. "This brand is rooted in Vanessa's sense of authenticity and joy - shaped by her experience as a new mom and her natural connection to a generation of modern, millennial parents. Together, we're translating that point of view into a lifestyle that feels considered, effortless, and full of heart - celebrating the beauty in everyday moments." Jay Franco & Sons, a long-established home and bath company, will introduce bedding, bath, and home accessories, extending the brand into the home with more than 60 distinct products across these categories. "A Star Is Born is a natural fit for us, as our approach has always catered to young families," said Joe A. Franco, President, Jay Franco & Sons. "Jay Franco has built its reputation over more than eight decades on delivering quality products and designs that families trust. Our plan to introduce a comprehensive range across bedding, bath, and home, combined with Vanessa's creative perspective, product vision, and highly engaged online audience, creates a compelling opportunity at retail." Cool Brands is in active discussions with additional leading partners across strollers/car seats and travel accessories, nursery furniture, feeding and mealtime, toys and developmental play, publishing, and health and wellness. "Our objective is to thoughtfully build a trusted, one-stop family brand," said Simon Douek, Principal at Cool Brands. "We are selectively engaging category leaders who share our commitment to premium quality, operational excellence, and long-term brand building." Additional category announcements and retail partnerships are expected later this year.
Palm Tree Music Festival returns to the Hamptons in 2026. February 12, 2026 Palm Tree Music Festival will return to the Hamptons for its sixth edition on Saturday, June 27 at the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton. The one-day event continues its run as a staple of the East End summer calendar, combining electronic headliners with a premium hospitality-driven experience. This year's lineup is led by Palm Tree Crew Co-Founder Kygo, alongside The Chainsmokers and Disco Lines. Additional performances will come from It's Murph, Xandra, Will Sass, and Brooke Brazelton. The festival's format remains focused on a single main stage and a tightly curated bill. The 2026 Hamptons event follows a period of expansion for Palm Tree Crew. After a sold-out fifth edition in Southampton, the company launched new festivals in St. Tropez and Sardinia, added U.S. stops in Montecito and Napa Valley, and announced its first Asia event in Singapore scheduled for April 2026. Earlier this year, Palm Tree Crew closed a WME Group - led Series B funding round that valued the company at $215 million. The brand also formed a joint venture with Centric Brands to develop an apparel and accessories line set to debut this fall and opened Palm Tree Club Kansas City, its fourth hospitality property. Tickets for the Hamptons festival will be released in two phases: an exclusive presale on Friday, February 13 at 10 a.m. ET, followed by a general on-sale at 4 p.m. ET. Got to palmtreemusicfestival.com for more information. Organizers are introducing four ticket tiers this year: * General Admission (GA) offers access to the main stage viewing area, sponsor activations, bars, and food vendors. GA is now 18+. * GA+ includes priority entry, a dedicated paid bar, and dedicated restrooms, in addition to GA access. This is a new ticket type and is also 18+. * VIP provides access to a more intimate front-of-stage area, hosted bars featuring select sponsor products, complimentary food offerings, dedicated entry, and luxury restrooms. VIP is 21+. * The Palm Club serves as the festival's highest-tier experience, featuring private tables, bottle service, dedicated hosts, curated food selections, and additional hospitality perks. Table reservations are available via email.