Free People Design Assistant

Free People is seeking a Design Assistant to support our Free-est design team.  The Free-est Design Assistant primary responsibility is to facilitate the development process of private label product & support the Designer/Design Director w/ in-house developments for Free-est product line with a focus around Free-est cut & sew Knits and Free-est Sweaters.

As a Design Assistant on the Free-est team, you will play a key role in supporting the design process, from initial concept to final production, working closely with the Designer and Design Director to bring our collections to life. You will actively participate in helping to design seasonal collections, sketching, sewing/ mocking/making original ideas for key meetings, as well as support the team with any design and operational related tasks.

This role works in support of the Designer/Design Director to design and source fabric & product appropriate to the Free-est target customer across all different categories of garments including bottoms, tops, one pieces and 3^rd piece and multiple sensibilities.

• The Design Assistant will contribute to the creation, development, and execution of own brand product appropriate for Free People Free-est team with a focus on Free-est Knits & Sweater product.
• Assist in creating product that represents the unique style of the Free-est customer within Sets, Bottoms, Tops & 3^rd pieces range
• Assist to the design process including sketching new ideas with the help of procreate or/and Adobe Illustrator programs, researching new trends and ideas as well as utilizing ai platforms to increase creative research
• Maintain an active role in the weekly Design Flow Meetings. Take notes and follow up on all outstanding issues upon aligning w/ manager.
• Support seasonal development calendar in partnership with the Free-est design team
• Execute specific design development projects as assigned by the Designer/Design Director
• Assist in the development and execution of all design packages and participate in all follow-up communication related to each package in partnership with the Design Coordinator & Product Development team.
• Assist in completing technical sketches for domestic and overseas programs – as well as manage all sketch updates
• Set up spec sheets for all private label product & assist Designers with all developments & communication as needed.
• Manage development and execution of all design packages and participate in all follow-up communication related to each package in partnership with the Design Coordinator & Product Development team.
• Communicate fit and construction details to cross-functional partners by managing weekly fit notes recap. As well as alert Design Coordinator & Product Development team of any major changes made during fit and facilitate follow up conversations when needed.
• Participate in research and report on industry trend direction, color direction, and fabric innovations that can relate to the Free People target customer.
• Execute original design ideas through draped & sewn mocks to communicate design’s vision in key meetings when needed.
• Support Designer/Design Director & collaborate closely with entire Free-est team on innovative presentation layouts for key design meetings to communicate ideas to Buyers and Brand leaders.

• Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design with related field experience.
• 0-2 Years related design experience.
• Strong communication skills.
• Proactive and self-motivated is a must for this role as well as the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborative attitude with the ability to work effectively across cross-functional teams is key at Free People.
• Ability to work on site at our Navy Yard- On-site/ 3-5 days a week Philadelphia, PA.

Technical & Design Skills:

•  Fabric/Sewing knowledge:
  • Strong understanding of cut & sew Knits & Sweaters fabrications and technical ability to apply that knowledge on to how each fabrication would execute from a construction and design point of view.
  • Ability to drape, mock and sew.
• Good sense of technical design understanding and passion for technical portion/construction and making of garments
• Excellent hand and computer sketching/ CAD skills in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as well as Procreate. Ai knowledge/experience would be a plus!
• Proficient in Google & Microsoft platforms (Google Slides, Numbers, Excel, Powerpoint & Word, etc)
• Ai knowledge/experience would be a plus! (MidJourney, PromeAi, etc.)

URBN offers comprehensive Perks & Benefits to employees. Availability and eligibility to specific benefits may be subject to your location and employment status. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, PTO, generous employee discounts, retirement savings and much more! For additional information visit www.urbn.com/work-with-us/benefits

URBN celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression), religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, service in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic as established by law. We believe strongly in fostering a safe, fair and respectful work environment. To ensure compliance with our non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, we offer anti-harassment training to managers and employees.