Designer (New York City Metropolitan Area)

Designer Negative Underwear · New York, NY

Reports to Senior Design Director

About the Role:

Negative Underwear makes quiet, considered essentials, the kind of pieces built on restraint rather than noise. We're looking for a Designer to join our small, high-taste team and help shape that point of view across intimates, loungewear, swimwear, and active. This is a cross-category role with real range: you'll move fluidly between categories with the seasonal calendar, working directly with the Senior Design Director to carry concepts from first sketch through proto, fit, and buy review. If you want ownership, and you believe the best design work is the kind that doesn't shout, this is built for you.

Responsibilities:

Design Development

• Develop seasonal concepts across multiple categories (intimates, loungewear, active, and swim) in partnership with the Senior Design Director
• Create initial sketches and construction flats; revise sketches and construction callouts following fit comments, proto reviews, up through production approval
• Sketch and build presentation boards: silhouette direction, color stories, fabric and trim selections
• Research market and competitive trends; maintain design/trend boards to support seasonal planning
• Maintain the fabric/trim library and support sourcing and developing of new fabric/trim options for design review

Technical Execution

• Own CAD execution and tech pack creation; set up BOMs in PLM
• Maintain the Visual Line Plan (Figma) — style numbers, colors, assortment, print, trim, and imagery •
• Attend fittings and give informed feedback on fit, proportion, and construction against original design intent; contribute to fit notes on aesthetic/construction points
• Coordinate hand-off of new seasonal styles to Technical Design; collaborate with the technical team to determine construction and high-level specs that achieve design intent
• Collaborate with external partners on seasonal print development: review strike-offs for color accuracy against approved CAD, document corrections, sign off before handoff for placement

Process & Team

• Track development progress and proactively follow up on outstanding items to ensure timely execution
• Prepare racks, samples, and presentation materials for proto reviews and cross-functional meetings •
• Manage design intern seasonally
• Manage multiple seasons in flight simultaneously (proto, sketch review, and early research phases overlap by design)

Qualifications Experience

• 3–5 years of apparel design experience; intimates, sleep, active/ swim, or soft-wovens experience is a plus but not required
• Bachelor's degree in fashion design or related field Design & Technical Skill
• Strong hand and digital sketching ability
• High taste level with an understanding of understated luxury and editorial restraint
• Knowledge of garment construction, materials, and trims
• Excellent presentation and visual communication skills
• Proficient in Illustrator and Photoshop; working knowledge of Excel Working Style
• Self-directed and comfortable in a lean, founder-led environment, no large team infrastructure, means more autonomy and more ownership
• Strong follow-through and highly organized; able to manage multiple seasons without dropping threads
• Proactive, detail-oriented, and able to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills