Associate Designer - Women's & Kids Concept & Color

Our Story J.Crew gets you dressed every day, for every occasion. Since 1983, we’ve been creating classics that feel familiar and refreshingly new, crafted with unbeatable quality and distinctive point of view—it’s no wonder we’ve been in your closet for four decades and counting. Today, we continue to do the classics our way, inspiring not only how you shop but how you define your personal style. Our commitment runs deeper than just making great clothes—we’re proud of our role in getting you dressed with confidence, character, and celebrating a distinctly American sensibility that makes us who we are. Our dedication to Diversity, Equity, Belonging & Sustainability has been celebrated with industry recognition, reflecting our commitment to fostering an inclusive and sustainable workplace. The Role + Purpose The Associate Designer – Concept & Color supports the J.Crew Women’s and Kids design teams in shaping each season’s color story and creative direction. Reporting to the Concept & Color Designer, you will help support each season’s creative direction through research, storyboarding, palette development, and deck building that bring the design team’s vision to life. You will translate research and inspiration into polished visual presentations that guide the design process and maintain color inspiration and accuracy from initial concept through to final product. We welcome candidates from a variety of design, fashion, and creative backgrounds who are curious, detail-driven, and eager to grow within a collaborative team. This role will support the Concept & Color Designer with the following: Seasonal inspiration and research, including trend, market, and competitive analysis, to shape Women’s and Kid’s seasonal concepts. Assist in the building and pitching of concepts and color stories, bringing each season’s ideas to life for design, merchandising, and production partners. Build and refine concept decks and creative visuals in Miro and Adobe Creative Suite Build and evolve concept boards, decks, and color palettes throughout the season as the collection develops. Conduct comp shopping and color+material sourcing to support the building of concepts, palettes and report on trends. Manage and maintain color palettes, color library and color systems across all seasons and divisions - keeping color names, numbers, and standards consistent and the color library and standards managed in PLM Match and evaluate color against standards and vendor submissions using color systems such as Pantone and CSI Partner with internal teams and suppliers to support all color requests and meet approval timelines. Guide and delegate work to the Color Librarian Assistant, helping prioritize day-to-day color library maintenance, administrative needs, seasonal deadlines and color requests. Qualifications Required: 1–3 years of experience in color, concept, graphic, or design support within fashion, apparel, or a related creative field (internships and freelance work count). Proficiency in Miro and Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign). Understanding of PLM system Working knowledge of color theory and color systems, such as Pantone, and of color matching. Strong visual eye, with the ability to translate research and trends into clear, polished presentations. Highly detail-oriented and organized, with the ability to manage multiple projects and seasonal deadlines. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a collaborative approach and openness to feedback. Ability to accurately distinguish and match color. Preferred Experience creating digital renderings or CAD for apparel or accessories. Experience in women’s or kids’ apparel design. Experience guiding or mentoring interns or junior teammates. Benefits + Perks Health & Well-being – Eligible associates and family members receive medical, dental, prescription and vision insurance, family planning (fertility, adoption & surrogacy support), fitness discounts, medical travel and more. Associate Discount – We love our products just as much as you do! That’s why we offer a great associate discount across all of our brands (J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, and Madewell). Summer Fridays – In addition to our hybrid work model, we also close our office at 1:00 PM every Friday during the Summer months. Community Impact – We support the communities where we live and work through our philanthropic efforts and the J.Crew Cares Program. Winter Break – In addition to our PTO package, J.Crew Group offers a winter break at the end of December to eligible full-time associates at the Home Office to provide time to refresh and recharge. Note: Availability of these benefits and perks may be subject to work location & employment type and may have certain eligibility requirements. Salary Range $72,500.00 - $89,750.00 At J.Crew Group (JCG) we aim to pay competitively for our company’s size and industry. The base salary offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region of work premises, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. The base salary is just one component of JCG’s competitive total rewards strategy that also includes the opportunity for bonus, competitive benefits and perks. One of our core focuses here at JCG is creating a community and culture that builds belonging. We are deeply committed to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, and we warmly welcome job applicants of all backgrounds. JCG is proud to affirmatively provide equal opportunity to all associates and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin or citizenship, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, legally protected physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other basis protected under applicable law. We make timeless clothes that last a lifetime…then pair them with of‑the‑moment styles season after season, decade after decade. We think that distinct heritage pairs perfectly with modern design and fabric technology. We believe in feel‑good color… Even if black or navy makes you feel best, we’re here for that. We’re the experts in signature categories: cashmere, coats, blazers, pants—and we also collaborate with the coolest brands out there because we know that creativity is contagious. We consider leopard a neutral, speak stripes fluently and live for a great gingham. We believe in looking like a million bucks, not spending it—which is why we go the extra mile to source the absolute best fabrics at the most accessible prices. We also know that we have a responsibility to the planet and to humanity to choose eco‑friendly fabrics and to support our factory workers, without compromise. Learn More Our workplace should be a safe haven, where you flourish and succeed both as an individual and teammate. Discrimination, harassment and intimidation have no place in our offices, stores, or contact and distribution centers. We will not tolerate it in any form, and furthermore, it is illegal. This applies not only to our associates but also to vendors and customers. We explicitly prohibit discrimination based on the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identification and expression, legally protected physical or mental disability, genetic information (including characteristics, testing and refusing to submit to a test), veteran status or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state or local law. Any behavior or acts that violate this policy will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. #J-18808-Ljbffr