Design Associate, RRL Woven Shirts

Company Description
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

Position Overview
The Associate Designer will assist in the daily functions of the RRL Men's Woven Shirt design team from initial concept through production. This role will have a strong focus on design and product development across the woven shirt category. A positive attitude and excitement for the brand are needed. The candidate will have to take initiative, embrace change, adapt to learning new concepts and procedures. Finally, candidate needs to be extremely detail-oriented with strong technical skills, understanding of garment construction and a passion for vintage clothes.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

* Assist in preparation for all Design Meetings, Board Reviews, Hand Offs, Line Reviews & Showroom Openings
* Collaborate with design team to develop new product ideas by compiling vintage protos, tear sheets, sketches, fabric swatches and trim inspiration
* Partner with design team to research new silhouettes and develop innovative details appropriate to the concept, customer aesthetic and RRL heritage
* Research market trends and runway shows to stay aware of new fabric, silhouette, embroidery, color, pattern, trim, wash, and finishing techniques
* Create inspirational design boards and sketches to convey design ideas that adhere to the seasonal concepts during the product design phase
* Responsible for all Illustrator technical sketches. This includes all views and detailed layouts to capture the nuances of the model.
* Owns coloring up all sketches to properly represent the color/pattern of the given style
* Execute individual style stats/sheets in Adobe XD to ensure a successful presentation to our Merchandising team during the adoption phase
* Create detailed style Handoffs to ensure the Product Development/Technical Design/Fabric Team are clear on design's expectations. Accurate material direction, trim direction, starting fit direction and wash direction is essential.
* Serve as a liaison between Design, Product Development, Technical Design, Trim Dept. and Merchandising to ensure information flow is accurate throughout the development process and any changes are clearly communicated
* Attend all fittings and take notes for follow-up (including fit prep)
* Organize all electronic and physical design materials
* Manage vintage and design library
* Assist with ad hoc projects and work with the team as requests arise.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge
· Bachelor's Degree in Design preferred · Related design experience and passion for the brand and product category · Strong communication and follow-up skills: verbal and written · Team player with strong interpersonal skills · Excellent organization skills with ability to prioritize and multi task to meet deadlines · Strong understanding of garment construction · Working knowledge of pattern making · Understanding of woven fabric construction · Design, color, aesthetic sensibility and a strong passion for vintage · Excellent Illustrator flat sketching and Photoshop color-up skills Software Programs: Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, XD), Web PLM (a plus), Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook #LI-CE1