Sr Footwear Designer (Women's & Juniors)

About Us

American Exchange Group is an industry leader in fashion accessory products and brand management. By facilitating distribution to major retailers internationally for their globally recognized brands, custom private label brands, and exclusive licensed brands—including footwear, tech wearables, watches, jewelry, handbags, fashion accessories, home, and beauty—American Exchange Group raises the bar by disrupting the status quo with value and quality, while staying at the forefront of trends.

Joining American Exchange Group means being part of a dynamic and diverse team where your contributions drive real impact—and where there’s always room to grow. If you're looking to be part of a company that blends heritage with hustle, we’re excited to meet you.

Visit our website at www.axnygroup.com

Position Summary

We are seeking a creative, trend-focused, and detail-oriented Senior Footwear Designer to join our team and lead the design and development of women’s moderate and juniors footwear for the off-price and private label market. The ideal candidate understands the fast-paced nature of the off-price business and has a strong ability to translate current fashion and footwear trends into commercially relevant product at the right price point.

This role will be responsible for creating trend-right, market-driven footwear collections across multiple classifications while balancing design, cost, quality, and speed to market. The Senior Footwear Designer will partner closely with Merchandising, Sales, Product Development, and overseas vendors to bring concepts from initial inspiration through production.

Location: This is a fully onsite position based at our NYC headquarters in the Garment District.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Conceptualize and design trend-right women’s moderate and juniors footwear for off-price and private label customers.
• Research current fashion, footwear, color, material, and consumer trends to identify commercial opportunities.
• Translate market trends and customer direction into compelling, commercially viable footwear designs.
• Develop seasonal footwear collections across multiple classifications, price points, and retail channels.
• Create detailed sketches, CADs, colorways, and technical drawings for production.
• Spec proposed product and provide detailed design direction to support accurate product development and production.
• Select and develop appropriate materials, components, trims, colors, and construction details while maintaining target costs.
• Work closely with Merchandising and Sales to understand customer needs, competitive product, pricing, and market opportunities.
• Collaborate with Product Development and overseas factories throughout the development process to ensure design intent, quality, cost, and timelines are achieved.
• Review samples, provide revisions and approvals, and ensure final product meets design and commercial objectives.
• Participate in line reviews, presentations, market research, and customer meetings as needed.
• Maintain awareness of competitive products and emerging trends within the moderate, juniors, private label, and off-price footwear markets.
• Manage multiple projects and seasonal deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Assist with additional design projects and responsibilities as needed.

Qualifications & Experience

• 5+ years of footwear design experience, preferably within women’s moderate, juniors, private label, off-price, or value-focused footwear.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating commercial footwear design, trend interpretation, and product development.
• Strong understanding of footwear construction, materials, components, and manufacturing processes.
• Highly proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Experience creating footwear CADs, technical drawings, colorways, and production-ready specifications.
• Strong understanding of price points, cost considerations, and designing for margin.
• Ability to translate fashion and footwear trends into com