Smartwool: Textile Designer

At Smartwool, we are a group of insatiable outdoor adventurers who want to share the joy of crisp powder turns, hard first ascents, scrambly summit sunrises, pine needle-cushioned hikes, and s’more-filled weekends with everyone. We’re committed to transparency, sustainability, and getting out there. And we're serious about having fun while doing it.

We are a team committed to creating products with Merino wool at their core, reducing our environmental impact, and working with our advocacy partners to help protect wild places and increase equitable access for anyone looking to spend more time outside.

If this sounds like a team you would like to be a part of, Smartwool just might be the place for you.

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit Smartwool Careers  or www.smartwool.com.

Position: Textile Technical Designer

What will you do?

A day in the life of a Textile Designer at Smartwool looks a little like this.

The 3D Textile Designer works with the Senior Designer in the design, creation, and delivery of brand right print and knit patterns to be used in socks lines that support the strategic initiatives. This position will use exceptional design and artistic skills, identifying trends to executes the seasonal design/development process and create innovative and commercially viable textile design from conception to production that meet market needs, drive sales and ensuring the timely execution of each stage in the process.  This position will own the execution of any SMU’s and product collaborations and schedule timely reviews to ensure accuracy and adhere to calendar deadlines.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

Research

• Research and identify trend directions; pull and review inspiration, design concepts, and create presentation boards for trend/color palette seasonal kick off.
• Develop the awareness of key accounts and channels of distribution derived from market insights and trends to insure concept feasibility.

Design

• Execute design and development of initial seasonal design category in context of larger category assortments

• Design according to style plans, sales needs, and emerging trends; ensure timely execution of product development calendar
• Create 3D sketches; creating new and unique patterns/styles and concepts which meet the expectations outlined in product brief
• trouble shoot any issues with graphs, scale, digitization pattern creation from mills and provide solutions to Senior Design team
• Adapt design style to different nuanced voices within the brand for varying projects
• manage design tech packs of assigned styles from concept through to SMS production ensuring BOM meets or exceeds expectations of quality and accuracy

Contributing to Team dynamic

• Ability to partner with Product Management and Development teams with an openness to feedback and a focus on collaboration to achieve the best result.

Essential Functions:

• Work with Senior Designer in designing, graphing, and developing ideas for performance and lifestyle sock line that can be executed to the guidelines and constraints of circular sock knitting
• Generate, update, and recolor seasonal Cads within 3D Shima Seki software as needed
• Produce detailed tech packs and follow through the entire development of product from initial creation to final SMS.
• In-put accurate information for Tech Packs into Enovia system.
• Daily/as needed follow up with development team on tech pack creation/revision/review and submit approvals.
• Help Senior Designer organize samples for meetings as needed and prepare any design review documents to distribute to great team.

What do you need to succeed?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 3-5 years’ experience in textile design or related field.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• High creativity and artistic abilities, an eye for color, texture, and pattern with keen attention to detail and ability to visualize in three dimensions.
• Excellent written and verbal skills as required for effective interpersonal communication
• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks