Men's Design Associate

Company Description:

Founded over 35 years ago, Free Country is built on the belief that everyone should have access to high quality functional outdoor apparel for their adventures. Headquartered in New York City since 1990, Free Country designs and produces quality outwear, activewear and swimwear for men, women and pets.

Job Description:

We are looking for a creative and detail-oriented Men’s Design Associate to support the development and execution of our Men’s and Boys’ outerwear, sportswear, and swimwear collections. This role will work closely with the Design Director and Senior Designers across all stages of the design and development process, from concept and CAD creation through tech packs, samples, and production, while helping bring trend-right, commercially relevant products to life.

The ideal candidate has a strong eye for color, trend, print, fabrication, branding, and product details, along with excellent technical skills in Adobe Illustrator, PLM, Excel, and AI-powered design tools. This role will work closely with the Design Director and Senior Designers throughout the product lifecycle, from initial concept and seasonal development through production.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Design Director and Senior Designers in the development of Men’s and Boys’ outerwear, sportswear, and swimwear collections.

• Prepare and maintain detailed technical packages (tech packs) within the PLM system, ensuring design specifications and product information are complete and accurate.

• Create detailed CADs, flats, colorways, print layouts, and other design artwork using Adobe Illustrator.

• Utilize AI-powered creative tools to support concept development, artwork, presentations, and other aspects of the design process.

• Create seasonal AI booklets, line presentations, and sales materials to effectively communicate product concepts and assortments.

• Assist with seasonal concept and product development, including trend, color, print, fabrication, trim, and competitive research.

• Create and maintain fabric and swatch cards for internal and customer presentations.

• Communicate clearly and consistently with overseas vendors and internal cross-functional teams regarding artwork, specifications, samples, materials, and development updates.

• Partner with Merchandising, Production, Sales, and other internal teams to support seasonal deadlines and business needs.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of design experience, preferably in men’s/boy’s apparel.

• PLM / PD/ AI is required for this role.

• Effective communication, leadership, and organizational skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams and levels.

• Analytical thinker who is also comfortable being firsthand and executing.

• Proficiency in key business and marketing tools, including Excel, illustrator

• Must be onsite daily at our New York office.