Assistant Fashion Designer Jobs

Encircled is a fast-growing ethical fashion start-up powered by a small but passionate and collaborative team. We make ethical shopping effortless by creating transformative, long-lasting designs, made in a way that honours the world around us. We produce 100% of our clothing locally in Toronto, and retailed exclusively through our website. We proudly integrate sustainability throughout our supply chain and are a female-founded, female-owned certified B Corporation.

The Role:

Reporting to theProduction Manager, this role ofDesign Coordinator & Product Developerwill own the execution of the design vision, technical design, pattern making, sample making, and product development for the brand. You’ll be integral in ensuring that our clothes are high-quality, comfortable and stylish. We are a company with best-in-class in innovation, function, fit and versatility while maintaining industry leading ethics and sustainability standards.

This role is a great opportunity to get work directly on Canadian-made apparel for a certified B Corporation and work with local production in the Toronto slow fashion industry.

The Candidate:

You’re a natural problem solver, have a high attention to detail and ability to work independently and as part of a small team. You’ve got strong product development and design skills, and are looking for a way to get involved in an agile production model that supports the slow fashion movement.

The Responsibilities:

• Maintain the online Style Master and Design Drive including:
• Assist with the approval of pre-production fits, care/content label, and fabric specification
• Own the size app and product descriptions (customer facing for marketing)
• Tech Packs & Spec packs
• Work with production to develop the design launch calendar, working cross-functionally to ensure designs are on track for an on-time launch and delivery
• Technicals
• Management of fittings and adjusting designs (new and old) for fit optimization
• Partnering with production to support fits and tech package needs
• Develop styles from end to end including technical sketches, initial pattern, pattern making, grading, muslins, prototypes, developing final samples, reviewing pre-production samples and finalizing tech packs to ensure designs are production-ready
• Maintain design pattern & sample library
• Product Logs
• Research and report current and future style/colour trends for consistent design direction
• Assisting to document competitive research
• Execute the design vision for Encircled and turn sketches/conceptual design ideas into product-ready fashion items
• Collaborate on the approvals for fit standards, grade rules and content/branded label components
• Make sure all materials and patterns are gathered to give to production to send to factory
• Other projects and duties as required based on business needs

Your Experience:

• Completed education in College or Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) in Fashion Design
• Able to manually draft and grade patterns on hard card/oak tag
• Strong work ethic, sense of independence and ability to take initiatives
• On-shore domestic manufacturing experience an asset
• A “can-do” attitude – always willing to roll up the sleeves and do what needs to be done
• Minimum 2-3+ years of experience working in fashion design, pattern making or product development roles in the fashion industry
• Able to operate a variety of industrial sewing machines and sew samples
• Keen eye for design, knowledge of trends, and strong design skills
• Experience working at a sustainable brand an asset, especially in a high growth environment
• Knowledge of sewing finishes, technical details, fabrics
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal
• Experience in Adobe creative suite, in particular Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
• Access to a reliable car and a valid driver’s license is an asset.
• Desire to work in a collaborative, team based culture
• Be legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations
• A sense of curiosity and ability figure things out if they are unfamiliar
• Experience in stretch knits, sustainable fashion or activewear a plus
• Adept at multitasking and shifting priorities quickly in an agile environment

Perks:

• After 90 days of service, access to a company funded benefits program
• Summer Friday half days
• Casual dress code at our office - basically, no dress code
• Agile work environment - we move quickly and have little red-tape
• Great work-life balance
• Three paid flex days a year
• Cool, quick growing startup brand to add to your resume
• Opportunity to buy our clothing at a discounted rate for yourself, and friends and family
• Apple laptop for work
• Dog-friendly workspace at our studio

To Apply:

Apply with your resume + cover letter.Any applications without a cover letter & resume and not in PDF format will be deleted.

Cover letters must outline your experience, and answer the following questions:

• In your opinion, what makes a piece of clothing stand the test of time?
• Why do you want to work for Encircled?
• What are your salary expectations? (A range is fine)
• How do you see the fashion industry changing over the next 3 years?

Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted. Please no drop-in visitors at our office, phone calls, live chats, Linkedin or social media messages about this position.

Encircled is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We consider all applicants regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, and Indigenous status.