Designer, Dresses, Soft Wovens

since our launch in 1993 with a collection of six essential handbags, kate spade new york has always stood for optimistic femininity. today, our brand is a global life and style house with handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear, gifts, home décor and more. polished ease, thoughtful details and a modern, sophisticated use of color—kate spade new york’s founding principles define a unique style synonymous with joy. under the vision of creative director nicola glass, we continue to celebrate confident women with a youthful spirit.

kate spade new york is part of the tapestry house of brands.

Primary Purpose: The Designer will work with Senior Designer and RTW team to initiate concepts each season that are fashion driven, reflective of the creative vision and Kate Spade aesthetic. You will be a part of a dynamic, creative environment where you will collaborate with talented designers and cross-functional partners in the business.

The successful individual will leverage their proficiency in Design to…

Partner with Senior Designer and Design Director to create sketches and product prototypes throughout the conceptual design process.
Sketch and research for each season based on the concept and direction from VP of Design and the Creative Director
Research embellishment ideas for each season
Attend fittings making detailed notes and making sketch updates
Create pattern layouts, embellishment artworks/layouts, RM layouts using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
Create tech packs and linesheets in PLM
Assist in the preparation for meetings and presentation
Partner with PD team on trim sourcing and development
Manage freelancers and apprentice’s workload and schedule

The accomplished individual will possess…

Must possess a strong fashion sense and have the ability to interpret trends
Excellent interpersonal, communication skills with the ability to interact with a diverse group at all levels
Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and follow-up
Strong attention to detail and knowledge of garment construction
Must be flexible with the ability to self-manage and handle multiple priorities at once
Must be a collaborative, team player with great initiative
Strong technical drawing abilities; hand sketching abilities
Strong Illustrator, Photoshop and PLM knowledge

An outstanding professional will have…

Bachelor’s Degree in Design or related field
3-5 years' experience designing Women’s RTW / Dresses / Soft Wovens
Ability to build Tech Pack & Artwork of embellishment
Ability to sketch both technical drawings and freeform renderings
Extensive knowledge of garment construction, including pattern making, sewing and draping
Extensive knowledge of embellishment, embroidery
Proven ability to sketch, spec, drape, embroidery, embellishment and communicate silhouette and ideas clearly
Experience working with cross-functional teams
Understanding of materials, hardware, trims
Strong working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, Microsoft Word, Excel and PLM

Our Competencies for All Employees

Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.
Perseverance: Pursues everything with energy, drive, and a need to finish; seldom gives up before finishing, especially in the face of resistance or setbacks.
Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.

Our Competencies for All People Managers

Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
Building Effective Teams: Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale
and spirit in his/her team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.
Managerial Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.

Kate Spade is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law. Visit Kate Spade at www.katespade.com.