Design Associate, Women's Outlet Bags NY

Design Associate, Women's Outlet Bags

Coach

New York, NY, US

Coach is a global fashion house founded in New York in 1941. Inspired by the vision of Creative Director Stuart Vevers and the inclusive and courageous spirit of our hometown, we make beautiful things, crafted to last—for you to be yourself in.

Coach is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands committed to stretching what’s possible.

A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive.

Primary

Purpose:

As the Design Associate, Women’s Outlet Bags and Small Leather goods, you will contribute to the collaborative design process for the Outlet handbags and small leather goods category, partnering closely with the Design team and cross‑functional partners from concept through commercialization.

The successful individual will leverage their proficiency in Design to:

• Understand the Coach brand aesthetic and translate it into silhouettes and seasonal design concepts.
• Research current and vintage global markets to identify trends, silhouettes, product functionality, novelty techniques, hardware, materials, and detailing.
• Sketch product newness in Adobe Illustrator, understanding scale, construction and brand standards.
• Render colored illustrations (CADs) in Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for all product seasonally.
• Prepare technical specs and design cards for silhouettes and platform newness under tight deadlines.
• Maintain file organization in shared digital libraries.
• Prepare digital and physical sketch presentations for milestone meetings and oversee organization of the design studio and shared spaces.
• Partner daily with Senior Design, Technical Design, Material, Product Development and Merchandising partners both within New York and overseas.
• Adhere to all deadlines proactively in a fast paced environment.

The accomplished individual will possess:

• Must be organized with the ability to handle multiple priorities at once.
• Must be flexible with the ability to self‑manage.
• Must have strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must be a collaborative, team player with great initiative.

An outstanding professional will have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Design or related field preferred.
• 2–4 years of experience in handbag or related product design.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Hand sketching ability, including flat sketching.
• Fashion/luxury brand experience, a plus.

Our Competencies for All Employees

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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…