Designer – Intimates & Sleepwear

Designer – Intimates

Dana-co | Midtown Manhattan, New York, NY
Full-time
Salary range: Up to $100,000 base

Dana-co, a women’s intimate apparel company, is seeking a Designer to develop thoughtful, commercially relevant products that reflect each brand’s identity.

In this role, you will guide assigned styles from concept through development, combining creative vision with strong technical knowledge of construction, fit, materials, and patterns. You will partner with Design leadership, Merchandising, Product Development, CAD specialists, Technical Design, and factories to bring cohesive collections to life while managing and developing an Assistant Designer.

What You’ll Do

Design & Product Development

- Research fashion and cultural trends, silhouettes, retail assortments, and competitors through market shopping and ongoing research.

- Contribute to seasonal concepts with guidance from Design leadership and Merchandising.

- Translate merchandising opportunities into brand-right designs and construction innovations.

- Collaborate with Assistant and Associate Designers to develop cohesive product assortments for presentation to Design leadership.

- Attend vendor meetings and select materials that meet design, cost, and minimum order requirements.

- Direct material development, including fabric qualities, widths, artwork, and placement.

- Provide clear direction to CAD specialists on silhouettes, construction details, and lace placement, and coordinate their workload to meet development priorities.

Technical Development & Fit

- Apply strong knowledge of garment construction, fabric properties, and production processes to develop products that balance appearance, function, cost, and manufacturing feasibility.

- Review style requests, bills of materials, sketch maps, and sewing details for accuracy before factory handoff.

- Develop and communicate pad and wire shapes as needed for assigned styles.

- Review and measure prototypes, assess pattern corrections, and confirm that samples and components match design requests.

- Evaluate pads, molded cup samples, cup covers, and wires for accuracy.

- Attend fittings throughout development, using technical knowledge to resolve fit and construction issues.

- Analyze and correct prototype patterns, using Lectra to review, print, and implement pattern changes.

- Partner with Technical Design during handoff and subsequent fittings to preserve design intent across sizes.

Factory Communication & Calendar Management

- Communicate regularly with factories to clarify design intent, construction requirements, pattern corrections, and sample feedback.

- Manage assigned styles and team deliverables against the product development calendar.

- Maintain visibility into incoming samples, active fit lists, and fitting schedules.

- Review fit notes, photos, style summaries, and Features & Benefits pages for accuracy and completeness.

- Keep design files, samples, shared workspaces, and archives organized and accessible.

Team Management & Development

- Directly manage the Assistant Designer, assigning daily responsibilities, setting priorities, and balancing workload.

- Delegate projects while maintaining oversight of quality, accuracy, and deadlines.

- Provide ongoing training, mentorship, and constructive performance feedback.

- Establish clear expectations and development goals, supported by regular check-ins.

- Help Assistant and Associate Designers strengthen their creative judgment, technical skills, and understanding of each brand’s customer.

What You’ll Bring

- Relevant experience designing intimate apparel and managing styles from concept through product development.

- A strong design perspective and the ability to translate trends and merchandising needs into commercially relevant products.

- Strong knowledge of intimate apparel construction, fit, fabrics, components, and production processes.

- Experience evaluating and correcting patterns, prototypes, and garment components.

- Working proficiency in Lectra, including reviewing, printing, and correcting patterns.

- The ability to communicate clear, actionable design and technical direction to factories and cross-functional partners.

- Experience supervising or mentoring junior designers and coordinating team workloads.

- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

- A collaborative approach and confidence presenting and explaining design decisions.

To Apply

Please submit your résumé and portfolio showcasing relevant intimate apparel design work.