Associate Designer

About the company

Unity. Loyalty. Advancement. Charity. It's what drives United Legwear & Apparel Co. to be the best global designer, manufacturer, and distributor of legwear, bodywear, apparel, and accessories. Founded in 1998 by Isaac E. Ash to make the very best legwear on the market, ULAC is an industry leader offering a full range of products for babies, kids, teens, and adults. We strive to sell our products at affordable prices for families. Hard work and exponential growth year on year has transformed ULAC into a global apparel and accessories company.

About the role

At ULAC, The Designer is responsible for the concept, design, development, and execution of fashion legwear and women's bodywear collections for assigned brands, ensuring alignment with ULAC business objectives and strategic initiatives. This role leverages strong design expertise, seasonal market and competitive intelligence, and trend forecasting to create innovative, brand-right, and commercially viable products from concept through production. The Designer collaborates closely with cross-functional partners and overseas vendors to deliver compelling product assortments that meet consumer needs and drive business growth.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the design team to conceptualize and develop original designs for legwear collections, incorporating market trends, brand identity, and consumer preferences.
• Trend, Fabric & Competitive Research: Research and identify emerging seasonal fashion trends, fabric innovations, and competitive market products, translating those insights into commercial, brand-right collections.
• Collection Design & Technical Execution: Design and develop seasonal collections across multiple brands according to style plans, sales needs, and target price points. Create flat sketches, Adobe Illustrator CADs, original artwork, and comprehensive tech packs/specification sheets.
• Materials & Color Development: Build seasonal color palettes and fabric/concept boards; initiate and manage requests for lab dips, trims, and strike-offs.
• Sample & Approval Management: Oversee product samples from initial proto through final pre-production (PP) samples to ensure design, fit, color accuracy, and quality integrity. Record and track all approvals for fit, design, color, and construction components.
• PLM & Line Maintenance: Maintain accurate designs, specification sheets, line sheets, style files, and sample tracking within the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system and shared drives.
• Cross-Functional & Vendor Partnership: Partner closely with Sales, Merchandising, Buying, and Production teams to ensure assortments meet customer, market, and margin targets. Communicate directly with external vendors to hit all product development calendar deadlines and milestones.
• Showroom & Presentation Support: Assist in merchandising the showroom for market and preparing visual presentation assets for internal and external meetings.
• General Operations: Perform other duties as assigned in support of departmental and company operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design or related field.
• 2–4 years of hands-on apparel/accessories design experience, including experience in fashion legwear and/or women's bodywear/intimates.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (specifically Illustrator and Photoshop).
• Working proficiency with PLM systems.
• Strong knowledge of current fashion trends, yarn/fabric constructions, color theory, and garment/legwear specifications.
• High creativity and artistic ability with a keen eye for color, texture, and pattern, paired with the ability to visualize designs in three dimensions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for seamless cross-functional and vendor collaboration.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple brand calendars, prioritize workloads, and follow through under tight deadlines.
• Self-driven team player capable of working both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

At ULAC, we are committed to supporting the well-being and professional growth of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package for all New York & New Jersey-based employees includes:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance — Access to quality health care coverage with a variety of plan options to fit your needs.
• Fitness Reimbursement — Reimbursement for eligible health and wellness programs to encourage a healthy lifestyle through our medical benefits plan.
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance (100% Employer Paid) — Income protection to support you during unexpected health challenges, 100% company-paid.
• Group-Term Life Insurance (100% Employer Paid) — Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance designed to help families by providing financial protection in case of death or severe injury resulting from an accident.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) — Confidential support services for mental health, work-life balance, and other personal matters.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan — Competitive retirement savings plan, including employer matching of up to 4.5%.
• Pet Insurance — Coverage options to help care for your furry family members.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) and Sick Leave — Competitive paid vacation and sick leave to support your work-life balance.
• Bereavement Leave — Paid time off to grieve and attend to personal matters following the loss of a loved one.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) — Pre-tax savings accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses.
• Commuter Benefits — Tax-advantaged options to help cover public transit and commuting costs.
• Tuition Reimbursement — Support for continued learning and development through approved educational programs.
• Voluntary Life Insurance — Option to voluntarily add additional financial protection in the event of an unfortunate loss.