Are you passionate about design and impeccable fit? Are you a garment engineer with deep experience with pattern making and garment construction? Do you have a deep appreciation for production friendly construction while maintaining design integrity?
If so, keep reading! We’re looking for an experienced Technical Designer to join our growing team. If you’re passionate about fit and construction, quality being built into every level of the development process, continual development and improvement, are a resourceful and adaptable person, and are highly organized, let’s talk. At MICHI, impeccable quality and technical innovation is behind everything we do!
THE ROLE
In this position you’ll be responsible for technical design development, running fittings, and developing and updating tech packs to deliver innovative, high quality products on time while controlling costs. You’ll be the liaison between design and production and in charge of the complete technical development process. You will work from the initial design sketch through to preparation of construction specs to the development of detailed tech packs.
What does that mean exactly? It means we’ll be counting on you to do the following:
FITTINGS
- Lead fittings, chalk and pin the garment, resolve any fit issues and demonstrate to the design/product teams that the corrections being applied will result in the desired look.
- Leverage technical knowledge, solution-based thinking and leadership support to troubleshoot and resolve issues that are unique in nature and may require a novel approach.
- Provide fit and construction insight, feedback and resolution to the design team.
- Critique and measure samples before a fit session ensuring all set requirements have been met. Come prepared to fittings with all related information from the previous fitting.
- Maintain consistent grading rules, making adjustments when necessary for smaller or larger sizes. Update and release graded specs upon garment approval.
- Schedule appropriate fit models for fittings.
- Set high standards and fit consistency across products.
TECH PACKS
- Develop and update the technical specifications to complete the design tech packs.
- Complete tech packs for proto development.
- Analyze all production costs, including fabric, notions, CMT in relevant costing documents.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
- Prioritize workload based on production timeline and deliverables.
- Collaborate with design, understand the vision and provide technical expertise, by foreseeing problems and offering alternatives without compromising the look.
- Review proto samples, design and fit intent and patterns and suggest adjustments as necessary.
- Schedule and manage sampling with both sample sewers and production facilities.
- Communicate with local and offshore factories and suppliers on all technical issues, providing technical expertise on how to correct or achieve a desired look and giving detailed feedback on samples. Ensure that there is a correlation between the correction requested and the final spec.
- Develop strong relationships with sourcing and production partners to plan and control item costs and expedite finished goods.
- Identify potential production, quality and costing issues and make recommendations to ensure brand integrity.
- Recommend raw material components and offer sourcing solutions to constantly innovate products and maintain impeccable quality.
- Understand basics of PAD system so simple changes can be executed.
QUALITY SYSTEMS
- Learn the MICHI production process and continually improve upon it.
- Develop and maintain ‘quality systems’ to ensure quality is built into all levels of manufacturing.
- Ensure the final product meets intended aesthetic, function and quality goals.
- Understand the MICHI technical features, fabrics, trims and construction.
WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
6 MONTHS
- You now have in depth knowledge and understanding of the construction of the MICHI products as well as the development process.
- You have implemented some small but powerful fit and grading improvements that make an impact to the fit of our garments and consistency between garments.
- You seamlessly run our weekly fittings and communicate effectively with our pattern maker, designers and production team.
- Through previous experience you have implemented process improvements to help save you time, costs and to keep your team on track.
- You are up to date on tech packs and have a system to stay organized, timely and accurate.
- You have helped our pattern maker problem solve with the more difficult styles bras, bodysuits and swimwear and as a result you have developed beautiful, best-selling styles.
12 MONTHS
- You have managed the end-to-end development process so well that all of our samples are consistently on time. The MICHI team admires your leadership, strong communication skills, sense of urgency and ability to keep development on track.
- As a result of your strong understanding of production friendly design and finishing, you have helped us lower costs without sacrificing fit, aesthetic, functionality or quality.
- You have developed strong relationships with all of our factories and teams.
- You have made a number of smart recommendations and we’ve developed new products and initiatives based off of your recommendations.
- We don’t know how we ever did it without you! We now have an in-house samples room and are growing the production and development team because of the improvements you have made.
OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE – IS IT YOU?
- 5+ years of Technical Design experience including pattern making, garment construction and fitting experience.
- Prior experience in activewear, knits, lingerie, and/or swim strongly preferred.
- Technical, organized, systems driven and are passionate about building quality into all levels of manufacturing process by following SOP’s.
- Capability to lead and conduct fittings on live models as well as on fit forms.
- Strong knowledge of fit and how to execute and improve the fit of a garment.
- Strong appreciation of quality, cost control and innovation.
- Ability to anticipate problems, offer solutions, ask the right questions and address issues to meet quality and fit standards and target costs.
- An eye for fit, quality and aesthetic.
- Built in habit to tackle issues immediately, understanding of harnessing the power of teamwork and commitment to continual improvement.
ABOUT MICHI
MICHI (www.michiny.com), is technical women’s sportswear that doesn’t look like it. It’s the alchemy of form and function, so you can do more with less. Our mission is to elevate women to blaze their trail while feeling like the best version of themselves.
Our durable, versatile products are ethically Made in Canada and crafted with certified technical fabrics. We defy the status quo to fuse elevated aesthetics with high performance functionality.
MICHI is sold in the world’s most prestigious department stores, upscale gyms and eCommerce platforms; including Holt Renfrew and Sporting Life in Canada, Selfridges in the UK, Le Bon Marche in France, Luisa Via Roma in Italy, Asport in Taiwan, SKP in China, and Equinox Gyms in the US, UK and Canada.
Our products are Made in Canada and in Sedex certified factories globally, out of bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified materials from Italy, Brazil, and throughout Asia. As a collaborative team, we create value through strong communication, innovative thinking and taking responsibility to put our customers first.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Email your cover letter, resume and portfolio to: careers@michiny.com .
Please include the job title Technical Designer in the subject line of your message.