What are the responsibilities and job description for the Concept & Merchandising Associate position at Cider?
Beloved by young trendsetters and celebrities worldwide, Cider stands as one of the fastest-growing fashion brands today, with a following exceeding 5 million. Founded in 2020 and rooted in Los Angeles, we proudly serve customers in over 130 countries, offering a diverse range of styles from sizes XXS to 4XL. With our innovative smart fashion technology, Cider is leading the way towards a zero-inventory future, minimizing production waste without compromising quality. Our unique "Pick A Mood" collections transform everyday moods into captivating style statements, engaging the next generation and cementing our position as a Gen Z favorite.
Position Overview:
The Concept & Merchandising Associate works in close partnership with Design, Product Development, Operation, Creative and Marketing to support the creation of a saleable, trend-right assortment. By balancing creative vision with commercial acumen, this role ensures the delivery of compelling, data-driven products to market that hit margin targets and resonate with our Gen-Z consumer.
What You'll Do:
Concept Planning
-Develop and maintain the merchandising calendar, aligning seasonal trends, cultural moments, and business priorities to drive monthly concept planning.
-Independently and collaboratively lead the development of monthly concepts, translating trend insights, social listening, and market analysis into clear product directions.
-Create compelling concept decks that define product vision, styling direction, key items, and storytelling while ensuring alignment with brand identity and revenue goals.
-Identify white-space opportunities through trend research, competitive landscape analysis, and consumer insights.
Product & Merchandising Development
-Partner closely with Design and Product Development to translate concept direction into commercially viable products.
-Support the development of each collection by identifying key looks, hero products, and selling points that balance creativity with commercial potential.
-Provide merchandising input on silhouettes, category mix, pricing strategy, and trend relevance to drive strong sell-through and margin performance.
-Track product development progress to ensure concept vision is executed effectively from ideation to final product.
-Provide merchandising support for retail stores, assisting with product selection and assortment alignment.
Collection Launch & Cross-Functional Collaboration
-Collaborate with Creative and Marketing teams to ensure concept storytelling and visual direction are clearly communicated across campaigns, content, and site merchandising.
-Support cross-functional alignment across Design, Production, Operations, Creative, and Marketing to ensure successful product launches.
-Provide concept context and product insights that inform campaign narratives, styling, and product storytelling.
Who You Are:
- 2 years in a Merchandising, Buying, Trend Forecasting, or Concept Design role at a fast-fashion, commerical or contemporary apparel brand.
- Ability to think strategically and act tactically—you see the big picture but can execute the details
- Strong interpersonal, communication, presentation and problem-solving skills; comfortable pitching ideas and defending data-driven decisions
- Comfortable in a self-starter environment with limited hand-holding
- Capable of multi-tasking in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment
- Commitment to follow-through on all tasks and projects from concept to sell-through
- Excellent MS Office skills, specifically advanced Excel; experience with PLM or ERP systems a plus
- Deep understanding of U.S. market and Gen-Z consumer behavior
- Ability to speak Mandarin a plus
- Ability to travel domestically, and internationally throughout the year.
-Remote within the US, preferred candidate would be local to the LA area.
-Must show previous conceptual work, or be prepared to do a trend project.