What are the responsibilities and job description for the Product Development and Design Associate position at Mestiza New York Inc.?
Product Development & Design Assistant
Location: New York City Schedule: Full-time, on-site
Mestiza New York is seeking a creative, highly organized, and motivated Product Development & Design Assistant to join our team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about fashion design and eager to gain hands-on experience across the design and product development process.
In this role, you will support the Ready-to-Wear team in bringing Mestiza collections to life—from initial design concepts and technical development through fittings, final sampling, and production. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of garment construction, exceptional attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of garment construction, fit, and manufacturing techniques.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Experience with Backbone or similar product development software.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, particularly Excel and Google Sheets.
• Excellent fashion sketching and technical drawing skills.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy, and product quality.
• Exceptional organizational and time-management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively.
• A proactive attitude and willingness to learn, problem-solve, and take on new challenges.
• Must be based in the New York City area and available to work full-time on-site.
Responsibilities
• Collaborate with the Chief Creative Officer, Senior Design Manager, merchandising team, production team, and factory partners to develop cohesive Ready-to-Wear collections from concept through final sampling.
• Create, maintain, and update detailed tech packs for women’s Ready-to-Wear, accessories, and other Mestiza product categories.
• Monitor product details throughout the development process to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Produce accurate technical drawings, flat sketches, and prototype specification sheets.
• Review designs to identify development requirements, necessary resources, and project deadlines.
• Support the implementation and communication of design changes, documenting updates clearly and accurately.
• Participate in fittings, take detailed notes, and ensure all relevant comments and corrections are communicated to factory partners.
• Track and provide timely comments on strike-offs, lab dips, trims, embellishments, and samples.
• Contribute to the development of seasonal prints, embroideries, embellishments, trims, and other design elements.
• Collaborate across teams to maintain consistency in color, print, embellishment, construction, and design details across factories and product categories.
• Support the onboarding of new vendors and help establish quality-control expectations.
• Review prototypes and finished products to confirm they meet Mestiza’s standards for fit, construction, quality, and brand integrity.
• Maintain fit continuity and consistent construction standards across collections.
• Communicate regularly with the Production Coordinator and factory partners to ensure development and production milestones are met.
• Coordinate with internal teams and vendors to manage on-time sample deliveries and meet deadlines for sampling and bulk production.
• Provide additional support to the Chief Creative Officer and Senior Design Manager as needed.
• Take on additional responsibilities as business needs evolve.