We're working with a fast-growing, women-owned lifestyle brand that’s looking for a talented Jewelry Designer to help shape their seasonal collections. If you’re in the RDU area and love creating trend-forward pieces and working hands-on from concept to production, this may be a great fit for you!
New Jobs in New York!
Holiday season hiring is in full swing. We’re partnering with multiple NY-based clients on standout roles:
• Director of FP&A
• Designer
Ready for a fresh start in the new year? We’d love to connect.
Peak Season Refresh: Updating Your Resume & Portfolio
Refresh for the New Year
As we head into the holiday season and prepare for a new year, it’s an ideal time to refresh your professional materials. Whether you’re planning a career move before year-end or setting yourself up for new opportunities in early 2026, updating your resume, refining your portfolio, and strengthening your online presence can help you move into the new year with clarity and confidence.
Start with Your Resume: Opportunities to Strengthen Your Story
Fashion designers are creative by nature, but that creativity doesn’t always come through on paper. Clear formatting, measurable results (like best-selling styles or process improvements), and early mention of category expertise help ensure your resume communicates both talent and professionalism.
There’s also opportunity in showcasing commercial results. If your designs helped increase sales, improve efficiency, or introduce innovation, include those achievements. A resume that highlights impact tells a stronger story than one that lists responsibilities.
Including a direct link to your portfolio makes it easy for hiring managers to see your work and understand your strengths.
Standing Out in a Competitive Market
As brands plan for the year ahead, the hiring landscape becomes especially active. Defining your niche—whether it’s outerwear, print design, or sustainable product development—helps position you as an expert in your field.
Consistency across your professional platforms also matters. A cohesive aesthetic, an up-to-date LinkedIn profile, and thoughtful engagement with industry content all reinforce your personal brand and professional focus.
Tailoring each application demonstrates your understanding of a brand’s identity. Adjusting your resume or portfolio to reflect their aesthetic shows attention to detail and genuine interest in the role.
Portfolio Polish: Curate, Don’t Crowd
A strong portfolio is intentional and easy to navigate. Organize your best work by brand, collection, or category, and lead with projects that align with the style or values of the brands you’re targeting. Show range, but maintain a cohesive narrative that reflects your design perspective.
Process work—mood boards, sketches, CADs, and tech packs—adds valuable context. It demonstrates your approach and problem-solving skills, especially when your portfolio is viewed independently in remote settings.
Highlighting outcomes adds weight to your creative story. Designs that reached market, became best sellers, or supported campaign success show both creative and commercial strength.
At Emerging Blue, we connect fashion brands with designers, product developers, and creatives ready for their next step. We also work with talent to refine resumes and portfolios so their skills and goals are clearly represented. If you’re using this season to reset and prepare for what’s next, we’re here to help, from resume support to portfolio feedback and job search guidance. We’re here to help make your next move happen in 2026, together!
Now Hiring: Director of Technical Design
We’re thrilled to be partnering with a luxury womenswear brand in NYC that’s looking for a Director of Technical Design to lead their team! This is an incredible opportunity for someone who’s passionate about craftsmanship, fit, and innovation to make a major impact on a high-end, design-driven collection. $140-160K
Now Hiring: Kids Streetwear Designer - Accessories
We’re excited to partner with a growing streetwear brand in search of a Kids Streetwear Designer - Accessories. This position offers the opportunity to define the look and feel of bags, headwear, and cold-weather pieces in their kids’ collection. $90-110K
Now Hiring: Senior Menswear Designer
A leading contemporary luxury fashion house is seeking a Senior Menswear Designer to join its growing team. Working in close partnership with the founder, this role will help shape the creative direction of menswear—guiding collections from concept to completion with an emphasis on innovation and modern sophistication. Ideal for a hands-on designer with strong technical skills, creative leadership, and a deep understanding of luxury craftsmanship. $110-120K
Now Hiring: Baby Apparel Designer
New York! We’re looking for a creative Designer to join our client’s team and bring fresh ideas to their baby apparel line. This role is all about blending trend-driven design with brand strategy while working cross-functionally to bring seasonal collections to life. $70-90K.
Now Hiring: Custom Graphic Designer (Apparel)
Our client is looking for a creative and detail-oriented Graphic Designer with 2+ years of experience, ready to bring fresh energy and thoughtful design to their growing custom apparel team. This is a remote freelance-to-perm opportunity with room for growth. If you're someone who thrives in a fast-paced, trend-driven environment and has a strong understanding of the custom apparel space—this could be a great fit.
Now Hiring: Product Designer
A women-owned lifestyle brand with a big boutique following is on the hunt for a Product Designer to join their team in Apex, NC. It’s a hands-on, creative role where you’ll get to work on fun seasonal collections and collaborate with a tight-knit, design-loving crew.
Interested?
Now Hiring: Brand Designer
We're #hiring a Brand Designer to help bring story-driven campaigns to life across organic social channels like Instagram and Pinterest. If you have a strong eye for typography, layout, and illustration—and love designing for visual storytelling across platforms—this remote role could be a great fit! $75-115K DOE.
Now Hiring: Senior Fashion Designer
We’re hiring a Senior Fashion Designer to join a fast-growing, Gen Z–driven fashion brand in Los Angeles. This hybrid role is perfect for a creative leader with sharp trend instincts and experience managing development from concept to final production. If you thrive in fast-paced environments and love designing what's next in women’s streetwear, this may be the role for you.
Building a Fashion Portfolio That Gets You Hired
A portfolio isn’t just a collection of work, it’s a reflection of who you are as a designer and how you think. Whether you’re applying for a role in apparel design, textile, product development, or creative direction, a well-curated portfolio can make all the difference in getting noticed.
So what makes a portfolio stand out?
It starts with intention. The best portfolios are thoughtfully put together for a specific role or brand. That means curating your work based on the company’s aesthetic, whether that’s elevated, luxury, sporty, or trend-driven. Including pieces that match the vibe of the brand you’re applying to shows that you’ve done your homework and that you can design within a specific identity.
Equally important is showing your process. Hiring managers aren’t just looking for a pretty end product. They want to understand how you got there. Mood boards, early sketches, CADs, croquis, and tech packs all help tell the full story. And in a world where you’re not always in the room to explain your work, the portfolio should be clear and self-explanatory.
A strong portfolio also demonstrates range. While consistency is key, showing versatility across categories (like womenswear, menswear, or kids), design types (apparel, accessories, or print), and skills (hand sketching, pattern work, digital development) helps paint a complete picture. And yes—hand sketching still matters, especially for brands that appreciate craftsmanship and heritage. If you have it, show it.
Don’t forget usability. A clean layout, easy navigation, and thoughtful organization (by brand, category, or collection) make it easier for hiring teams to digest your work. PDF portfolios still work well, especially for email or LinkedIn outreach. But platforms like Adobe Portfolio or personal websites are great for those wanting to reflect more of their personal design aesthetic.
As fashion recruiters, we review portfolios every day. We help creatives at every level, from early-career designers to senior art directors, refine their materials and connect with brands that align with their vision. If you’re building or updating your portfolio and wondering what to include (or leave out), our team is here to help.
Ready to take your next step? Let’s find the right role and make sure your portfolio gets you there.
Related Articles:
Now Hiring: Design Director
We’re working with a well-known lifestyle brand to find a Design Director to lead their creative team. This role is perfect for someone with a strong visual point of view and experience bringing campaigns to life across print, digital, and performance marketing. Open to remote. $145-165K.
Now Hiring: Senior Trend Forecasting and Concept Designer
A fast-growing, Gen Z–focused fashion startup in LA is seeking a Senior Trend Forecasting & Concept Designer to drive cultural relevance and lead creative direction. This hybrid role is ideal for someone deeply tapped into emerging fashion, social media, and streetwear trends with a strong eye for what’s next.
Now Hiring: Senior Accessories Designer
Join our client’s legacy streetwear brand as a Senior Accessories Designer! You’ll work closely with Graphic Design, Sales, and Merch to lead multiple design areas and help drive the vision and execution of apparel lines from start to finish. 8+ years experience, NYC-based, $75–100K.
Now Hiring: Senior Kids Apparel Designer
Our client is seeking a seasoned Senior Kids Apparel Designer with a strong background in sportswear to lead the creation and execution of trend-forward, brand-aligned collections. This role involves close collaboration with cross-functional teams including Graphic Design, Sales, and Merchandising to drive product development from concept to final execution. Ideal candidates will bring a keen eye for design, strong leadership skills, and proven experience in kidswear, particularly in denim and cut-and-sew apparel. NY-Based. $90-120K.