Fall 2026 Design Operations Intern at Proper Cloth

We're looking for a Design Operations intern to join our Product Team for the Fall to keep our design studio running smoothly. The most important part of this role is organization — making sure our physical and digital workspaces are in great shape so the design team can move fast and focus on the creative work. You'll get meaningful exposure to how a modern luxury menswear brand develops product, from fabric selection through to the finished collection.

This is a hands-on, operations-driven role within a design team — ideal for someone who is highly organized but also genuinely interested in product, materials, and construction. You won't be observing from a distance — you'll be embedded in a working design team during one of our busiest development periods.

Requirements

Core Responsibilities

Studio & Sample Organization (Primary Focus)

• Maintain and organize the physical design studio: fabric swatches, sample garments, trim libraries (buttons, snaps, hardware), reference garments, and mood board materials
• Build and maintain a clear system for tracking incoming samples — log arrivals, photograph and tag samples, file by season/category/status
• Organize and archive fabric swatch libraries by mill, season, and category so the team can pull references quickly during fabric appointments and design reviews
• Keep the sample closet current — ensuring approved samples are accessible, archived seasons are properly stored, and returns/sends are tracked

Digital Organization & Support

• Support the ClickUp line sheet by adding swatch images, updating product status fields, and ensuring entries have complete data (pricing, arrival dates, supplier info, SKU counts)
• Document all existing Proper Cloth Design Details for digital library and reference documents
• Take photos to document design and construction of reference samples (inside, outside, collars, cuffs, hems, linings, etc.) for future design references

Design Support

• Assist with fabric appointment prep — pulling relevant swatches, organizing competitive references, and preparing mood boards
• Help prep design reviews and concept presentations with organized visual materials
• Support the team with ad hoc tasks during production and concepting: measurement documentation, photography coordination, competitive shopping, and fabric sourcing research

What You'll Learn

• How a menswear brand develops product from concept through production — the full lifecycle across shirts, pants, knitwear, and outerwear
• Fabric knowledge: mills, weaves, cotton types, yarn construction, finishing treatments — the technical language of quality menswear
• How design systems work in practice: named models, construction hierarchies, and how individual design choices express brand positioning
• PLM and collection management using ClickUp, Miro, and industry-standard tools
• How a small, high-output design team balances creative ambition with production discipline

Who You Are

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in fashion design, textile design, merchandising, or a related field
• Highly organized and detail-oriented — you're the person who keeps track of everything and builds and maintains systems that actually work
• Comfortable with both physical and digital organization — equally at home filing fabric swatches and managing project management software
• Genuine interest in menswear, fabric, and product quality — you don't have to be an expert, but curiosity matters
• Self-starter who can see what needs doing without being told — in a small studio, initiative and proactivity is everything
• Exposure to ClickUp or PLM, Miro, Google Workspace, or similar tools (or a fast learner)
• Bonus: experience with Clo3D, Adobe Creative Suite, or garment measurement/tech packs

Details

• Location: NYC office in SoHo

• Schedule: Mon-Thurs, late August through mid-December

Benefits

• Compensation: $24.00/hr + $20/day lunch credit