Associate Designer - Bags at Hot Topic

Are you a fan of pop culture who dreams of turning iconic licenses into must-have fashion accessories? At Hot Topic, we live and breathe creativity, high performance, and the fandoms that define our world. We are looking for an Associate Designer to join our growing team and help us bring unique bags to life for our brands, including Hot Topic, Box Lunch, and Her Universe. If you are ready to help keep our design and product teams in sync while creating wearable art, we would love to meet you.

What you bring

In this mid-level, full-time role, you will be the hands-on engine behind our bag collections. You will work from our headquarters in the City of Industry, CA, on a hybrid schedule, spending three days a week in the office. Your daily work will involve a mix of creative development and technical coordination. Key responsibilities include:

• Conceptualizing and creating bags for both licensed and non-licensed product lines under the guidance of our senior design team.
• Collaborating across departments, including buying, product development, art, and technical design, to ensure every piece meets our standards for quality and integrity.
• Supporting the full development lifecycle by managing technical sketches, maintaining design records, creating line sheets, and keeping our lineplan layouts updated.

Requirements

To succeed in this position, you should have a college degree in design or a related field and 2 to 4 years of professional experience, ideally within a corporate or team-based setting. You need to be highly proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, as flat CAD sketching is a core part of the job. We are looking for someone who possesses a solid understanding of bag design and construction. Because we operate in a fast-paced environment, your ability to manage your time effectively, communicate clearly, and remain composed under pressure is essential. A genuine passion for pop culture and the specific licenses we carry will help you thrive here.

What we offer

We believe in supporting our team members both inside and outside of the office. We are proud to offer the following benefit:

• Hybrid work schedule to provide flexibility and balance.

How to Apply

If you are excited about the prospect of shaping the future of our bag collections and want to contribute your design talents to our pop culture-focused team, we encourage you to apply. We look forward to reviewing your portfolio and learning more about how your skills can help us continue to create products our customers love.