Knitwear Designer Assistant (Internship)

Overview

Chanel is an independent French maison renowned for haute couture, ready-to-wear, accessories, fragrance and beauty. As an employer, Chanel combines deep artisanal heritage with contemporary creativity, operating ateliers and global boutiques that prioritize craftsmanship, rigorous quality standards and a culture of design excellence.

Role & Responsibilities

• Assist the knitwear design team across seasonal collections: prepare moodboards, research trends and translate creative directives into technical outputs.
• Support sample development and prototyping: work with hand-knitting, flat-knit techniques and internal ateliers to produce and refine samples.
• Prepare and update technical documentation including spec sheets, production notes and sample-tracking records.
• Attend fittings and collaborate with patternmakers, technicians and suppliers to implement fit and construction adjustments.
• Source yarns and trims, maintain stitch libraries and contribute to material evaluations and labelling for development cycles.
• Help coordinate communications between design, production and external workshops to ensure timelines and quality standards are met.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme in Fashion Design, Textiles, Knitwear or a closely related discipline.
• Portfolio demonstrating knitwear projects and physical samples; evidence of hand-knitting and constructed garments preferred.
• Basic knowledge of knit construction, stitch techniques and garment assembly for knitted pieces.
• Strong organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple development tasks within tight deadlines.
• Effective communication skills and the capacity to collaborate with cross‑functional teams and external ateliers.

Skills

Experience

Internship-level: academic projects or prior internships in knitwear design or sampling expected; prior atelier or brand experience is an advantage but not mandatory.

Education

Enrolled in a degree programme in Fashion Design, Textiles, Knitwear or equivalent.

Culture

The workplace blends couture craftsmanship with contemporary design-thinking; teams are collaborative, detail-oriented and committed to preserving artisanal excellence while innovating across materials and techniques. The studio environment emphasizes mentorship, technical rigor and creative development.