Freelance Senior Technical Apparel Designer & Product Developer

Location:
Greater Toronto Area preferred;
remote work combined with in-person fittings, sample reviews, and development sessions
Position Type:
Freelance / Contract
Compensation:
$75–$100 CAD per hour, based on experience and capabilities
Commitment:
Ongoing project-based engagement, with hours agreed around development milestones
Travel:
Willingness to travel for supplier meetings, factory visits, and product development as needed
About ALTORIALTORI is an emerging technical cycling apparel brand built around growth, becoming, and continual elevation.
We believe riding shapes more than fitness. It builds confidence, opens new possibilities, and challenges us to keep progressing. From training and racing to trail riding and adventure, we’re creating apparel for riders who keep becoming.
Our approach brings together considered design, purposeful details, and a close connection to the experience of riding.
Built for the ascent.
The OpportunityWe’re looking for an experienced apparel designer and product developer who combines creative judgment, strong technical skills, and exceptional project management.
Working directly with the founder, you’ll help advance an existing collection while establishing a clear, repeatable development process for future products. You’ll be closely involved in the garments themselves: measuring samples, assessing fit, reviewing construction, evaluating materials and trims, making practical adjustments, and communicating precise instructions to manufacturing partners.
We’re looking for someone with high standards for excellence and the judgment to move projects across the finish line. You care deeply about quality, fit, and execution, while knowing how to prioritize refinements, resolve problems, and bring products to production.
What You’ll Own
Development planning:
Maintain a product development tracker with milestones, responsibilities, dependencies, sample rounds, target dates, and outstanding decisions.
Design and technical documentation:
Develop and refine garment designs, technical drawings, tech packs, bills of materials, construction details, measurement specifications, tolerances, and grading requirements.
Sample and fit reviews:
Measure garments against specifications, lead fittings, assess fit in riding positions, and document clear corrections through annotated photographs and revision notes.
Hands-on development:
Sew, alter, and mock up garment details to test solutions and communicate changes. Identify construction issues and work with patternmakers and factories to resolve them.
Fabrics and trims:
Evaluate and source fabrics, zippers, elastics, grippers, threads, labels, and other components, considering function, compatibility, availability, cost, and lead times.
Supplier coordination:
Manage development communication with manufacturing partners, confirm their understanding of changes, and follow through on commitments.
Wear testing:
Coordinate rider feedback and translate it into specific, prioritized product improvements.
Production readiness:
Prepare approval recommendations and ensure specifications, colourways, materials, size information, and sample corrections are resolved before production.
File management:
Keep editable working files, sample histories, supplier information, and approved specifications organized and accessible to ALTORI.
What You Bring
Demonstrated pattern drafting, pattern modification, and sample-making skills, including the ability to cut and sew complete development samples using stretch and technical performance fabrics.
Experience translating fit feedback into pattern corrections while maintaining garment balance, mobility, and comfort in riding positions.
Demonstrated experience taking technical apparel from development through production, ideally in cycling, outdoor, endurance, or performance sportswear.
Strong technical design skills, including garment construction, pattern interpretation, fit assessment, measurement, and grading principles.
Practical sewing and sample-alteration capability, including experience working with stretch and performance fabrics.
Experience evaluating fabrics and trims for their intended use.
Excellent project management habits: realistic schedules, clear priorities, proactive follow-up, and early communication when something is at risk.
High standards for quality and execution, paired with the ability to make sound decisions and deliver. You know which details need further refinement, when a product meets the brief, and how to move it forward without compromising what matters.
Experience working directly with factories and translating design intent into actionable technical instructions.
Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and apparel specification workflows, alongside spreadsheets or project management tools.
Access to suitable sewing equipment and a workspace for hands-on sample development.
Availability for in-person development sessions and willingness to travel when required.
A collaborative, accountable approach and the confidence to recommend practical solutions.
An active interest in cycling is strongly preferred. Experience developing cycling jerseys, bibs, MTB apparel, or technical outerwear would be particularly valuable.
Your Initial PrioritiesReview the current collection, samples, and technical documentation. Establish what is complete, what needs correction, and what is required to move each product forward.
From there, build a prioritized development plan with clear milestones, lead the next round of sample reviews, and establish consistent documentation and supplier communication.
Success means accurate specifications, resolved fit and construction issues, clear decisions, and products progressing toward production on an agreed schedule.
Why ALTORIThis is an opportunity to help shape an emerging cycling brand at a foundational stage. You’ll work closely with the founder, influence product decisions, and see your technical expertise reflected in the garments riders will wear.
We value thoughtful work, practical problem-solving, clear communication, and continuous improvement. We’re looking for someone who takes pride in both the quality of their work and their ability to deliver it.
#J-18808-Ljbffr