Location: Los Altos, CA (San Francisco Bay Area)
Eligibility: Graduating Seniors, Graduate Students, and Alumni

About DesignX

DesignX is a boutique design education company in the heart of Silicon Valley, committed to developing creative intelligence in the next generation. Our one-of-a-kind programs, from summer studios to in-school experiences, introduce kids and teens to the inspiring world of design through fashion, architecture, and toys. Our rich studio environment encourages students to think like designers, develop their creative voice, and learn maker skills that together build lasting creative confidence.

Embodying the rich learning that comes from working with analog tools and forging deep human connections with peers and teachers, students 7y-15y learn to transform their ideas into tangible creations, experiencing firsthand, both the possibilities and the challenges, of bringing their ideas into the physical world.

At DesignX, it's not simply what students make, but how they design and make that matters. Our approach develops more than technical skills. It sharpens creative judgment, develops material fluency, cultivates taste and builds the embodied intelligence that is expected to become increasingly essential in an age of abundant machine intelligence. These are the distinctly human capacities we seek to nurture in both our young designers and the fellows who guide them.

Over the past decade, DesignX has engaged more than 8,000 students across Silicon Valley, cultivating design literacy and creative agency that extend well beyond the studios.

The Fellowship

The Creative Lead Fellowship in Fashion Design is conceived as a formative professional experience for emerging fashion/apparel designers. It provides opportunity to test and hone their craft through teaching, while developing the ever-important softer human skills necessary for success in the professional world. Offered for new/recent graduates, the fellowship serves as foundational work experience before entering the professional world of design.

As a fashion design fellow, you will be entrusted with leading students through the complete design process—providing inspiration, fostering discovery, and guiding the creation of age-appropriate fashion collections. Along the way, you will refine your taste, strengthen creative judgment and practice leadership in a fast-paced fashion studio-like setting. You are invited to use AI-technology to enable aspects of ideation, however the true emphasis will be in cultivating the human dimensions of creativity: observation, imagination, taste, judgement, craftsmanship and collaboration.

The Fellowship Experience

●      Join a cohort of 20+ creatives, from diverse fields such as Fashion Design, Product Design, Industrial Design and Architecture who are passionate about the DesignX mission and align with its values.

●      Create an open, fun, joyful, inclusive and nurturing environment to inspire over 80 budding enthusiastic creatives. 

●      Help students plan and execute six collections of age-appropriate garments, delivering 10-15 pieces weekly (80+ garments total) in a fast-paced atelier-like studio environment.

●      Learn to lead, mentor and delegate to a class-team responsible for the successful delivery of each of the collections.

●      Receive coaching and engage with senior staff who will challenge your perspectives, mentor and hold space for your learning and growth.

●      Develop a toolbox of learnings for future creative roles as designers, design directors, creative directors, or entrepreneurs.

●      Immerse yourself in Silicon Valley culture, participating in high-end events like the Best-of-the-Bay, hosted by Silicon Valley Modern Luxury, and other local events.  

Candidate Profile

The DesignX Fellowship is for strong undergraduates, recent graduates, and early-career designers who are skilled in their craft (fashion/apparel design) and want to practice in real-world setting to grow as creative leaders.

This is not a 9-5 pixel-pushing job. Fellows spend the day on their feet: demonstrating techniques, coaching students through problems, and keeping the studio running. The ones who thrive are organized and prepared, creative, hold a high standard for craft, bring patience and joy to the studio.

Your students will challenge you, surprise you, and inspire you. You’ll provide them the direction and studio experience you wish you had at their age and leave a stronger designer for it.

Fellowship Details

●      Program Dates: June 14 – July 23, 2027

●      Onboarding: May 22, June 10 – 11, 2027

●      Commitment: Full-time

●      Stipend: Competitive

Application

Please submit: Cover Letter (reflecting your own voice), Resume, and Portfolio

Questions email: info@designx.company

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