---
title: 'Freelance Apparel Designer at Dolls Kill'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/freelance-apparel-designer-dolls-kill-oakland-8vy4c8vey8cm'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Freelance Apparel Designer at Dolls Kill

- **Company:** Dolls Kill
- **Location:** Oakland, CA
- **Employment:** contract
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2020-02-13
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/dollskill/ef04b59e-4e5c-4005-bdc8-96fa4aafff66

## Job description

Dolls Kill is a global fashion brand that empowers everyone to celebrate their individuality. We currently have over 10 million social media followers including some of the most influential personalities in music, art, pop culture and fashion. We’re also backed by strong consumer-focused investors who share in our vision of building one of the world’s next great consumer brands.

Our team is growing quickly and we are hiring across many functions. We are looking for team members who are equally passionate about what we do and excited about joining the Dolls Kill crew.

Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice

## About Us

Named "The Fastest Growing Retailer in the US", Dolls Kill is a fashion brand that boldly empowers young women to celebrate their individuality. With over three million followers on Instagram, we've become a cult favorite among DJs, celebrities and artists around the world.

Based in Oakland, we have an amazing team of retail leaders, scrappy hackers, creative marketers and fashion trendsetters who are fun to work with and serious about what they do. We're also backed strong consumer-focused investors who share in our vision of building one of the world's next great consumer brands.

## About The Role

The Freelance Apparel Designer supports Dolls Kill's product team in developing new styles across all categories (ready-to-wear, intimates, outerwear, etc.), from concept through tech pack. This is a flexible, project-based role suited to a designer who can work independently, turn around fast-paced deliverables, and design specifically for the DK customer.

## Responsibilities

- Design new styles based on trend direction and brand aesthetic
- Sketch original designs by hand or digitally (Illustrator/Procreate) and translate concepts into clear, detailed design specs
- Research trends across alternative fashion, festival wear, rave, goth, punk, and subculture-adjacent spaces to keep designs current and distinct
- Select fabrics, trims, prints, and washes appropriate to cost targets and DK's aesthetic
- Build and maintain tech packs: measurements, construction details, callouts, colorways, and trims for factories/vendors

## Qualifications

- Understanding of our unique aesthetic and lifestyle
- Strong portfolio demonstrating range across silhouettes, prints, categories and trims — bonus points if it already leans alternative/subculture
- College degree in Fashion Design required
- 5-7 years industry experience in fashion design required (apparel, footwear and/or bags/accessories)
- Ability to sketch computerized vector flats in Adobe Illustrator (hand sketching is a huge plus)
- Tech pack experience required
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Comfortable working independently and meeting deadlines within a freelance/contract structure

## About Dolls Kill

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: An online fashion brand that boldly empowers young women to celebrate their individuality through punk, goth, kawaii, streetwear, and festival fashion.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B, total funding $91.6M)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2011 (per Wikipedia; LinkedIn reports 2012)
- **Founders**: Shoddy Lynn (CCO) and Bobby Farahi (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Industry**: Retail, apparel, e-commerce
- **Target Customers**: B2C – young women seeking alternative, bold, and expressive fashion
- **Mission**: “Empower young women to celebrate their individuality” with a rebellious, inclusive spirit

## Products & Services
- **Online Store**: Full line of clothing (tops, bottoms, dresses, swimwear, outerwear, lingerie), shoes, accessories (bags, belts, jewelry, hats), beauty items, and decor.
- **Delia’s (sub-label)**: Licensed and relaunched 1990s-throwback brand (since 2018).
- **Six “Doll” Collections**: Coco (frilly kawaii), Mercy (haute goth), Willow (laid-back festival), Darby (punk-rock), plus others – each represented by a model persona that defines the collection’s style.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of ~$50.2M (LinkedIn estimate, fiscal year end Dec 31)
- **Total Funding**: $91.6M across 5 rounds
  - Debt Financing (2013): $30M
  - Convertible Note (2017): $5M
  - Series A (2014): $5M – led by Maveron
  - Series B (Dec 2018): $10.7M – led by Angel Capital Management
  - Series B (Dec 2019): $40M – led by Sequoia Capital
- **Notable Investors**: Sequoia Capital, Maveron, Angel Capital Management
- **Growth Signals**: Named “The Fastest Growing Retailer in the US” by Inc. magazine (2014); over 2 million Instagram followers; opened physical stores in Los Angeles, Miami, and Las Vegas (AREA15); workforce of 93 employees with offices in San Francisco (HQ), Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Oakland.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Cult following**: Strong brand loyalty among DJs, celebrities, and alternative fashion communities.
- **Social media marketing**: Turns customers into brand ambassadors by featuring user-generated content on product pages.
- **Unique aesthetic**: Blends multiple subcultures (punk, goth, kawaii, festival) not commonly found in mainstream fast fashion.
- **Exclusive licensing**: Revived Delia’s, tapping into 90s nostalgia and cross-generational appeal.

## Strategic Focus
- **Retail expansion**: Growing brick-and-mortar presence (Las Vegas AREA15, Los Angeles, Miami) to complement e-commerce.
- **Brand partnerships & collaborations**: Continuing to license and develop sub-brands like Delia’s.
- **Digital marketing**: Deepening influencer and social media-driven growth with a focus on phone-first content creation.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as a team of “retail leaders, scrappy hackers, creative marketers and fashion trendsetters”
- **Work Environment**: HQ in Oakland, CA; roles listed as in-office or hybrid; pet-friendly office; employee discount
- **Perks**: Dental insurance, generous PTO, paid holidays, paid sick days
- **Employee rating**: 2.8/5 on LinkedIn (208 reviews) – work-life balance 3.1, compensation 2.7, culture 2.9, career 2.8
- **Recent job openings**: Performance/Growth Marketing Manager (Hybrid, Oakland) and Paid Media Manager (In-Office, Oakland)

## Sources
1. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dolls-kill)
2. [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolls_Kill)
3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/dolls-kill)
4. [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/dollskill)
5. [dollskill.com (help page)](https://help.dollskill.com/everything-else/work-at-dollskill)

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