ninakuru.com

Call For Application

Seamstress & Millinery Assistant 

Location: On site in Ojai, CA. 

Position: Part-time, Entry Level 

Pay Range: $15 - $18 per hour

Target Start Date: June 2022

About the company:

Ninakuru is a luxury milliner designing Panama hats, wool felt hats, and woven and leather bags rooted in a rich heritage and reimagined with a refined aesthetic. As a company, we recognize that success can only be realized by valuing and nurturing the potential, creativity, and talents of others. We take the utmost care to honor every person, material and design decision that contributes to the end product.

We curate the finest materials from around the world that meet our exceptional standards of craftsmanship, sustainability, and ethics. We have a special interest in advocating for women’s fair-trade collectives, cultivating restorative relationships with marginalized groups built on respect and dignified wages.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about creating wearable works of art and supporting Ecuadorian and American artisans in the process. If you’re interested in crafting and fashion, we welcome you to apply even if you don’t have prior experience in our industry, or if this is your first job.

Our Impact

  • We make high-quality products that are designed to last

  • Our materials are ethically sourced

  • We reduce waste wherever possible during our manufacturing process

  • We believe in paying fair wages

  • We cultivate restorative relationships with our suppliers, makers, and artisans, with a particular focus on supporting women’s artisanal collectives.

Team 

While our full team includes our partner network of artisans in Ecuador, this position would be based at our studio in Ojai. You would work directly with Ninakuru’s designer and founder, Jennifer Moray.  Ian Moray, who manages the business, also works on site. 

What to Expect

The Ninakuru studio is a skill-diverse environment.  On our small team, everyone needs to be ready to take on a variety of tasks that may be required throughout the day. This can include hat finishing work, cleaning the studio, preparing the shop for client hat fittings, organizing materials, assisting Jennifer with production, and more. The ideal candidate will be ready and willing to roll up their sleeves and work with their hands for hours at a time. They will also be able to follow directions, stay organized, and be both observant and proactive - taking the initiative to complete recurrent tasks such as cleaning, hat blocking or organizing,  ideally without prompting or instruction.

Duties & Responsibilities

  • Assisting with production: preparing materials, making hat decorations, and more

  • Finishing hats: this includes blocking, steaming, cleaning, tagging, gluing

  • Fulfilling orders: packing & shipping hats

  • Preparing for client hat fittings

  • Keeping the workshop clean and organized: cleaning work surfaces, sweeping, taking out trash, etc.

Skills & Knowledges 

  • Strong work ethic and a willingness to learn

  • Ability to take direction and assist the founder

  • Ability to use a sewing machine

  • Spanish language proficiency is a plus

How to Apply

Email Ian Moray at: imoray@ninakuru.com and tell us why you’re interested in working at Ninakuru. Be sure to attach your resume if you have one.