Function Oversee the design direction for all 81Eighty apparel and accessories lines. Lead and manage the apparel design and product development team—including apparel designers, technical designers, product developers, and sample coordinators—while partnering cross-functionally to deliver accurate, innovative, and market-relevant product solutions to clients.
Responsibilities • Oversee and manage the design and product development team, ensuring alignment with brand vision, customer needs, and commercial objectives. • Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Creative, and Sourcing teams to deliver executable apparel programs aligned with client needs and target costs. • Partner closely with Sales teams throughout the client lifecycle, from concept development to final presentation, ensuring designs are accurate, innovative, and strategically aligned with customer goals, timelines, and margin expectations. • Provide clear trend direction and seasonal storytelling to apparel and graphic designers, grounded in customer profiles, target markets, price points, and evolving industry trends. • Demonstrate an understanding of how global, cultural, and consumer trends trickle down to core and custom programs, informing short- and long-term product strategies. • Create and enforce timelines and due dates within the apparel development process, managing individual designer tasks and factory calendars to ensure on-time samples and production. • Ensure designers deliver innovative, cohesive collections for customer presentations, providing guidance and oversight to support effective execution in client meetings. • Serve as lead design representative in new business pitches and strategic presentations to client leadership teams, confidently presenting apparel concepts, construction details, cost drivers, and value propositions to influence decisions and win business. • Work closely with Sourcing to ensure all styles achieve margin goals without compromising design integrity or quality. • Lead weekly and bi-weekly design progress meetings, providing clear direction, feedback, and accountability. • Produce timely and effective solutions to factory questions, development challenges, and production issues. • Oversee all fittings and final evaluations to ensure high-quality, customer-ready product. • Create, refine, and implement design and product development procedures, continuously improving processes to maximize quality, efficiency, and profitability. • Manage time zone–sensitive factory communication as required. • Travel annually to international factories and, as needed, to client meetings.
Qualifications • 8-10+ years of experience in apparel design/product development including 3-5 years of experience in people-leading role. • BA in Fashion Design or Merchandising • Strong understanding of garment construction and product development • Strong organizational skills with ability to thrive and execute responsibilities in a dynamic, multi-cultural, global work environment • Strong critical thinking skills with the ability to organize, prioritize, and manage multiple projects with overlapping deadlines • Strong verbal and written communication skills with focus on ability to communicate effectively within a global manufacturing base • Excellent collaboration and teamwork abilities • Proficient in Microsoft Office, Outlook, PLM, and Adobe Creative Suite preferred
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