Design Director, RTW - Joe's Jeans

As a Design Director Women's RTW, you will bring a deep understanding of contemporary fashion trends, woven product development, garment construction, fit, and fabric innovation. You will collaborate across Creative, Merchandising, Technical Design, Production, and external vendors to create elevated product that embodies the Joe's Jeans brand DNA and resonates with today's customer. You will be responsible for driving the seasonal design process from concept through pre-production, ensuring each style is trend-right, commercially viable, and delivered on time.

Specific Responsibilities Would Include  

Seasonal Concept & Trend Development 

• Research and identify trend direction in women's contemporary ready-to-wear, including silhouettes, fabrications, colors, details, and market shifts.
• Create elevated, fashion-forward concepts aligned with the brand's aesthetic and positioning within the premium contemporary market.
• Build seasonal mood boards, color stories, fabric direction, and design concepts for internal and external presentations.
• Collaborate with the Creative Director to define seasonal woven RTW narratives and key seasonal must-haves.

Design & Product Creation 

• Design and develop women's hard woven assortments, including jackets, tops, dresses, skirts, pants, and other woven categories, as well as cut & sew and sweaters/fully fashioned knits from initial concept through pre-production.
• Create detailed technical sketches in Illustrator and initiate specification packages as the first step in the cross-functional workflow.
• Partner with Technical Design on prototype reviews, fit sessions, construction details, and product refinements.
• Oversee sample development and collaborate with mills, trim vendors, and factories to achieve the desired aesthetic, quality, and fit.
• Ensure all designs balance creativity, quality, cost, and commercial viability while supporting margin goals and assortment architecture.
• Maintain fabric, trim, and color libraries; partner with suppliers to source innovative materials and development opportunities.

Cross Functional Collaboration 

• Work closely with Production and vendors to achieve price, lead time, and quality goals. 
• Collaborate with Merchandising to ensure line sheets and assortments are accurate and aligned with seasonal line plans. 
• Maintain strong vendor relationships to drive product feasibility, sample execution, and ontime development. 
• Manage all design boards, digital archives, and PLM entries to ensure the accuracy and organization of the design pipeline. 

Calendar & Process Management 

• Ensure timely execution of all design deliverables against the development calendar.
• Manage workflow for woven product development, ensuring samples, tech packs, approvals, and revisions meet key milestones.
• Prepare and present seasonal collections, concepts, and key categories for leadership, sales, and showroom meetings.

• Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design or a related field.
• 7-10 years of experience in women's ready-to-wear design, with experience in all categories.
• Strong understanding of woven fabrics, garment construction, patternmaking principles, and fit.
• Experience working within the contemporary or premium apparel market.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, PLM systems, and Microsoft Office.
• Strong trend awareness and the ability to translate market insights into commercially successful product.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Passion for product, attention to detail, and a strong eye for color, proportion, fabrication, and styling.

In return, we provide an industry-competitive salary, along with a comprehensive benefits plan (medical, dental, vision) that includes a matching 401(k), Summer Fridays, generous PTO, merchandise discounts, excellent career development opportunities, and a work environment that reflects our industry leadership. Our social impact program, Centric Cares, focuses on volunteerism to make a difference in communities we live and work in and our D&I committee is shaping the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at Centric Brands though workshops, resources and inspiring conversation.

Salary Range: $145,000-165,000

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Centric Brands is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Please note that Centric Brands will only reach out to interview, make an offer of employment or conduct onboarding activities for candidates who have applied through our careers site. When interviewing for a position, the candidate experience will include live interaction, such as a video conference or telephone call, with a Recruiter and/or company employee(s). We will never ask for any money or payments from applicants at any point in the recruitment process. Be aware of suspicious recruitment activity. If you think you are a victim of an employment scam, you may contact your local law enforcement agency and/or visit the Federal Trade Commission website here: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams.

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