Job Description:
Design Director, A&F Women's Dresses
Our Design team is the driving force behind our brand’s commitment to beautiful, authentic designs and quality materials and construction. Designers manage the full design and development process, from concept to flat sketch, from initial sample to final garment. We value originality, product excellence, and a deep understanding of our customer. Our leaders inspire teams to create compelling assortments that strengthen the brand, drive business results, and deliver product that resonates with our customer. We've created a unique environment that fosters both ownership and collaboration across design teams working toward the cohesive vision of our brands.
What Will You Be Doing?
- Lead the design vision and product direction for the A&F Women's Dresses business, creating assortments that reflect the brand aesthetic and resonate with our customer.
- Drive seasonal product strategy and execution across the Dresses category, ensuring a balanced assortment that delivers against customer, trend, and business needs.
- Leverage deep expertise in dress design, silhouette development, fabrication, fit, and construction to elevate product quality and execution.
- Oversee the end-to-end design process, partnering closely with Merchandising, Technical Design, and Sourcing teams to bring product concepts to market.
- Lead and develop a team of designers, fostering a high-performing, collaborative environment while providing mentorship and career development.
- Identify opportunities to grow and evolve the Dresses assortment through market analysis, competitive research, trend insights, and customer feedback.
- Maintain a strong understanding of the global market and emerging fashion trends while ensuring all product remains authentic to the A&F brand handwriting.
- Champion innovation in product design, fabrication, construction, and outfitting to create compelling products that differentiate the brand in the marketplace.
- Present seasonal concepts, product strategies, and assortment recommendations to senior leadership with confidence and clarity.
What Do You Need to Bring?
- Education & Experience: Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design or related field preferred; 9+ years of apparel design experience with significant experience designing women's dresses.
- Category Expertise: Extensive knowledge of women's dress design, including silhouettes, dressmaking techniques, fabrication, fit, construction, embellishment, and garment engineering.
- Leadership: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop a team of design professionals.
- Product Vision: Demonstrated experience building and evolving successful dresses assortments that deliver against customer and business objectives.
- Technical Expertise: Strong understanding of apparel development processes from concept through production.
- Trend & Market Knowledge: Deep understanding of the contemporary fashion landscape, competitive market, and emerging trends within women's dresses.
- Customer Focus: Strong ability to translate customer insights into commercially successful product.
- Influence: Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence cross-functional and executive stakeholders.
- Collaboration: Ability to build strong partnerships across Merchandising, Planning, Technical Design and Sourcing teams.
- Adaptability: Thrives in a fast-paced environment while effectively managing multiple priorities and evolving business needs.
- Passion for Product: Strong eye for fashion, trend, outfitting, and detail with a passion for creating exceptional product for the A&F customer.
Company Description
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F Co.) is a global, digitally led omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories catering to kids through millennials with assortments curated for their specific lifestyle needs.
The company operates a family of brands, including Abercrombie brands and Hollister brands, each sharing a commitment to offer products of enduring quality and exceptional comfort that support global customers on their journey to being and becoming who they are. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. operates stores under these brands across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the e-commerce sites abercrombie.com, abercrombiekids.com and hollisterco.com.
Learn more about A&F Co. by visiting our corporate website here.
ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design or a related field
- 9+ years of apparel design experience
- Significant experience designing women's dresses
- Extensive knowledge of women's dress design, silhouettes, dressmaking techniques, fabrication, fit, construction, embellishment, and garment engineering
- Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop design professionals
- Experience building and evolving successful dresses assortments
- Strong understanding of apparel development from concept through production
- Deep understanding of contemporary fashion, competitive markets, and emerging women's dress trends
- Ability to translate customer insights into commercially successful products
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence executives and cross-functional stakeholders
- Ability to build partnerships across Merchandising, Planning, Technical Design, and Sourcing
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, changing environment
- Strong eye for fashion, trend, outfitting, and detail, with passion for product
What We Do
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) is a leading, global specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for men, women and kids through five renowned brands. The iconic Abercrombie & Fitch brand was born in 1892 and aims to make every day feel as exceptional as the start of a long weekend. abercrombie kids sees the world through kids’ eyes, where play is life and every day is an opportunity to be anything and better anything. The Hollister brand believes in liberating the spirit of an endless summer inside everyone and making teens feel celebrated and comfortable in their own skin. Gilly Hicks, offering intimates, loungewear and sleepwear, is designed to invite everyone to embrace who they are underneath it all. Social Tourist, the creative vision of Hollister and social media personalities, Dixie and Charli D’Amelio, offers trend forward apparel that allows teens to experiment with their style, while exploring the duality of who they are both on social media and in real life. The brands share a commitment to offering products of enduring quality and exceptional comfort that allow consumers around the world to express their own individuality and style. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. operates approximately 730 stores under these brands across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the e-commerce sites www.abercrombie.com, www.abercrombiekids.com, www.hollisterco.com, www.gillyhicks.com and www.socialtourist.com. Working at A&F Co. We strive to create inclusive, welcoming, omni-channel experiences for our global customers. Every day, our associates show up and empower one another to stay curious and push boundaries. We hold our work and our ideas to the highest caliber, and ourselves to the highest character. We coach, mentor, care, and bring our best selves every day, because we are in this together. Whether you lead yourself, a team, or the company, everyone has a voice at A&F Co.
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