Senior Design Director - Activewear

Our client, an apparel company, is looking for a Senior Design Director for Activewear to join their team in NYC!

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative vision and design strategy for a trend-driven activewear business, translating global fashion, fitness, and streetwear trends into commercially relevant collections.
• Oversee the full design process across performance and lifestyle activewear, including trend research, color, fabrication, silhouettes, prints, graphics, and seasonal collections.
• Develop elevated, fashion-forward product that blends functionality with current trends, including athleisure, studio-to-street, and statement activewear.
• Lead and mentor a team of designers while partnering closely with Merchandising, Product Development, Sourcing, and Production to ensure collections meet creative, quality, cost, and margin goals.
• Conduct market and competitive research, shop key retailers and brands, and identify emerging trends and opportunities to keep the brand fresh, relevant, and ahead of the market.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Apparel Design, Textile Design, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• 7–10+ years of activewear design experience, with demonstrated success designing performance and lifestyle active apparel.
• Proven leadership experience managing projects, influencing cross-functional teams, and mentoring designers.
• Strong understanding of activewear construction, fit, performance fabrics, garment engineering, and technical product development.
• Expertise in trend forecasting, color direction, fabric innovation, and consumer-driven product creation.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and PLM systems.
• Strong knowledge of the apparel development lifecycle, including sourcing, costing, and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to balance creative vision with business objectives and commercial product strategies.
• Excellent presentation, communication, and storytelling skills with experience presenting to senior leadership.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience collaborating with domestic and international teams, vendors, and factory partners.
• Passion for fitness, wellness, and the activewear market, with a deep understanding of industry trends and consumer behavior.