Design Director, Men's Footwear
Core
Lead the end-to-end design and commercialization of Men's Western footwear, balancing heritage craftsmanship with modern innovation to define seasonal collections.
Role type
Senior Footwear Design Director (Men's Western)
Builds
Seasonal collections of iconic Western boots, apparel, and leather goods
Domain
Western footwear, premium leather goods, fashion
Required skills
Footwear design, sketching, concept development, digital rendering, storytelling, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, leather knowledge, construction/patterning/fit expertise, factory/supplier partnership, mentoring
Preferred skills
Leading/mentoring designers, experience in premium Western/outdoor/work/lifestyle brands
Technologies
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop
Responsibilities
Drive seasonal design direction and identify opportunities across Western and adjacent categories; Lead design from concept through commercialization including prototype reviews and line freeze; Conduct market analysis, trend exploration, and competitive shopping; Create innovative concepts via sketching and rendering; Partner with Merchandising to translate business objectives into product solutions; Collaborate with Product Development and Sourcing on materials, constructions, and manufacturing techniques; Own color, material, and construction direction for collections; Build and maintain design specifications, BOMs, and PLM data; Participate in wear testing and fit evaluations; Mentor and develop junior footwear designers; Manage external design resources; Travel for research and factory visits.
Seniority
Senior, hands-on IC with mentorship responsibilities