Design Director, A&F Women's Dresses

About the role

Abercrombie & Fitch is looking for a Design Director to lead the design vision and product direction for its A&F Women's Dresses business. The role drives seasonal product strategy and execution across the Dresses category, balancing customer, trend and business needs, and leads a team of designers.

Key responsibilities

• Create assortments that reflect the brand aesthetic and resonate with customers
• Drive seasonal product strategy and execution across the Dresses category
• Apply expertise in dress design, silhouette development, fabrication, fit and construction to raise product quality
• Partner with Merchandising, Technical Design and Sourcing to bring product concepts to market
• Lead and develop a team of designers, providing mentorship and career development
• Use market analysis, competitive research, trend insights and customer feedback to grow the Dresses assortment
• Keep up with the global market and emerging trends while staying true to the A&F brand
• Champion innovation in design, fabrication, construction and outfitting
• Present seasonal concepts, product strategies and assortment recommendations to senior leadership

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design or a related field preferred
• 9+ years of apparel design experience, with significant experience designing women's dresses
• Proven ability to lead, mentor and develop a team of design professionals
• Demonstrated experience building and evolving successful dresses assortments
• Deep understanding of the contemporary fashion landscape, competitive market and trends in women's dresses
• Strong communication and presentation skills, able to influence cross-functional and executive stakeholders
• Ability to collaborate with Merchandising, Planning, Technical Design and Sourcing teams
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment managing multiple priorities

Required skills

• Women's dress design, including silhouettes, dressmaking techniques, fabrication, fit, construction and embellishment
• Garment engineering and apparel development from concept through production
• Translating customer insights into commercially successful product