Design Director

Mondetta Clothing; Winnipeg; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Mondetta Clothing is seeking a Design Director to lead and scale a new Design & Development team as the brand expands into national and international retail markets. The role requires visionary leadership, creative excellence, and a strong background in merchandise planning and product design. The ideal candidate will translate trends into innovative collections, ensuring alignment with brand values and consumer demands.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of senior-level experience in the apparel industry.
• Strong foundation in both merchandise planning and product design.
• Ability to synthesize market trends and consumer insights into actionable design strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale a new Design & Development team.
• Shape brand vision through merchandising and floor planning.
• Translate trends into compelling capsule collections and champion sustainable innovation.

Skills

Visionary leadership

Creative excellence

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive presence

Brand stewardship

Job description

Our client is no ordinary apparel brand.

Mondetta is a Certified B-Corp and Net Zero Contributor, fusing technical innovation with modern style to deliver performance-driven fashion that is both responsible and refined. From tailored suiting to heritage-inspired pieces and progressive activewear, every design is guided by purpose and sustainability.

This newly created Design Director role is no ordinary mandate.

You will lead and scale a new Design & Development team focused on retail and department stores, scaling alongside the company’s expansion into national and international retail markets. You’ll shape the brand vision through merchandising and floor planning, ensuring collections deliver best-in-class experiences for customers and end-users.

This is a hands-on leadership role where creativity meets strategy. You’ll translate trends into compelling capsule collections, champion sustainable innovation, and nurture a high-performing team. You’ll be empowered to push boundaries, introduce new materials and technologies, and collaborate across the business to create collections that not only look exceptional - but perform brilliantly at retail.

The Ideal Candidate Embodies :

• Visionary leadership to build and scale a high-performing design team aligned with the company’s growth.
• Creative and strategic excellence to lead the full design lifecycle - from concept to final approval - ensuring collections are timely, on-budget, and market-relevant.
• A passion for innovation , constantly identifying new product categories, hero items, and fabric and color stories that drive differentiation.
• Cross-functional fluency , collaborating seamlessly with Customers, Sales, Wholesale, Marketing, Planning, and the C-suite to align design direction with business strategy and retail execution.
• Executive presence , with the confidence to defend creative decisions, constructively integrate feedback, and influence at all levels of the organization.
• Brand stewardship , ensuring every design reflects the company’s aesthetic and values across all brands.

Requirements :

• Minimum of 5 years of senior-level experience in the apparel industry, with a strong foundation in both merchandise planning and product design.
• Experience with apparel brands that align in aesthetic, brand positioning, and growth trajectory.
• Strong data-driven mindset, with the ability to synthesize market trends, consumer insights, and historical sales performance into actionable design strategies.
• Demonstrated team leadership, with the ability to inspire, manage, and scale high-performing teams.

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