Handbag Design Lead - Trend-Driven Global Collections

ALDO Group; Montreal; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

ALDO Group in Montreal is seeking a handbag designer to create and develop bags aligned with seasonal direction and brand identity. You will translate trends into commercially viable designs, sketching, technical development, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to support the collection end-to-end.

Responsibilities span strategic trend research, design packages, material selection, prototypes, and calendar management, with daily liaising with overseas vendors and the footwear team to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in footwear or accessories design.
• Strong sketching (hand and digital) and technical design.
• Strong experience translating trends into commercial concepts.
• Experience in trend forecasting.
• Experience working with overseas vendors and product development processes.
• Strong understanding of materials, construction, and trend application.
• Strong creative thinking with a commercial mindset.
• Excellent technical sketching and design skills.
• Strong attention to detail and organization.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Problem-solving mindset and adaptability.
• Passion for fashion, trends, and consumer behavior.
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and AI tools to optimize design work.

Responsibilities

• Researches, identifies, and interprets key trends, consumer insights, and market direction.
• Lead the trend direction by creating seasonal mood boards, seasonal concepts, and category direction.
• Lead the translation of trends into brand-right, commercially relevant products for specific category.
• Collaborates with Line Builders to align design direction with assortment needs and business objectives.
• Design handbag assortment catering to global needs.
• Own technical sketches from construction to patterns, and ensuring the correct balance of silhouettes and constructions.
• Create seasonal trends direction in line with footwear direction.
• Develops design packages and aligns cohesive packages with the footwear design team.
• Lead material selection and development of the category needs.
• Work on seasonal specs with the line building team.
• Lead prototype corrections of construction and patterns ahead of sample execution and post sample reception providing technical feedback on designs and execution.
• Own the seasonal design development calendar.
• Maintains daily communication with cross-functional teams and overseas vendors for development follow-ups.
• Participate in store visits to ensure production of product is executed correctly and provide vendors with constant feedback to improve execution.
• Take part in seasonal postmortem to improve efficiency and collaboration with sourcing teams.

Skills

Sketching (hand & digital)

Trend translation

Communication & collaboration

Multitasking / prioritization

Problem solving

Materials knowledge

Design systems & packaging

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or related field

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Photoshop

AI tools

Job description

ALDO Group in Montreal is seeking a handbag designer to create and develop bags aligned with seasonal direction and brand identity. You will translate trends into commercially viable designs, sketching, technical development, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to support the collection end-to-end.

Responsibilities span strategic trend research, design packages, material selection, prototypes, and calendar management, with daily liaising with overseas vendors and the footwear team to