Footwear Designer - Men’s Sneakers & Innovation

Lacoste; Paris; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job description

The Footwear Design Men’s – New Creations plays a key role in shaping the future of Lacoste Men’s Footwear by creating original, culturally relevant and commercially viable footwear concepts at the intersection of sport, lifestyle and fashion.

Reporting into the Head of Design Men’s & Energy, this role is responsible for end-to-end design ownership of new creations from consumer insight and concept through execution, development alignment and seasonal delivery.

This role requires a designer who is both highly creative and operationally strong, capable of translating brand DNA into modern footwear propositions while collaborating seamlessly across Product Management, Development and Innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Design & Creative Ownership
• Own the design creation of new footwear styles within the Men’s category, from early concept through final execution.
• Translate Lacoste’s brand codes into distinctive footwear expressions.
• Develop strong design narratives, storytelling and product rationale aligned with category and range strategies.
• Deliver high-quality sketches, renderings, concepts that clearly communicate design intent.
• Ensure consistency of design language while pushing innovation, newness and cultural relevance.
• Consumer, Culture & Market Insight
• Conduct continuous research into consumer behavior, sport & lifestyle culture, competitors, materials and construction trends.
• Translate insights into clear creative opportunities for new silhouettes, tooling or material expressions.
• Build compelling mood boards, consumer profiles and concept presentations that inspire cross-functional teams.
• Product Development & Execution
• Create and maintain detailed upper and tooling tech packs, blueprints and 3D models where needed.
• Partner closely with Footwear Development to ensure design intent is preserved through development and production.
• Proactively solve design-to-manufacturing challenges while maintaining quality, cost and timing targets.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously while delivering against seasonal calendars and milestones.
• Participate in development and factory trips as required.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Work daily with Product Line Management, Development, Innovation, Materials and Marketing.
• Contribute strongly to design reviews, range presentations and milestone meetings.
• Present product concepts with clarity, conviction and adaptability to different audiences.
• Ensure alignment between categories and contribute to a cohesive footwear portfolio.
• Good design experience and understanding of footwear constructions and processes.
• A strong knowledge of sneaker, fashion and or performance footwear.
• A strong skillset in building detailed tech packs and blue prints.
• To be driven, focused and comfortable working with minimal supervision.
• The ability to work to strict and short deadlines without compromising quality of work output.
• The availability to travel twice a year for up to two weeks per trip.