Head of Product Design (Apparel Development)

Lever Style Inc.; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 934,000 - 1,402,000; Full time

Job summary

Lever Style Inc. is hiring a Head of Product Design to cast vision, form concepts, and pilot design philosophy. You will partner with brand customers and their teams to align aesthetics and execute each phase from design to development.

The role leads a team of fashion and graphic designers across knit, woven, denim, and athleisure categories, aligning trends with fabric development while maintaining cost effectiveness and sustainability initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree or above.
• Fifteen years experience in fashion & apparel industry, with ten years in a managerial position in sizeable multinational business.
• Proven track record in multi-category product design and development for premium brands across regions.
• Fashion trend forecasting and partnerships with fabric mills.
• Strong leadership and people management skills to exceed targets.
• Business acumen, proactive, self-resourceful and result driven.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Understand company vision and translate it into day-to-day fashion design work and customer projects.
• Lead a team of fashion and graphic designers to create seasonal collections for customers.
• Oversee the design process and manage daily activities within the team.
• Manage the full product development cycle from planning to sample completion.
• Provide hands-on leadership, input and guidance in development processes.
• Lead Material Development to source innovative fabrics and trims and present to customers.
• Maintain cost awareness to keep a competitive cost for brand customers when needed.
• Build and maintain relationships with key partners, suppliers and mills.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to staff, setting goals and giving feedback.
• Drive corporate sustainability initiatives in fabric development.

Skills

Leadership

Multi-category design

Trend forecasting

People management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor degree

Job description

Lever Style is the world’s premier apparel production platform for premium labels such as Hugo Boss, Alexander Wang, and Amie Leon Dore, outdoor/activewear brands such as Arc’teryx, Haglöfs, and J Lindeberg, and e-commerce pioneers such as Bonobos, Stitch Fix and Mizzen + Main. Our innovative, high mix-low volume solution reduces excess inventory and stockouts, and offers unparalleled product expertise. Listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code 1346), our versatile approach is rooted in decades of technical expertise gained from working with many of the world’s top brands.

Our one-stop shop solution allows our clients to focus on what they do best: branding, marketing, and distribution. Behind the scenes we deliver versatility on any product type that a designer can dream of. We enable our clients to consolidate their vendor base, reduce production complexity, overheads, and management headaches.

This role is based in Lever Style Shenzhen office, with daily commuting shuttle provided between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

Head of Product Design casts vision, forms concepts, and pilots design philosophy. The incumbent partners with brand customers (and their design / buying / merchandise teams) to review and reflect brands aesthetics and image (contemporary premium fashion, streetwear, athleisure, outdoor activewear, lingerie, etc.), and to execute each phase in design & development process.

Responsibilities

1. 1. Understand the vision and long-term strategy of company, implement this in day-to-day fashion design work and customer projects.
2. 2. Lead a team of fashion and graphic designers in creating seasonal or capsule collection to present to the customers, showcasing future market trends and new fabric/trims and design innovation.
3. 3. Lead the design process by controlling the workload and structuring the daily activities within the design team.
4. 4. Manage and own the overall product development cycle from planning to sample completion in line with the seasonal business calendar.
5. 5. Manage the team with a hands-on mentality - providing frequent input, direction and guidance on the day-to-day development process.
6. 6. Lead Material Development team to source innovative fabrics and trims; present the newness to brand customers in each region.
7. 7. Awareness to cost engineering and maintaining a competitive cost for the brand customers when needed.
8. 8. Build and maintain relationships with key strategic business partners, suppliers, and fabric mills.
9. 9. Provide leadership and mentoring to staff, setting goals, and providing feedback, encouraging both individual and team productivity.
10. 10. Lead and drive the corporate sustainability initiatives with fabric development.

Requirements

1. 1. Bachelor degree or above
2. 2. Fifteen years experience within fashion & apparel industry (textile garment manufacturing or brands trading & buying offices), ten years of which must be in managerial position gained in sizeable multinational business.
3. 3. A track record of multi-category product design and development (knit, woven, denim, sweater, athleisure, intimates, etc.) for premium fashion brands in different regional market is a must.
4. 4. Fashion trend forecaster, and business partnership with fabrics mills.
5. 5. Strong leadership and people management skill to lead the team exceeding targets.
6. 6. Business acumen, proactive, self-resourceful and result driven.
7. 7. Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.