Apparel Innovation Designer, Advanced

Brooks Running; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading athletic apparel brand is seeking an Apparel Innovation Designer to create cutting-edge gear that enhances performance for runners. This role will involve working closely with athletes to develop innovative apparel solutions, manage complex design projects, and collaborate across teams to ensure feasibility and alignment with brand strategy. Candidates should have 5+ years of experience, proficiency in design tools, and strong project management skills. This position is located in Seattle, WA, and requires some travel to support collaboration efforts.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in apparel innovation or technical design.
• Proficiency in vector-based graphics software like Adobe Illustrator.
• Ability to manage projects independently with progress updates.

Responsibilities

• Develop high-performance apparel using athlete feedback.
• Create and prototype concepts for upcoming seasons.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure feasibility.

Skills

Project Management

Technical Innovation

Communication Skills

Adobe Illustrator

Athlete Insights

Education

Bachelor's degree in Design or related field

Tools

Adobe Photoshop

MS Office Suite

Job description

Who We Are:

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.

Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.

Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:

• Runner First
  • We act in the best interest of the runner
• Word is Bond
  • We do what we say we’ll do
• Champion Heart
  • We give our all in everything we do
• There is no “I” in Run
  • We stay generous with our humanity
• Keep Moving
  • We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement - because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.

Your Job:

As the Apparel Innovation Designer, Advanced at Brooks, you will play an important role creating innovative apparel by applying athlete insights and contributing to world class design solutions that advance the Apparel line. You will support bridging the gap between long‑term developments and quick‑to‑market products by partnering globally with factories, athletes, and the inline team to develop and inform advanced design concepts. Using your knowledge, you will create advanced concepts, materials, and construction techniques that enhance performance and comfort for runners, with a strong emphasis on feasibility and readiness for commercialization. Your work will culminate in a structured handoff to the in‑season design team, ensuring a smooth transition from concept to production. You will play a key role in the in‑depth exploration of apparel design that enhance performance and comfort for the run, contributing insights and independent analysis to inform future development.

Your Responsibilities

• Develop pro apparel for competition, leveraging athlete feedback to create signature products with prioritization of technical advancements for global events like the Olympics and World Record attempts, including custom‑tailored product.

• Develop and prototype apparel concepts for near‑future seasons, prioritizing workload across short‑term and long‑range projects with varying levels of complexity.

• Manage projects involving moderately complex briefs, navigating ambiguity to successful completion while regularly communicating progress updates to your manager as well as flagging any concerns.

• Ideate on and implement solutions that address cooling, warmth, support, visibility, and protection using athlete and consumer feedback.

• Collaborate with Materials, Development, and other cross‑functional teams to ensure concepts are feasible for production and align with brand strategy.

• Proactively prototype and test new materials, garment features, and technologies based on feedback gathered from athletes and internal stakeholders to refine designs for market launch.

• Use body mapping, pressure mapping, and athlete‑specific tailoring to engineer garments that deliver targeted support and optimal performance.

• Utilize AI and digital design tools for rapid visualization, prototyping, and iteration.

• Present concepts and prototypes at internal meetings, clearly communicating technical benefits and user impact.

• Prepare comprehensive handoff packages including design specs, prototypes, and technical documentation.

• Conduct handoff meetings to align on design intent, technical details, and production feasibility.

• Be available for consultation during the commercialization phase to ensure design integrity.

• Stay current with industry trends by attending relevant events and collaborating with suppliers to source new materials and technologies.

• Attend industry trade fairs and collaborate on‑site with materials and factory partners to advance and validate concepts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Apparel, or related field; equivalent combination of education and years of experience can be considered in lieu of degree(s)

• 5+ years of experience in apparel innovation, technical design, or related roles

• Proficiency in vector‑based graphics software (i.e., Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop) and familiarity with digital design and prototyping tools

• Computer proficiency with office software: MS Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Keynote, and Illustrator

• Demonstrated ability to connect technical decisions to user experience and market needs

• Proven track record of innovation and initiative in product or process improvement

• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence in a collaborative, cross‑functional group to meet strategic objectives

• Effective project management skills and experience, including the ability to articulate goals and objectives, manage projects independently with regular manager check‑ins, and the ability to network and utilize internal and external resources

• Keen attention to detail in planning, organizing, and execution of tasks (self and through others), while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all the pieces fit together and affect one another

• Outstanding communication skills, verbal and written with advanced ability to communicate new ideas, concepts, and functional expertise within project teams and to external stakeholders

• Ability to anticipate how a decision made can affect our customers, our partners, our products, orother departments’ operations and/or morale; “connecting the dots”

• Curious and open‑minded; always open for a challenge, inventive, and creative with the ability to challenge the status quo – always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying and willingness to dive into the details

• Demonstrated ability to develop highly positive relationships with individuals and teams that are made up of diverse disciplines and cultural backgrounds resulting in effective working relationships across the company

• Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community

• Travel 20% throughout the year, domestically and internationally

• Embraces and lives the Brooks values!