Director, Design

Tailored Brands, Inc.; City of Niagara Falls (NY); On-site; USD 176,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare (medical, dental, vision)

401(k) with company match

Life, accident & disability insurance

Paid time off

Wellbeing program

Commuter benefits

Adoption assistance

Education assistance

Legal services

Employee merchandise discounts

Job summary

Tailored Brands, Inc. is seeking a Director of Knits & Sweaters / Designer for Bottoms, Denim & Outerwear to lead seasonal creative direction and drive product development across multiple categories from concept to final sample approval.

The role combines hands-on design ownership with strategic leadership, partnering with merchandising, planning, sourcing, and senior leadership to deliver cohesive sportswear collections.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in fashion design, product development, merchandising, textiles, or a related field preferred.
• Significant experience in apparel design or product development with expertise in knits and sweaters and strong design experience in bottoms, denim, outerwear, or related categories.
• Strong understanding of apparel construction, fabrications, fit, quality, costing, and production processes.
• Experience leading a category while managing hands-on design responsibilities across multiple product areas; ability to manage multiple deadlines, priorities, and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Establish seasonal strategy and creative direction across knits, sweaters, casual bottoms, denim, and outerwear in alignment with brand strategy and financial objectives.
• Lead the knits and sweaters category while maintaining hands-on design ownership of bottoms, denim, and outerwear; define category architecture and finishing details.
• Design and develop seasonal products from concept through final sample approval, including silhouettes, fits, and styling.
• Set and uphold standards for fit, handfeel, fabrication, quality, and construction; review and approve lab dips, prototypes, and samples.
• Create and present design concepts that support cohesive seasonal product stories and a complete sportswear assortment.
• Partner with merchandising and planning to balance creative direction with assortment needs, pricing, margin, volume, and customer expectations.
• Lead vendor and cross-functional reviews; provide clear, actionable sample comments and resolve design, fit, and feasibility issues.
• Use market information, customer feedback, and post-season learnings to inform future category direction.

Skills

Leadership

Hands-on design

Product development

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Merchandising collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in fashion design or related field

Tools

AI-powered design tools

Digital prototyping

Virtual sampling

Job description

Tailored Brands is a leading omnichannel specialty retailer of menswear, including suits, formalwear and a broad selection of business casual offerings. The company aims to help its customers love the way they look and feel for their most important moments by delivering personalized products and services through a convenient network of stores and e-commerce sites. The company's brands include Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, Moores and K&G Fashion. At Tailored Brands, we value differences and know they make us better. We are always working to make our Company a more diverse, equitable and inclusive (DEI) place to work.About the JobThe Director, Knits & Sweaters / Designer, Bottoms, Denim & Outerwear provides strategic leadership for the knits and sweaters business while serving as the hands-on designer for casual bottoms, denim, and outerwear.This role owns the seasonal creative direction, product development, and final execution of knits and sweaters — including category strategy, assortment direction, fabrication, color, silhouette, quality, and team leadership. In parallel, the role designs bottoms, denim, and outerwear, translating trend, customer, and brand insights into commercially relevant product concepts through final sample approval.The position partners closely with merchandising, planning, sourcing, technical design, production, vendors, and senior leadership to deliver cohesive, on-brand, high-quality sportswear collections that meet business, margin, timing, and customer needs.The role will also work hands-on with AI-powered design tools throughout the creative process — including generative ideation, trend and color forecasting, digital prototyping, and virtual sampling — to speed up concept development and support stronger design decisions across categories.What You'll Do | Key Accountabilities• Establish seasonal strategy and creative direction across knits, sweaters, casual bottoms, denim, and outerwear in alignment with brand strategy, customer needs, business priorities, and financial objectives.• Lead the knits and sweaters category while maintaining hands-on design ownership of bottoms, denim, and outerwear — defining category architecture, key items, color direction, yarns, gauges, gauges, washes, trims, and finishing details.• Design and develop seasonal products from concept through final sample approval, including silhouettes, fits, proportions, construction, and styling; lead balanced assortments across core, seasonal, and fashion-focused products.• Set and uphold standards for fit, handfeel, fabrication, quality, and construction; review and approve concepts, sketches, yarns, colors, lab dips, strike-offs, prototypes, and samples.• Create and present design concepts that support cohesive seasonal product stories and a complete sportswear assortment.• Partner with merchandising and planning to balance creative direction with assortment needs, pricing, margin, volume, and customer expectations.• Lead vendor and cross-functional reviews, resolving issues related to design, fit, feasibility, costing, quality, and delivery; provide clear, actionable sample comments.• Use market information, customer feedback, product performance, and post-season learnings to inform future category direction.Seasonal Development and Execution• Lead seasonal roadmapping, concept development, line reviews, quality reviews, pass-off meetings, and final approvals, with clear milestones and sign-off requirements.• Manage multiple categories and timelines while prioritizing knits and sweaters; track open decisions, critical path items, and risks, escalating early when quality, cost, timing, or execution may be affected.Cross-Functional Partnership• Align product direction with merchandising and planning on assortment, pricing, volume, margin, and performance.• Collaborate with sourcing, production, and vendors on feasibility, costing, lead times, and quality; work with technical design/quality teams to resolve fit, construction, and performance issues.• Communicate design direction and decisions clearly; represent assigned categories in cross-functional meetings and build accountable partner relationships.Team Leadership and Development• Provide direction, prioritization, and category leadership for knits and sweaters; set clear expectations for deliverables, deadlines, and decision-making.• Coach and develop team members through regular product reviews and hands-on guidance; give timely, behavior-based feedback and promote collaboration and accountability.Business and Operational Accountability• Balance creative ambition with cost, margin, quality, and delivery constraints; maintain accurate product and approval documentation.• Support long-range category planning, vendor and assortment reviews; use performance data and post-season learnings to improve future decisions.Leadership Expectations• Lead knits and sweaters with a clear creative and commercial point of view while maintaining strong hands-on design ownership of bottoms, denim, and outerwear.• Make timely, clearly communicated decisions; hold teams and partners accountable to deliverables, deadlines, and quality standards.• Address risks and unresolved decisions early and create alignment across categories for a cohesive sportswear assortment.• Model preparation, sound judgment, collaboration, and high standards of product execution.Skills & Experience• Bachelor's degree in fashion design, product development, merchandising, textiles, or a related field preferred.• Significant experience in apparel design or product development, with demonstrated expertise in knits and sweaters and strong design experience in bottoms, denim, outerwear, or related categories.• Strong understanding of apparel construction, fabrications, fit, quality, costing, and production processes.• Experience leading a category while managing hands-on design responsibilities across multiple product areas; proven ability to manage multiple deadlines, priorities, and stakeholders simultaneously.• Strong communication, presentation, organization, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.• Ability to travel for vendor meetings, market research, product reviews, and development activities as required.Success in This Role Is Demonstrated By• A cohesive, commercially relevant, brand-right knits and sweaters assortment, plus compelling, well-executed bottoms, denim, and outerwear designs.• Product development milestones met with clear decisions, accurate follow-through, and minimal avoidable rework; strong execution of fit, quality, fabrication, color, and construction.• Effective collaboration across design, merchandising, planning, sourcing, production, technical design, quality, and vendors, with improved visibility to risks and category status.• Team members and partners who understand expectations, meet deliverables, and continue to grow; product performance that supports customer satisfaction and company objectives.Work Environment, Physical & Mental Demands• Ability to sit and work at a computer keyboard for extended periods, and to stoop, kneel, bend, and reach daily.• Able to lift and move up to 25 pounds occasionally; must utilize visual acuity, speech/hearing, and hand-eye coordination to operate a computer and office equipment.• Hours regularly 40 hours per week, as work dictates, from our New York office.Please note that you do not need to qualify for all requirements to be considered. We encourage you to apply if you can meet most of the requirements and are comfortable opening a dialog to be considered.BenefitsThis role is eligible for healthcare (medical, dental, vision), retirement savings (401k with company match), income protection (life, accident, disability insurance), paid time off (sick, vacation, bereavement, jury duty, holidays), wellbeing program, commuter benefits, adoption assistance, education assistance, legal services, and employee merchandise discounts. For more detailed information go to mytbtotalrewards.com.Work-Life BalanceWe understand the demands of work, school, family, and personal responsibilities. Programs include:• Meeting-Free Fridays (encouraged) so you can catch up on work and self-development• Summer Fridays — from Memorial Day to Labor Day, for a head start to the weekend• Holiday Early Departure — close out early the business day before a company-observed holidayThe starting rate for this position is $176,404 - $235,154 and may increase to $293,904 depending on merit, length of service with the Company, and other factors. We take into consideration an individual's skills, background, and experience in determining final salary. Base pay information is based on market location and may be subject to prevailing wage laws, if applicable.Note: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with this job.