Director of Design Concept, Color & Trend

Banana Republic; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 173,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Merchandise discount

Paid time off

Volunteer hours

401(k) matching

Employee stock purchase plan

Medical/dental/vision insurance

Job summary

Banana Republic is seeking a Director of Design Concept, Color & Trend to define the seasonal creative vision and translate global fashion signals into a distinctive, commercially relevant point of view. This role provides the creative north star for Design and Product teams.

You will lead a high-performing team, partner closely with Design, Merchandising and Product Development to ensure concepts translate across categories and customer touchpoints, influencing fabric, color and styling while

Qualifications

• Exceptional taste and fashion instinct.
• Continual consumption of runway, retail, culture and trends.
• Ability to articulate meaningful signals 12–24 months ahead.

Responsibilities

• Set the overarching seasonal concept and creative direction, including mood, colour, silhouette, proportion, key items, materials, print, pattern, and styling.
• Maintain a high taste level to keep the brand modern, relevant, desirable and differentiated.
• Identify emerging ideas, shifts in taste and new sources of influence.
• Maintain encyclopaedic knowledge of competitive landscape across luxury to contemporary brands.
• Follow runway collections and distill shifts in silhouette, proportion, colour and attitude.
• Interpret macro and micro trends and identify signals before mass adoption.
• Look beyond fashion to art, design, interiors, architecture, music, film and travel to anticipate taste movements.
• Translate inspiration and trend intelligence into a clear, ownable brand point of view.
• Partner with Design, Merchandising and Product Development to translate concepts across categories.
• Influence fabric, material, trim, print and colour direction to align with vision.
• Lead seasonal concept presentations to align the organisation around the creative vision.
• Build and develop a high-performing creative team.

Job description

About Banana Republic

Banana Republic is a storyteller’s brand, outfitting the modern explorer with high-quality, expertly crafted collections made to inspire and enrich life’s journeys. Founded in 1978 in San Francisco, we continue to evolve our heritage of exploration through thoughtfully designed apparel and accessories that blend timeless style with exceptional craftsmanship.

About Banana Republic

Banana Republic is a storyteller’s brand, outfitting the modern explorer with high-quality, expertly crafted collections made to inspire and enrich life’s journeys. Founded in 1978 in San Francisco, we continue to evolve our heritage of exploration through thoughtfully designed apparel and accessories that blend timeless style with exceptional craftsmanship. Our team is made up of passionate, curious storytellers — creators and visionaries who seek out what’s next and bring it to life through elevated design, immersive experiences, and a shared spirit of creativity and innovation.

About The Role

The Director of Design Concept, Color & Trend is responsible for defining and articulating the seasonal creative vision across the brand. This person should have exceptional taste, an instinctive understanding of fashion and culture, and an obsessive curiosity about what is happening and what is coming next. They will translate global fashion, runway, cultural and consumer signals into a clear, distinctive, and commercially relevant seasonal point of view, providing the creative north star for Design and Product teams.

What you'll do

• Set the overarching seasonal concept and creative direction, including mood, colour, silhouette, proportion, key items, materials, print, pattern, and styling.
• Maintain an exceptional and highly developed taste level, ensuring the brand consistently feels modern, relevant, desirable, and differentiated.
• Have a finger on the pulse of fashion and culture, continuously identifying emerging ideas, shifts in taste and new sources of influence.
• Possess an encyclopaedic knowledge of the competitive landscape, from global luxury and runway to contemporary brands, specialty retail, and emerging designers.
• Follow and analyse runway collections, distilling the most important shifts in silhouette, proportion, colour, fabrication, styling, and attitude.
• Identify and interpret both macro and micro trends, distinguishing meaningful movements from short-lived noise and identifying signals before they reach mass adoption.
• Look beyond fashion to art, design, interiors, architecture, music, film, travel, hospitality, street style, social media, and broader culture to anticipate where taste is moving.
• Translate inspiration and trend intelligence into a clear and ownable brand point of view.
• Partner closely with Design, Merchandising and Product Development to ensure the seasonal concept translates cohesively across categories and customer touchpoints.
• Influence fabric, material, trim, print, and colour direction and ensure they ladder back to the overarching seasonal vision.
• Lead compelling seasonal concept presentations that inspire and align the broader organisation around the creative vision.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team while fostering curiosity, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Who you are

• You have exceptional taste and an innate fashion instinct. This is fundamental to the role.
• You are genuinely obsessed with fashion and consume runway, retail, culture, and emerging trends continuously.
• You know the competitive landscape intimately who is winning, what is new, what is selling, what is becoming culturally relevant and why.
• You can walk out of the runway season and articulate not simply what you saw, but what matters and what will matter 12–24 months from now and what is relevant and matters to Banana Republic.
• You have an exceptional eye for colour, silhouette, proportion, styling, fabrication, and product.
• You are equally comfortable identifying a major macro shift and spotting a tiny cultural signal that could become the next big idea.
• You combine creative intuition with commercial intelligence and understand how to translate directional ideas into product customers want.
• You have a strong and distinctive point of view but can edit ruthlessly through the lens of the brand.
• You are an inspiring storyteller and communicator who can bring a creative vision to life and influence senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
• You have significant experience setting seasonal direction within a leading fashion, specialty, or lifestyle brand.
• You have demonstrated experience leading and developing creative talent.

Salary Range

Salary Range: $173,000.00 - $224,900.00

Employee pay will vary based on factors such as qualifications, experience, skill level, competencies and work location. We will meet minimum wage or minimum of the pay range (whichever is higher) based on city, county and state requirements.

Benefits at Banana Republic

• Merchandise discount for our brands: 50% off regular-priced merchandise at Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, and 30% off at Outlet for all employees.
• One of the most competitive Paid Time Off plans in the industry.*
• Employees can take up to five “on the clock” hours each month to volunteer at a charity of their choice.*
• Extensive 401(k) plan with company matching for contributions up to four percent of an employee’s base pay.*
• Employee stock purchase plan.*
• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance.*
• For eligible employees

Gap Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from harassment and discrimination. We are committed to recruiting, hiring, training and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, and make all employment decisions without regard to any protected status. We have received numerous awards for our long-held commitment to equality and will continue to foster a diverse and inclusive environment of belonging. In 2022, we were recognized by Forbes as one of the World's Best Employers and one of the Best Employers for Diversity.