Lead Designer, Tennis Apparel Product Design

Nike; Beaverton (OR); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Nike, Inc. is seeking an Apparel Lead Designer for Women’s Global Tennis. You will translate insights into original, on-brand apparel concepts and lead the design process from concept through production.

You’ll work with management, category teams, and experts to ensure feasibility, styling, and story alignment across collections. The role demands strong collaboration, design craft, and a passion for sport culture, with a focus on delivering innovative, market-ready products that reflect Nike’s

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in apparel/fashion design or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in apparel/fashion design.
• Strong understanding of current and emerging design trends.
• Ability to translate insights into authentic narratives and visual storytelling.
• Proficient in sketching, illustration, typography, print and pattern, color theory and layout.

Responsibilities

• Design innovative apparel aligned with Nike design philosophy under management guidance.
• Communicate concepts effectively and present within Women’s Global Tennis Apparel.
• Support the future of the Women’s Global Tennis portfolio across on-court and off-court lines.

Skills

Apparel Design

Trend Analysis

Storytelling

Collaboration

Adobe CC

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Apparel/Fashion Design

Tools

Adobe CC Suite

CLO 3D

Job description

NIKE, Inc. designs the future. At NIKE, Inc. designers chase their curiosities and build what’s next, shaping the culture and advancing human potential. The Design teams include artists, inventors and specialists, all with different focuses, including color and material experts, and apparel, footwear and graphic designers. Nike designers look to the future, aggressively pursuing materials, ideas and forms that further elevate the athlete experience, raise the bar for modern style and reduce environmental impact.

Who You’ll Work With

As our Apparel Lead Designer, you'll report directly to the Women’s Global Tennis Design Director, work with design management and our Expert Designer to actively gain experience, enhance design skills and increase knowledge of Nike's design philosophy, products and processes. You'll also work with category team members in design, development, business and merchandising to ensure feasibility of designs, meeting price point, merchandising needs and product creation timelines.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for an Apparel Lead Designer who delivers outstanding design skills to create original, innovative designs that accurately reflect Nike’s design philosophies and lead the industry. Through consumer connection you will identify key trends that translate into meaningful products that resonate with our consumers and fuels the future of Nike Inc. for our female footballer.

You’ll need to have a distinct talent for responding to business objectives with creative design solutions that are aligned to consumer insights. Bringing to life the seasonal category creative direction through apparel design with solutions that are fueled by athlete/consumer insights. The candidate needs to have a passion for craft, innovation & sport culture, keeping in mind Nike’s rich legacy in sport and its future forward impact to our planet.

We are looking for a candidate who is curious, inquisitive, and motivated to discover new methods of make. You’ll need strong communication skills with teammates across the organization, including expert listening, collaborative problem solving and deep emotional intelligence. We are looking for a candidate with highly collaborative skills and passion for details, and extremely thorough in executing accurate design assets. You’ll need to constantly demonstrate process proficiency through best practices, visualization and communication of ideas.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Apparel/Fashion Design or related design field or equivalent combination of relevant education, experience, and training.
• Minimum 5+ years of relevant work experience in Apparel/Fashion design.
• Passion and understanding of current and emerging design trends and visual culture.
• Passion for researching and analyzing trends across sport, youth and culture, and the ability to unpack key opportunities for Nike products.
• Ability translating insights into authentic narratives, and visual storytelling in presentations & communication.
• Ability to adapt to change and handle multiple competing priorities.
• Proficient in sketching, illustration, typography, print and pattern, color theory and layout.
• Knowledge of apparel product creation.
• Digital design acumen in Adobe CC Suite and comfortable working with Digital Creation 3D Tools (CLO).
• Ability to embrace diverse points of view while fostering an environment of inclusivity.
• Passion for empowering our Athletes/Teams and making their dreams come true.

What You’ll Work On

As our Apparel Lead Designer in Women’s Global Tennis, you'll design innovative apparel product with direction given from design management, utilize design skills to create original, innovative designs that appropriately reflect Nike's design philosophy. You'll communicate design concepts effectively and present concepts within the Women’s Global Tennis Apparel organization.

As part of the Women’s Global Tennis Apparel design team, specifically you’ll be responsible for creating and supporting the future of the Women’s Global Tennis portfolio which includes on court SLAM, in season collections and off court sportswear to support the entire athlete journey.

You’ll monitor the development of prototype samples and interact with development, pattern making, materials, apparel lab, on court testing and the sample room to exchange ideas and ensure timely completion of each project. This opportunity requires strong collaborative skills to meet deadlines, ensure feasibility of designs, hit price points, while taking your partners through the thinking behind your work.