Senior Director, Men's Design

vineyard vines; Stamford (CT); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discount

Health insurance

401(k) and retirement benefits

Paid-family leave

Health Savings Account

Commuter benefits

Onsite gym

Job summary

vineyard vines seeks a Senior Director, Men’s Design to lead the creative vision for Men’s apparel and accessories from concept through production. You will guide the design team, collaborate with Merchandising and Product Development, and ensure brand-consistent, market-relevant collections that align with growth objectives.

You will manage fittings, fabric choices, and color strategy while mentoring designers and maintaining aggressive timelines.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of apparel design experience, including at least 4 years in a people management role.
• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or related field.
• Deep understanding of the apparel design process from concept through production.
• Strong technical skills, including fabric knowledge, garment construction, and fit.
• Excellent illustration and flat sketching abilities.
• Proficiency in CAD tools, including Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Strong merchandising sensibility with the ability to design commercially successful product.
• Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to lead, influence, and collaborate across functions.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexible to seasonal demands, travel, and peak work periods.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Men’s Design team from concept through production.
• Set the overall creative direction for Men’s apparel and accessories.
• Translate trends and market insights into wearable designs.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Product Development, Production, and Sales.
• Oversee fittings, fabric selection, and color palettes.
• Present design concepts to founders and leadership.
• Mentor and develop designers and artists.
• Ensure consistency across Men’s, Women’s, Boys, and Accessories.

Skills

People management

Leadership

Merchandising

Communication

Time management

Presentation skills

Collaboration

Design leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design or related field

Tools

CAD (Adobe Illustrator)

Photoshop

Job description

vineyard vines is a highly successful, privately held, American clothing and accessory retailer founded in 1998 on Martha’s Vineyard by brothers, Shep & Ian Murray. With Shep & Ian still at the helm today, vineyard vines has experienced exponential year over year growth and now operates over 120 retail locations including an outlet division, a successful e-commerce business, domestic distribution center, and expanding corporate headquarters. In addition, vineyard vines is carried in major department stores such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdales as well as numerous specialty boutiques across the US.

vineyard vines was founded on a state of mind that Every day should feel this good.

You don’t need to be on a beach, by the ocean or on vacation to have Every day should feel this good moments. It’s a state of mind that we all experience, and one where everyone is invited. At vineyard vines, we don’t just live an #EDSFTG life away from our desks—we bring it to work with us, too.

In our stores, at our Harbor Drive headquarters or working remotely, our company culture is fun, encouraging and welcoming to all. We work hard and play harder, and we never take ourselves too seriously. And while we have many company goals, our number one priority is making vineyard vines a great place to work for all employees.

Our team is our family, and we’d never have grown to where we are today without them.

We’re committed to building an inclusive team across all channels, departments and stores within our community. We hope you’ll join us and see what the smiling pink whale is all about.

Overview

The Senior Director, Men’s Design is a highly creative, strategic design leader responsible for setting the overall vision, aesthetic, and direction of vineyard vines’ men’s product. This role leads the Men’s Design team from concept through production, ensuring product is authentic to the brand’s optimistic, coastal lifestyle while remaining commercially compelling and trend-relevant.

Partnering closely with Merchandising, Product Development, Production, and Sales, this leader translates global inspiration and market insights into cohesive seasonal collections that align with business strategy and growth objectives. The Senior Director, Men’s Design partners with the VP, Design to set the creative tone for style, fit, fabric, and storytelling across Men’s categories, while ensuring consistency across businesses (e.g., Men’s, Women’s, Boys, Accessories) and continually elevating the brand.

This role is both visionary and hands-on—deeply involved in concepting, fittings, and fabric selection, while also building, mentoring, and inspiring a high-performing design team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Creative Vision & Product Direction

  • Partner with Leadership to set and own the overall creative direction for Men’s apparel and accessories, from seasonal concept through final execution

  • Translate global trends, cultural insights, and market research into brand-right, wearable designs

  • Ensure product aligns with vineyard vines’ heritage, lifestyle positioning, and business strategy

  • Establish and maintain consistency of look, style, and fit across men’s and related categories

  • Provide clear point-of-view and leadership during line reviews, fittings, and presentations

• Design Execution
  • Lead the creation of concepts, sketches, flats, fabric stories, trims, and color palettes
  • Oversee initial and ongoing fittings, providing detailed direction on style, fit, and construction
  • Select fabrics, washes, embellishments, and production techniques appropriate to brand and margin goals
  • Partner with Product Development and Production to proactively address design and execution challenges
  • Ensure selling-ready samples are delivered on time for sales meetings and key milestones

Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of Designers, Design Assistants, Patternmakers, and Artists

Set clear expectations, manage workloads, and ensure adherence to design calendars and deadlines

Recruit, train, and develop talent; conduct performance evaluations and career development planning

Foster a collaborative, creative, and accountable team environment

• Cross-Functional Partnership
  • Collaborate closely with Merchandising to align design vision with assortment strategy and customer needs
  • Communicate effectively with Sales and Retail teams, incorporating feedback into future designs
  • Partner with Product Development on seasonal calendars, costing considerations, and execution timelines
  • Prepare and maintain line sheets, presentation boards, and design references for internal and external meetings
  • Present design concepts and seasonal direction to founders and cross-functional leadership
• Trend, Market & Process Excellence
  • Study domestic and international fashion trends, market competition, and consumer insights
  • Travel for inspiration, research, retail walkthroughs, and key trade shows
  • Maintain a comprehensive design reference library
  • Identify and execute opportunities for process improvement within the design function

What you bring:

Minimum 10 years of apparel design experience, including at least 4 years in a people management role

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or related field

Deep understanding of the apparel design process from concept through production

Strong technical skills, including fabric knowledge, garment construction, and fit

Excellent illustration and flat sketching abilities

Proficiency in CAD tools, including Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

Strong merchandising sensibility with the ability to design commercially successful product

Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal skills

Proven ability to lead, influence, and collaborate across functions

Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Flexible to seasonal demands, travel, and peak work periods

Every day will feel this good because:

• We have a fun-spirited entrepreneurial culture filled with truly "good" people
• We have flexible working hours to accommodate your personal life
• We offer a generous employee discount so you can rep our lifestyle on-and-off the boat
• We offer a competitive salary package, 401-K, commuter benefits, and paid-family leave, health savings, flex spending accounts, life & disability insurance
• We have an onsite gym as well as health & financial wellness programs to keep you active
• We offer 2 summer Fridays to take off in addition to a competitive vacation policy & holiday calendar

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.