Senior Handbag Designer

Gap Inc; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Gap Inc seeks a senior product designer leader to set the global design direction for a specific product line in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. You will partner with cross-functional teams to ensure style, fit, and quality meet customer expectations and align with brand standards.

You will lean into risk-taking, mentor a high-performing team, study global trends, develop concepts and sketches, and drive tech packs to support seamless execution from concept to store.

Qualifications

• Proficient in Illustrator and Excel for design work.
• Strong understanding of silhouette, fit, fabrication, trim, and sewing techniques.
• Ability to research global markets for trends and inspiration.
• Ability to lead and coach a design team in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction for product area and team.
• Provide creative direction and coaching to develop a high performing team.
• Research global markets to identify trends, silhouettes, fabrics, techniques and inspiration.
• Develop concepts and sketches for product line and present to leadership and cross-functional partners.
• Develop strong internal relationships with Merchandising, Production, Technical design, GIS, Visual Merchandising and Marketing.
• Partner with Production and Tech Design to create tech packs and communicate vision behind fit and product design.
• Collaborate and lead others in key design initiatives and their implementation.

Skills

Adobe Illustrator

Microsoft Excel

Trend research

Cross-functional collaboration

Garment construction knowledge

Tools

Tech packs

Job description

About the Role

In this role, you will work in an energizing, inclusive, and creative environment focused on concepting and creating sustainable product that exceeds customers' expectations. Your goal is to partner with cross functional team members who collectively are responsible for ensuring that the product style, fit, and quality are more than worth the price for our customers. You will set the overall global design direction for the conceptual development of a specific product line. Must lean into risk taking and be customer curious!

What You’ll Do

• Set strategic direction for product area and team
• Provide creative direction and coaching to develop a motivated, high performing team
• Research global markets in order to identify new seasonal trends, silhouettes, fabrics, techniques, product categories and competitive inspiration
• Develop concepts and sketches for product line and advocate for design ideas by presenting to internal leadership and cross functional partners
• Develop strong internal cross functional relationships with Merchandising, Production, Technical design, Gap Inc Sourcing (GIS), Visual Merchandising and Marketing to ensure product concept to store and site execution is a seamless customer experience
• Partner with Production and Tech Design to create tech packs and communicate vision behind fit and product design, ensuring execution, quality, and desired margin targets are achieved
• Collaborate and lead others in key design and product initiatives and their implementation

Who You Are

• Ability to work in a fast paced, dynamic, and highly collaborative environment, with the ability to juggle multiple seasons at one time and track development deadlines
• Possess an elevated sense of style, aesthetic, and color and understand how to translate trends through the lens of the customer and brand filter
• Thorough knowledge of silhouette, fit, fabrication, construction, color use, sewing techniques, and trim; computer knowledge including Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Excel
• Evaluate sometimes complex situations using multiple sources of information (internal and external sources)
• Able to filter, prioritize, analyze, and validate potentially complex in-depth understanding of concepts and procedures throughout the product creation process related to garment construction, hand sketching, and fabric, and understanding of procedures and concepts in other areas, such as merchandising and product development.