Senior Performance Apparel Designer (End-to-End)

Johnson Outdoors; KwaZulu-Natal; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus program

Tuition assistance

Career development

Collaborative work environment

Job summary

Johnson Outdoors seeks a Senior Technical Apparel Designer to lead the end-to-end creative design of performance apparel, ensuring products reflect brand identity, functional performance, and manufacturability. You will partner with engineering and product teams to translate vision into design concepts and production-ready specs.

The role requires a strong foundation in fashion design principles, CAD/PLM proficiency, and the ability to manage multiple projects from concept to launch while

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in fashion design, apparel design, industrial design or equivalent.
• Typically requires 5+ years of experience designing performance apparel, preferably outdoor.
• Strong foundation in fashion design principles (silhouette, color, materials, trend).
• Ability to translate consumer insights into commercially successful designs.

Responsibilities

• Leads the creative design vision for performance apparel, reflecting brand identity and consumer appeal.
• Partners cross-functionally on innovation, product concepts, and launches to drive results.
• Develops detailed technical and cosmetic design specifications, including materials and trims.
• Estimates production costs and makes design decisions with manufacturing impact in mind.
• Analyzes competitor products and trends to guide new design directions.
• Manages relationships with external vendors to ensure targets and quality.

Skills

Fashion design

CAD

Illustrator

Photoshop

PLM systems

Cross-functional collaboration

Tech packs

Manufacturing knowledge

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in fashion design

Tools

CAD software

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

PLM systems

Job description

Johnson Outdoors seeks a Senior Technical Apparel Designer to lead the end-to-end creative design of performance apparel, ensuring products reflect brand identity, functional performance, and manufacturability. You will partner with engineering and product teams to translate vision into design concepts and production-ready specs.

The role requires a strong foundation in fashion design principles, CAD/PLM proficiency, and the ability to manage multiple projects from concept to launch while