Lead Designer, Basketball Apparel Color Design

Lead Designer, Basketball Apparel Color Design

On-site role at WHQ; typical work hours, 4/1 hybrid model

Project support; contract is expected to last ~6 mos; possibility for extension, not guaranteed

Degree preferred

3-5 years' minimum experience required in a similar role

Top must-have skills include the following:

• Expertise in Adobe Illustrator
• Good foundation/knowledge of textiles
• Strong communication skills, written and verbal
• Photoshop
• Miro
• CLO 3D
• Vizcom

Desired soft skills:

• Excels under tight deadlines
• Versatile
• Ability to prioritize well
• Ability to translate consumer insights and tell a story
• Passion for sports

Skills that would make a candidate stand out:

• Strong presentation skills
• Ability to present to internal and external audiences
• Candidates who have experience with both footwear & apparel

Additional Notes:

• This ETW will support seasonal direction work; they will help drive compelling new color theories in basketball footwear
• Will work on the footwear expression team, who reports to VP of Client basketball
• Lots of cross functional work, but direct team will be ~10 others
• HM anticipates 2 rounds of interviews max

Who You'll Work With:

This is an individual contributor opportunity reporting to the Color Design Senior Manager and involves directly working with Apparel design counterparts, Product Management and Development teams.

Who We Are Looking For:

The Lead designer will be responsible for creating seasonal color design and direction for Basketball apparel covering signature, branded and licensed. The designer will be an active and energetic participant in the creative process with excellent cross-functional communication skills, presenting design concepts to internal and external partners.

The Lead designer will be a versatile creative problem solver who excels under tight deadlines, has strong understanding of emerging design and fashion trends with extensive knowledge of apparel applications, color theory and textiles.

Experience Requirements:

Preferred design experience: 6 years

BA/BFA/MA/MFA preferred in graphic design, fashion design, industrial design, apparel design, material design, textile design or a related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training.

Comprehensive knowledge of current and emerging design and fashion trends in sportswear and streetwear footwear and apparel.

Proficient in all aspects of graphic and product design including drawing/sketching, illustration, CAD development, typography, print and pattern development, trim creation, color theory and technical applications.

Foundational understanding of apparel construction, schematic development and tech pack creation.

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and timelines at once.

Ability to translate consumer insights into thoughtful narratives and graphic storytelling.

Strong visual and verbal presentation skills; able to effectively show and communicate design intent to internal and external audiences.

Professional level experience using Illustrator & Photoshop; Miro, CLO, Vizcom

What You'll Work On:

If this is you, you will be helping to lead the Basketball Apparel team in creating unique collections across,'s and,'s product on a seasonal basis.

This will include developing comprehensive storytelling and original content creation across seasonal apparel assortments.

The Lead Designer will work closely with Product Management teams to build engaging, trend-driven narratives that meet the needs of target consumers, and will partner regularly with Development teams to communicate design intent, help with schematic creation and review and workshop prototypes.

The ideal candidate will also be responsible for managing and designing presentation materials and presenting concepts to teams and leadership