Creative Director, Clothing (Clothing Designer)

About the Role

We’re looking for a Creative Director, Clothing to own and evolve our company’s apparel and merchandise—from concept to production. This role blends creative vision, hands-on design, and brand storytelling, ensuring our merch feels intentional, elevated, and aligned with our company identity.

You’ll be responsible for setting the creative direction for clothing drops, designing pieces that employees and customers actually want to wear, and overseeing execution from initial concept through final product.

What You’ll Do

• Define and own the creative vision for all company apparel and merchandise
• Design original clothing pieces (e.g., tees, hoodies, outerwear, accessories) that reflect our brand aesthetic
• Develop seasonal or drop-based collections rather than one-off merch items
• Create sketches, mockups, and technical specs for production
• Work with manufacturers and vendors on sampling, revisions, costing, and production timelines
• Ensure quality control across fit, materials, and final execution
• Stay current on fashion, streetwear, and lifestyle apparel trends while maintaining a timeless brand feel

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in clothing design, apparel design, or fashion creative direction
• Strong portfolio demonstrating original apparel design (not just graphic merch)
• Experience taking garments from concept → production
• Strong understanding of fabrics, construction, and fit
• Ability to balance creative vision with practical constraints (budget, timelines, manufacturing)
• Clear point of view and taste level—knows when merch feels elevated vs. generic
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-moving startup environment
• Nice to Have
• Experience with brand merch programs for tech, lifestyle, or consumer brands
• Knowledge of sustainable or ethical manufacturing practices
• Experience with small-batch or limited-run drops