Design Director, Textiles and Concepts

About the Role

In this role, you drive seasonal trend development, including color palette selection, concept development, and print and graphic direction across each delivery. You forecast emerging trends in fabric, color, pattern, and graphics within the children's market and oversee line development from initial concept through production. You are responsible for leading the development of approximately 18–24 distinct product assortments each year, ensuring each assortment reflects the brand's creative vision and delivers a cohesive, compelling product offering. You partner closely with the Head of Design and cross-functional teams to ensure well-balanced assortments that support both creative and business objectives. You will also shop the market to identify emerging trends, gather inspiration, evaluate the competitive landscape, and uncover new opportunities to evolve the product and drive business growth, with a focus on product, quality, and aesthetic.

Responsibilities

• Set and lead the creative vision by identifying key apparel, fashion, art, and cultural trends and translating them into compelling seasonal concepts that inspire stakeholders and provide clear direction to the Design team.
• Partner closely with Merchandising and cross-functional leaders to identify new opportunities to grow the business, bringing forward relevant, on-trend themes, prints, patterns, and product ideas that balance creativity with commercial opportunity.
• Develop and oversee seasonal color direction, creating cohesive, saleable color palettes that flow from season to season while introducing freshness and newness for the customer.
• Establish print, pattern, and graphic direction across all departments that continually evolves the assortment while maintaining a distinct and recognizable brand point of view across product categories.
• Ensure a cohesive product vision by guiding the team and partnering across functions to ensure product, print, color, and design sensibilities complement the broader assortment and brand aesthetic.
• Lead and mentor the textile team, providing clear creative direction, thoughtful feedback, and hands-on support throughout the design and development process.
• Remain actively involved in the design process, balancing strategic creative leadership with hands-on design and product development work each season. This includes print development, pattern and graphic direction, and color refinement—ensuring design intent is preserved from concept through production while mentoring your team in real-time.
• Partner with Product Development, Sourcing, and overseas vendors to troubleshoot and creatively resolve product development and bulk production challenges while maintaining design intent, quality, and commercial viability.
• Bring advanced technical expertise in fabrication and production—including knits, wovens, sweaters, prints, and graphics—to direct product development and ensure quality standards are maintained throughout execution.
• Travel domestically and internationally to research trends, shop the market, and source inspiration that informs future seasonal concepts and product direction. This role requires international travel approximately two times per year and domestic travel approximately two to four times per year.

Requirements

• BS/BA degree in a related field with a minimum of 10+ years of experience in apparel design, ideally within a major retail or apparel brand.
• At least 3+ years of people management experience, with demonstrated success leading and developing a design team ranging from Design Assistant to Senior Designer.
• Experience within specialty retail, preferred, with a strong understanding of the product lifecycle and the connection between creative vision and commercial results.
• Self-motivated and strategic creative leader who can envision a concept, translate it into a clear design direction, and drive it forward from concept through execution.
• Strong communicator and presenter who can clearly articulate creative concepts and recommendations to cross-functional partners and executive leadership.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to troubleshoot challenges and effectively manage multiple priorities.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, can meet deadlines, adapt to changing priorities, and collaborate effectively with all levels of the organization.
• Fully proficient in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Experience with Miro, Kaledo, and PLM systems is a plus.

Benefits

• Employee discount at Janie and Jack
• Paid holidays and flexible time off
• Generous Health Savings Account (HSA) employer contributions for individuals and families
• Flexible Spending Accounts and commuter benefits
• Life insurance
• Extensive 401(k) plan with company matching
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program with resources like financial and legal assistance, emotional work/life counseling, health, and wellness resources, travel assistance

Full-time employees are eligible for medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, health and dependent care FSA, life/AD&D insurance, short term and long term disability, commuter benefits, pet benefits, tuition reimbursement, paid time off and 401(k) including matching. All employees are eligible for employee discounts and EAP Resources. All regular, full-time Brand Support Center employees are eligible for the annual discretionary bonus plan.

Pay

Actual starting pay for this role is determined by a wide array of factors including but not limited to qualifications, experience, relevant skills, education, and geographic location.