Designer, Women's Handbags + Small Leather Goods

About the role

The Designer, Women's Handbags + Small Leather Goods, supports seasonal concept and design development for commercially relevant Cole Haan collections, working under the guidance of the Design Director and in partnership with the Senior Designer.

Responsibilities

• Contribute original design ideas in partnership with the Senior Designer, following seasonal direction from the Design Director, and support research and presentation development for seasonal handbag and small leather goods collections.
• Create hand-drawn sketches, digital sketches, and CAD presentations using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop with accuracy and timely execution.
• Develop and maintain tech packs for assigned styles, and support team updates throughout the sample development process.
• Participate in development sample reviews, documenting and executing comments to support the Design team.
• Partner with the Design Director and Senior Designer on color CAD execution for seasonal line-plan reviews and support in the preparation of material-detailing specification specs.
• Support day-to-day Design team collaboration with Merchandising and Product Development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Accessories Design, Industrial Design, or a related field.
• 3+ years of focused design experience in handbags, small leather goods, or related accessories.
• Ability to create accurate, factory-ready technical packages within established timelines.
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Microsoft Office.
• Clear understanding of handbag construction, sewing techniques, leather, textiles, and metal hardware.
• Understanding of competitor products, price positioning, materials, and current market trends.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across Design, Merchandising, and Product Development.
• Effective time-management skills with the ability to support multiple seasons while remaining collaborative, responsive to feedback, and detail-oriented.
• Professional portfolio demonstrating hand sketches, vector line art, handbags, small leather goods, hardware concepts, final technical packages, and photos of finished produced bags.

Pay

Base salary: $90,000–$120,000 annually. Eligible for annual target bonus based on company and individual performance. Rate of pay dependent upon candidate’s relevant skills and experience.

Benefits

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Care
• Health Savings Accounts
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Vacation Time
• Sick Time
• Paid Parental Leave
• Holidays
• Cole Haan Discounts

Location

This position is not available to be performed in Colorado.