Product Designer

Design Observer · Boca Raton, FL · 2 wk ago

Full-time

About the Role

This role supports Travelpro’s evolution into a more design-led, consumer-centric, and fashion-conscious brand. The Product Designer, Travel & Handbags is responsible for creating travel bags, handbags, backpacks, and other soft goods that seamlessly blend style, functionality, quality, and innovation. This position requires a strong understanding of fashion, materials, color, silhouette, and consumer trends, combined with technical product development expertise. The ideal candidate possesses a refined design aesthetic and a passion for creating products that resonate emotionally with consumers while meeting the performance expectations of modern travelers. This role plays a critical part in elevating Travelpro’s product offering, helping shape a more premium and aspirational brand identity that appeals to a broader lifestyle and fashion-oriented consumer.

Responsibilities

Lead the creative design and aesthetic direction of soft goods product lines, ensuring alignment with brand vision, consumer insights, and seasonal product briefs.
Design innovative travel products and accessories with a strong focus on fashion, materials, color, silhouette, usability, and elevated consumer appeal.
Demonstrate a highly developed eye for materials, finishes, trims, hardware, and detailing to create premium, fashion-forward products that align with brand positioning.
Leverage deep knowledge of textiles, fabric constructions, material applications, and finishing techniques to inform design decisions and enhance product quality, performance, and aesthetic appeal.
Create detailed product specifications, tech packs, material callouts, and development documentation for manufacturing partners.
Partner closely with Product Development to understand consumer needs and meaningfully integrate them into design.
Lead the selection and management of color, material, trim, and hardware samples, ensuring consistency with seasonal design direction and product storytelling.
Communicate and coordinate material development with sourcing teams to bring products from concept through commercialization.
Evaluate prototypes and production samples, providing clear feedback and revisions to manufacturing partners to ensure quality, fit, finish, functionality, and design integrity.
Research market trends, consumer behaviors, fashion influences, emerging materials, and innovative fabrication techniques to inspire forward-thinking product concepts and category innovation.
Drive product excellence by proactively identifying opportunities to improve quality, functionality, cost efficiency, material execution, and overall consumer experience.
Manage development timelines and sample tracking to ensure on-time delivery against key milestones and presentation deadlines.
Collaborate cross-functionally to maintain consistency across product collections, branding, and storytelling initiatives.

Requirements

3-5 years of experience in product design, soft goods, accessories, fashion, or related consumer product categories.
Strong background in designing aesthetically driven consumer products with an emphasis on soft goods, bags, travel accessories, or lifestyle products.
Experience working within consumer brands, retail, DTC, or fashion-driven product organizations.
Proven success balancing creative design vision with technical product execution and commercialization requirements.
Experience collaborating cross-functionally with merchandising, sourcing, development, engineering, and manufacturing teams.
3+ years mentoring or guiding designers and contributing to collaborative creative team environments.

Skills

Excellent visual communication, sketching, presentation, and storytelling skills.
Strong design aesthetic with a passion for consumer products, fashion trends, color, materials, and storytelling.
Ability to translate consumer insights and market trends into commercially successful product concepts.
Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Technical understanding of soft goods construction, manufacturing processes, materials, and product development workflows.
Strong problem-solving mindset with the ability to balance creativity, functionality, quality, and cost considerations.
Adaptability and agility in evolving business environments and shifting priorities.
Collaborative mindset with the ability to build strong partnerships across teams and external vendors.

Why This Role Matters

This role plays a critical part in shaping the future of Travelpro’s product identity and consumer experience. As the company continues evolving into a more design-led and innovation-driven organization, this position helps elevate the emotional connection consumers have with the brand through thoughtful, trend-relevant, and functional product design. The Product Designer drives the development of products that not only perform at a high level but also resonate aesthetically with modern travelers. Success in this role contributes directly to product differentiation, brand elevation, consumer engagement, and long-term business growth.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Product Design, Accessories Design, or equivalent relevant experience.
Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Vizcom.
Experience with Adobe Creative Suite and product rendering or 3D visualization tools preferred.
Knowledge of soft goods construction, paper patterns, sewing techniques, and materials including leather, faux leather, nylon, polyester, and foam applications.
Familiarity with manufacturing processes and development workflows for consumer products and travel goods.
Experience creating detailed tech packs and managing product development from concept through commercialization.
Strong understanding of consumer product terminology, fit and finish expectations, and product quality standards.

Schedule

Hybrid office environment: 4 days in-office, 1 day remote with hands-on interaction with physical products. Occasional travel for vendor development, market research, and inspiration.

Benefits

A Culture Built For Growth: Collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Flexibility & Wellbeing: Flexible Time Away, company-paid holidays, and hybrid work flexibility.
Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Accounts, and wellness programs.
Invest In Your Future: 401(k) company match.
Community & Connection: Employee-led engagement initiatives focused on wellbeing, collaboration, and creating a workplace where everyone belongs.

About Travelpro

Travelpro was founded by airline pilot Bob Plath, whose firsthand travel experience inspired the invention of the original Rollaboard suitcase — changing modern travel forever. Today, we are building on that legacy as we evolve into a modern mobility and travel lifestyle brand designed for today’s global traveler. Our products combine aviation-level performance with elevated design, helping ambitious people move confidently through every journey.