Urban Outfitters Assistant Design Director - Denim & Structured Wovens

Urban Outfitters•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

Urban Outfitters is seeking an Assistant Design Director to lead Casual Wovens, Denim Lifestyle, and Structured product within Women’s Design, for the BDG brand. This is a highly product-driven leadership role for someone with exceptional taste, strong technical knowledge, and a forward point of view on how denim and casual woven product are evolving for the next generation of the UO customer. Working closely with the Senior Design Director, this role will help define the seasonal vision and build a compelling lifestyle around denim—connecting jeans, pants, shorts, skirts, shirting, jackets, utility pieces, and structured product into a cohesive assortment and outfitting point of view. We are looking for someone who can see beyond individual items to build a world around the product. Someone who understands the nuances of a great jeans, but can also identify the next important pant shape, jacket proportion, woven top, fabrication, wash, or styling idea that makes denim feel new again. The ideal candidate combines strong fashion instinct, cultural curiosity, technical expertise, commercial awareness, and inspiring leadership with a genuine obsession for product.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive apparel design experience, with significant expertise in denim, washed product, casual wovens, bottoms, jackets, and structured product, along with demonstrated experience leading and developing designers.
Exceptional taste and product instinct, demonstrated through a strong professional portfolio and the ability to translate creative concepts into compelling, commercially relevant product.
Deep connection to the Urban Outfitters customer with a strong understanding of fashion, denim culture, vintage, runway, emerging brands, and global youth and cultural trends.
Expert technical knowledge of denim and apparel, including fit, proportion, construction, fabric, trims, wash, dye, finishing, garment treatments, and manufacturing processes.
Strong fabric and raw-material knowledge, with the ability to identify and develop materials, washes, and techniques that create newness while balancing quality, cost, margin, and scalability.
Proven creative leadership skills, with the ability to set clear direction, make confident product decisions, develop talent, and inspire a team toward a shared seasonal vision.
Strong business and analytical acumen, with an understanding of retail performance and the ability to use selling insights to identify opportunities, evolve franchises, and inform forward product strategy.
Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to clearly articulate a point of view, influence decisions, collaborate effectively, and present product direction with confidence.
Highly organized, proactive, and solution-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, anticipate challenges, and drive work forward in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.
Strong hand and digital design skills, with proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and the ability to independently lead fittings, product reviews, and seasonal set-ups.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Tradestone/BOM systems and AI-enabled creative tools is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Head of Design to translate seasonal concepts into a clear product vision and roadmap across denim lifestyle, casual wovens, and structured product, balancing key items, franchises, outfitting, business opportunities, and forward newness.
Maintain a deep connection to the Urban Outfitters customer and a forward perspective on fashion, denim culture, vintage, runway, emerging brands, and global youth culture. Translate research into relevant silhouettes, proportions, details, and product opportunities through a distinct UO lens.
Drive the evolution of denim fits, washes, fabrications, finishes, and construction, while identifying new opportunities across woven bottoms, shirting, jackets, utility, and structured silhouettes. Continually evolve successful franchises while identifying what is next.
Lead seasonal fabric, wash, trim, and raw-material development in partnership with Product Development, R&D, and Sourcing, ensuring the product vision is achieved while meeting quality, cost, margin, and scalability requirements.
Lead product from concept through sketch, development, fitting, sample review, and Finalization. Maintain a high standard for fit, proportion, fabrication, wash, construction, detail, and finish, identifying issues early and driving solutions.
Analyze weekly selling, rankings, and Velo metrics and partner closely with Buying to identify whitespace, chase opportunities, emerging franchises, and areas for evolution. Use business performance to inform future product direction without limiting innovation.
Lead, mentor, and develop the Design team, setting clear expectations around creativity, taste, technical execution, ownership, and accountability. Provide actionable, in-the-moment feedback and create opportunities that strengthen both individual talent and the overall team.
Build strong partnerships across Buying, Product Development, Production, R&D, Sourcing, and Print + Color. Own seasonal milestones, set-ups, fittings, and presentations; manage calendars and budgets; anticipate obstacles; and drive clear, timely decisions to keep the team and product moving forward.