Design Director, Non-Apparel - A&F

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.•Columbus, OH

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Design Director, Non-Apparel will oversee A&F Women’s and Men’s Non-Apparel Design and help shape and scale a rapidly growing, high-priority business. Reporting to the SVP of A&F Design, this leader will establish the creative and technical foundation for footwear, bags, belts, and other accessories, while building capabilities and best practices for continued growth. The role is based at the Global Home Office in Columbus, Ohio. The Design Director leads product vision and direction, creates seasonal concepts, and owns the design process from research and concept through production handoff. The position requires deep non-apparel expertise, strong vendor and cross-functional partnerships, and the ability to balance brand vision with customer needs, quality, cost, and speed to market. The leader will also develop a small design team, identify business opportunities, and present product strategies to senior leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or a related field preferred.
At least 9 years of experience, including significant experience designing for non-apparel categories.
Demonstrated experience designing and developing footwear, bags, belts, accessories, or other non-apparel products from concept through production.
Expert knowledge of non-apparel materials, hardware, components, construction methods, finishes, costing considerations, and manufacturing standards.
Strong ability to create and evaluate tech packs, specifications, sketches, and construction details that communicate design intent to internal teams and external vendors.
Proven ability to translate concepts across vendors and white-label production models while protecting brand consistency, quality, and customer relevance.
Exceptional ability to create concept decks and translate trends, brand direction, and customer insights into a cohesive, differentiated assortment across both genders.
Proven ability to lead and develop design talent, establish best practices, and teach category knowledge, industry standards, and technical skills.
Ability to thrive in a small-team, high-growth environment, move between strategy and hands-on execution, create structure, and operate with urgency and ownership.
Exceptional communication and presentation skills, including the ability to align cross-functional partners, vendors, and senior leaders around a product vision.
Ability to build partnerships across Design, Merchandising, Planning, Sourcing, and Tech Design while managing multiple categories, vendors, and changing priorities.
Strong eye for fashion, trend, construction, and detail, with a passion for creating exceptional product for the A&F customer.

Responsibilities

Lead design vision and product direction for A&F Women’s and Men’s Non-Apparel, creating cohesive assortments that reflect the brand aesthetic and support business growth.
Create seasonal concept decks translating brand, trend, and customer direction into product stories, category opportunities, materials, color, construction, and design details.
Adapt original concepts across multiple vendors and white-label production models while maintaining brand consistency, elevated standards, and commercial relevance.
Own the end-to-end design process, from concept, research, and sketching through material selection, tech pack creation, sampling, approvals, and production handoff.
Apply expertise in non-apparel materials, components, construction, finish, fit, function, and manufacturing to elevate quality and execution.
Lead and develop a small design team, teaching category best practices, technical knowledge, construction standards, and industry expertise.
Partner with Merchandising, Sourcing, Tech Design, Planning, and vendors to balance creative vision, customer needs, quality, cost, and speed to market.
Identify whitespace and growth opportunities using market analysis, competitive research, trend insights, customer feedback, and business performance.
Build scalable tools, standards, and ways of working as the business grows.
Set long-term vision, solve problems quickly, manage evolving priorities, and present seasonal concepts and product strategies to senior leadership.