Design Director, Non-Apparel - A&F

Abercrombie & Fitch•Columbus, OH

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Design Director, Non-Apparel will oversee A&F Non-Apparel Design across women’s and men’s categories, helping 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 developing capabilities and best practices to support continued growth. The role leads the design vision and product direction, creating cohesive assortments that reflect the brand aesthetic and meet customer and business needs. It owns the design process from concept, research, and sketching through material selection, tech packs, sampling, approvals, and production handoff. The director will apply deep non-apparel expertise, lead and develop a small design team, and partner with cross-functional teams and vendors to balance creative vision, quality, cost, and speed to market. The position is based at Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s Global Home Office in Columbus, Ohio. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is a global, digitally led omnichannel specialty retailer operating Abercrombie and Hollister brands, with stores and e-commerce sites serving customers across multiple regions.

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 differentiated assortments 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, moving between strategy and hands-on execution and operating 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 products for the A&F customer.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design or a related field.

Responsibilities

Lead the design vision and product direction for A&F Women’s and Men’s Non-Apparel, creating cohesive assortments that reflect the brand aesthetic, resonate with customers, 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 vendors and white-label production models while maintaining brand consistency, product 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.
Use non-apparel expertise to elevate quality and execution across footwear, bags, belts, and related categories.
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 through 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 while working hands-on, solving problems, managing evolving priorities, and presenting seasonal concepts and product strategies to senior leadership.