Designer II Accessories & Home

L.L.Bean • Freeport, ME

10d • $98,100 - $122,600 • Hybrid

About The Position

L.L.Bean is seeking a Designer II specializing in Accessories and Home to help shape the aesthetic of its collections, including color, pattern, silhouette, materials, and trim. The role works closely with Product Development and Merchandising to research market trends, define seasonal concepts, build color palettes, and create distinctive, brand-right designs aligned with product and business strategies. The position is based in Freeport, Maine, requires relocation to Maine, and requires working in the office four or more days per week.

The Accessories category includes headwear, neckwear, handwear, belts, socks, and base layer. Home includes bed and bath, pet, impulse items, and holiday. The designer researches trends and competitive markets, develops seasonal product concepts, and partners with corporate merchandising, Product Development, color and trend services, graphics teams, mills, and vendors to create commercially viable products that meet design, margin, target-price, and quality objectives. The role includes domestic and international travel, including travel to Asia to meet mills and vendors, conduct research, and develop products.

The designer develops concepts, mood boards, palettes, trend direction, product presentations, vendor decks, and print, pattern, and graphic packages. They maintain product cohesion and design intent across categories, support product development and technical handoff, attend fittings and reviews, and prepare for key meetings. Every employee is responsible for contributing to a safe and healthy workplace by following safety policies, reporting unsafe conditions or at-risk behaviors, and working safely. The anticipated starting base pay is $98,100–$122,600; individual compensation may vary based on experience, qualifications, education, location, skills, competencies, and proficiency.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree required.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience required.
• Advanced cross-functional communication skills.
• Proven ability to build strong partnerships with team members and vendors.

Responsibilities

• Create seasonal concepts and mood boards defining key looks, trends, colors, fabrics, trims, and silhouettes.
• Develop commercially viable product ideas aligned with the L.L.Bean brand.
• Create seasonal trend direction, product presentations, and vendor decks.
• Define and communicate seasonal color palettes.
• Support execution of the corporate seasonal product design strategy.
• Research brand-appropriate trends and product ideas, markets, and competitive brands through domestic travel and trade shows.
• Travel to Asia to meet with mills and vendors, conduct research, develop products, and ensure products meet commercialization standards.
• Partner with Corporate Merchandising Managers to validate product viability and identify assortment opportunities.
• Define fabric direction for hand feel, drape, and aesthetic, partnering with Product Development to meet design, margin, and target-price objectives.
• Partner with color and trend services to establish seasonal concepts and trends, and with print and pattern vendors to establish seasonal surface-pattern direction.
• Ensure product consistency and cohesion, aligning Accessories and Home aesthetics with other categories.
• Introduce new, on-brand silhouettes and styling details each season.
• Collaborate with Product Design on materials and with the lab to ensure trims pass testing.
• Partner with the Graphics team to establish graphic and surface-pattern direction.
• Present fresh, commercially viable colors and patterns for key items and relist programs each season.
• Partner with mills and vendors to ensure fabrics and surface patterns meet standards.
• Distribute color cards and approve lab dips, strike-offs, and related materials.
• Develop print, pattern, and graphic packages for products.
• Present sketches and prototype samples at key check-ins and meetings.
• Create and maintain accurate pre-production bills of materials (BOMs) and color combinations (CCs) in Lawson.
• Communicate repeat requirements for patterns and prints.
• Partner with Product Development to finalize product details with vendors and create development specification packages; select fit blocks appropriate for each wearing occasion.
• Ensure a thorough handoff to Technical Design.
• Attend fittings and reviews, providing feedback on fit and styling to preserve design aesthetic and align with the selected fit block.
• Participate in retail walkthroughs to ensure presentations reflect design intent.
• Prepare presentations, rigs, and mannequins for key meetings to communicate seasonal direction and product ideas; support milestone success and align with partners on M2M strategies, initiatives, and actions.
• Follow health and safety policies and procedures, report unsafe conditions or at-risk behaviors to leadership, and conduct work safely.

Benefits

• The company describes a benefits package with programs and perks designed to support employees’ health and financial goals, but does not specify individual benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level