Principal Designer - Apparel
About The Position
YETI is seeking a highly experienced apparel design leader and subject matter expert to shape the future of its apparel business. The Principal Designer translates brand, consumer, and business objectives into a cohesive design vision supporting the long-term success of the apparel function. Working with the VP Product Creation, Apparel, the role designs across apparel categories and genders and partners with Product Management, Product Development, Sourcing, and senior leaders to bring premium apparel to market. A primary responsibility is leading all aspects of design for women’s performance apparel, including creative direction, product concepting, fit, fabric innovation, construction, and design intent from early concept through fittings and production. The role calls for strong judgment, deep apparel expertise, and the ability to solve complex and sometimes ambiguous design challenges that may affect the broader apparel function. The Principal Designer influences cross-functional partners, provides design and process guidance, and helps ensure apparel is purpose-built, brand-right, commercially relevant, and built to last.
Requirements
- More than 10 years of progressive apparel design experience across performance and branded apparel, with demonstrated expertise across men’s, women’s, and/or kids’ categories.
- Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Apparel Design, Industrial Design, or a related field.
- Deep expertise in apparel design, fabrics, trims, garment construction, fit, performance attributes, and premium product execution.
- Experience setting seasonal design vision and creative strategy across a brand, product portfolio, or complex apparel category.
- Ability to influence senior leaders and cross-functional partners through clear design rationale, strong judgment, and practical recommendations.
- Ability to solve complex product-design challenges, evaluate tradeoffs, and make decisions balancing consumer needs, brand standards, manufacturability, cost, calendar, and quality.
- Experience working closely with overseas vendors, global supply chain partners, and internal development teams from concept through production.
- Strong aesthetic sensibility, technical depth, practical problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a disciplined point of view.
- Fluency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator and Photoshop.
- Ability to manage multiple styles, seasons, priorities, and cross-functional inputs in a fast-paced, calendar-driven environment.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, including comfort explaining design assumptions, methodologies, and product recommendations to senior leadership.
- Ability to travel internationally to global supply chain partners without assistance.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with PLM systems.
Responsibilities
- Set seasonal design vision and creative strategy across performance and branded apparel, aligning product direction with YETI brand standards, consumer needs, and business goals.
- Partner with senior leadership to define the apparel design roadmap, represent design in cross-functional planning, and connect design decisions to broader functional priorities.
- Lead development of innovative, marketable, and technically sound apparel designs across performance and branded categories, owning design direction from concept through production, with emphasis on fit, fabric innovation, construction, and durability.
- Serve as an internal design expert for women’s performance apparel and contribute specialized expertise across the broader apparel portfolio, including men’s, women’s, and kids’ categories as needed.
- Translate seasonal line plans, consumer insights, performance requirements, and market opportunities into product solutions aligned with YETI’s assortment and brand strategy.
- Research market trends, emerging materials, competitive assortments, and consumer expectations, and determine how they inform a disciplined, brand-right point of view for YETI apparel.
- Own technical design intent, including fabric selection, trims, construction details, fit standards, color direction, and design specifications supporting product quality and manufacturability.
- Determine design approaches for assigned categories and initiatives and develop practical solutions consistent with functional objectives and scalable as the apparel business grows.
- Collaborate with Product Management, Product Development, Sourcing, Merchandising, and vendor partners to ensure designs are manufacturable, cost-aware, calendar-aligned, and commercially viable.
- Guide creation of design presentations, tech packs, sketches, color direction, and specifications that communicate design intent to cross-functional and vendor partners.
- Lead fittings and product reviews, providing direction to refine fit, function, finish, construction, and end-use performance.
- Provide process, design, and product guidance to cross-functional partners and influence others without direct reporting authority.
- Identify opportunities to improve design processes, tools, and ways of working to increase quality, efficiency, consistency, and speed to market.
Benefits
- Benefits and perks are offered by YETI; specific benefits are not detailed in the posting.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
