Design Director - Ladies & Menswear Brand

This is a rare and significant opportunity to join a genuinely distinctive British lifestyle brand at a pivotal moment in its journey. This brand-new role represents a meaningful investment in design and marks a new strategic direction for the business. The brand operates across both direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels, blending physical and digital presence. Far from the corporate mainstream, it prides itself on a creative culture that champions the unconventional, attracting free thinkers, individualists and those who thrive when given real creative freedom.

This role would suit someone at Design Manager/ Head of Design level looking for their next step in their career, or an existing Design Director with a strong ladieswear background working for a retail/brand or supplier. As Design Director, you will provide creative direction and vision across all product categories, working closely with the design and buying teams to continue evolving the brand's distinctive aesthetic. You will lead, inspire, and mentor a talented team, and work collaboratively with suppliers as a key creative partner.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead, manage and mentor a mixed team of in‑house and freelance designers across all product categories.
• Set and own the overall creative direction, articulating a clear and cohesive vision that is understood across the business and translates into commercial results.
• Develop product story and theme presentations to inspire and guide internal design and buying teams throughout the season.
• Drive a culture of innovation and creative expression, generating fresh concepts and products that are genuinely distinctive and aligned with the brand's ethos.
• Lead the end‑to‑end design and development process, maintaining an uncompromising focus on quality and detail at every stage.
• Take a hands‑on approach to commercially viable product development illustrating key shapes, prints and design details to support development teams.
• Present designs, stories, themes, and seasonal collections to both internal stakeholders and external client partners, strengthening relationships and brand perception.
• Collaborate closely with the marketing and creative team to establish a strong, cohesive brand identity across all channels including photoshoots, campaigns, packaging, and digital.
• Identify opportunities to grow and evolve the product range for both existing and new customer segments.
• Work directly with the CEO to develop new brands and sub‑brands in support of the company’s longer‑term growth ambitions.
• Drive innovation, pace, and accuracy across the design function in a fast‑moving seasonal environment.

Person Specification:

• Proven track record at Design Director or Head of Design level within fashion, with experience across multiple product categories.
• Experience within a founder‑led business or supplier environment would be a real advantage, as an understanding of how those organisations work, the agility, the pace, and the personal investment is important.
• Strong commercial acumen and a demonstrable history of translating creative vision into products that sell, with an understanding of the full development cycle.
• Experienced in leading, inspiring, and developing both in‑house and freelance creative talent across a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Deep knowledge of trend forecasting, seasonal calendars, and the ability to develop compelling product stories and theme presentations.
• Confident and credible communicator, comfortable presenting to senior leadership, client partners and cross‑functional teams.
• Collaborative working style with experience bridging creative, marketing and commercial functions to build a cohesive brand identity.
• Bags of enthusiasm and genuine energy, someone who clearly loves what they do.
• Comfort working outside traditional trend cycles, designing for character, longevity, and personality.
• A bold, visionary creative with a strong personal point of view passionate about individuality, originality and brand‑building.
• Entrepreneurial mindset comfortable with pace, ambiguity and creative risk‑taking in a non‑corporate, independently spirited environment.
• Experience in brand or sub‑brand development is desirable, as is exposure to both direct‑to‑consumer and wholesale environments.