Design Director - Non-Apparel

Job Description:

Design Director, Non-Apparel-A&F

Our Design team is the driving force behind our brand’s commitment to beautiful, authentic designs and quality materials and construction. Designers manage the full design and development process, from concept and technical execution through initial sample and final production. We value originality, product excellence, and a deep understanding of our customer. Reporting to the SVP of A&F Design, this leader will oversee A&F Non-Apparel Design across both genders and help shape and scale a rapidly growing, high-priority business. This entrepreneurial leader will establish the creative and technical foundation for categories including footwear, bags, belts, and other accessories while building the capabilities and best practices needed for continued growth. 

What Will You Be Doing?

• 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 our customer, and support the growth of this priority business. 

• Create seasonal concept decks that translate brand, trend, and customer direction into clear product stories, category opportunities, materials, color, construction, and design details. 

• Translate and adapt original concepts across multiple vendors and white-label production models while maintaining a consistent brand point of view, elevated 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. 

• Leverage deep expertise in non-apparel materials, components, construction, finish, fit, function, and manufacturing to elevate quality and execution across footwear, bags, belts, and related categories. 

• Lead and develop a small, high-performing design team while teaching category best practices, technical knowledge, construction standards, and broader industry expertise. 

• Partner closely 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. 

• Operate with an entrepreneurial, highly hands-on mindset while setting long-term vision, solving problems quickly, managing evolving priorities, and presenting seasonal concepts and product strategies to senior leadership with confidence and clarity. 

What Do You Need to Bring? 

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design or related field preferred; 9+ years of experience with significant experience designing for non-apparel categories. 

• Category Expertise: Demonstrated experience designing and developing footwear, bags, belts, accessories, or other non-apparel product from concept through production. 

• Materials & Construction: Expert knowledge of non-apparel materials, hardware, components, construction methods, finishes, costing considerations, and manufacturing standards. 

• Technical Expertise: Strong ability to create and evaluate tech packs, specifications, sketches, and construction details that clearly communicate design intent to internal teams and external vendors. 

• Vendor & White-Label Experience: Proven ability to translate concepts across different vendors and white-label production models while protecting brand consistency, quality, and customer relevance. 

• Concept & Product Vision: Exceptional ability to create compelling concept decks and translate macro trends, brand direction, and customer insights into a cohesive, differentiated assortment across both genders. 

• Leadership & Teaching: Proven ability to lead and develop design talent, establish best practices, and teach category knowledge, industry standards, and technical skills to teams and partners. 

• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Thrives in a small-team, high-growth environment and is comfortable moving between strategy and hands-on execution, creating structure where needed, and operating with urgency and ownership. 

• Influence: Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to align cross-functional partners, external vendors, and senior leaders around a clear product vision. 

• Collaboration & Adaptability: Ability to build strong partnerships across Design, Merchandising, Planning, Sourcing, and Tech Design teams while managing multiple categories, vendors, and evolving priorities. 

• Passion for Product: Strong eye for fashion, trend, construction, and detail with a passion for creating exceptional product for the A&F customer. 

This job is located at our Global Home Office in Columbus, Ohio.

Company Description

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F Co.) is a global, digitally led omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories catering to kids through millennials with assortments curated for their specific lifestyle needs.

The company operates a family of brands, including Abercrombie brands and Hollister brands, each sharing a commitment to offer products of enduring quality and exceptional comfort that support global customers on their journey to being and becoming who they are. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. operates stores under these brands across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the e-commerce sites abercrombie.com, abercrombiekids.com and hollisterco.com.

Learn more about A&F Co. by visiting our corporate website here.

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.