Job DescriptionJob OverviewThe Head of Design is responsible for establishing and maintaining a consistent design vision across UNRL's product assortment. This role ensures that products, categories, colors, and seasons come together as a cohesive expression of the UNRL brand while continuing to push the organization forward through thoughtful design and innovation. Reporting to the Director of Product, the Head of Design provides creative leadership across the Design team, including coaching and supporting the Men's and Women's Designers. This role partners closely with Line Management and Product Development to translate product strategy into compelling products while protecting design intent throughout the product creation process. The Head of Design is responsible for defining how UNRL products should look and feel and ensuring that creative decisions balance brand, consumer, and commercial needs.
Responsibilities- Maintain design consistency across categories, products, collections, and seasons to create a recognizable UNRL design language.
- Establish design standards and guide the overall design direction of the product assortment.
- Own the seasonal color strategy, including development of seasonal palettes, color purpose, and application across the assortment.
- Ensure colors merchandise cohesively across categories and collections while balancing core colors, seasonal colors, and newness.
- Review and provide design direction on product concepts, materials, silhouettes, graphics, trims, details, and overall product execution.
- Coach and support the Men's, Women's, and SMU Designers, providing design feedback, direction, and development.
- Partner with Line Management to translate consumer needs, product briefs, assortment strategies, and commercial priorities into compelling products.
- Partner with Product Development throughout the development process to protect design intent while balancing cost, quality, performance, manufacturability, and timeline requirements.
- Drive design innovation through new concepts, materials, construction, details, and creative solutions.
- Maintain a strong understanding of consumer, competitive, cultural, and design trends while ensuring UNRL develops a distinct point of view rather than following the market.
- Lead key design and seasonal color reviews, ensuring decisions are made at the appropriate GTM milestones.
- Balance creativity and innovation with consumer needs, brand strategy, assortment cohesion, and commercial objectives.
- Continuously raise the standard for design quality, consistency, and execution across the organization.
What Good Looks LikeSuccess in this role means UNRL has a clear and recognizable product design language that carries consistently across categories and seasons while continuing to evolve.
A successful design leader will:- Create a clear and differentiated design point of view for UNRL.
- Build consistency across Men's, Women's, and SMU while allowing each assortment to serve its specific consumer.
- Establish a cohesive seasonal color strategy that merchandises effectively across the entire line.
- Raise the design standard across product concepts, materials, silhouettes, graphics, and details.
- Create stronger connections between products and categories so the assortment feels intentional and cohesive.
- Develop and elevate the capabilities of the Design team.
- Introduce meaningful innovation without creating unnecessary complexity.
- Protect design intent throughout development while effectively navigating commercial and operational realities.
- Build strong partnerships across Line Management and Development.
Requirements- 5+ years of progressive apparel design experience, including experience operating at a senior design level.
- Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain a strong design point of view across multiple products or categories.
- Strong experience developing seasonal color palettes and applying color strategically across an assortment.
- Experience designing premium apparel, performance apparel, lifestyle products, or related consumer products.
- Demonstrated experience coaching, mentoring, or providing creative direction to other designers.
- Experience partnering closely with Product Line Management/Merchandising and Product Development.
- Strong understanding of the end-to-end apparel product creation process.
- Proven ability to balance creative vision with consumer, commercial, and operational needs.
Technical Expertise- Deep understanding of apparel design, including materials, silhouettes, construction, fit, graphics, trims, and product details.
- Strong color theory and color merchandising expertise.
- Ability to build cohesive seasonal design and color stories across multiple categories.
- Strong understanding of fabric, construction, performance attributes, and apparel manufacturing.
- Ability to translate consumer and product strategy into compelling design solutions.
- Strong understanding of apparel development processes, calendars, and critical milestones.
- Proficiency with industry-standard design and product creation tools.
- Strong presentation and communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate and defend design direction.
Preferred Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Apparel Design, Fashion Design, Industrial Design, or a related field.
- Experience within premium apparel, golf, performance, athleisure, or lifestyle brands.
- Experience designing across both Men's and Women's categories.
- Experience working across multiple apparel categories and use cases.
- Experience developing performance and technically constructed apparel.
- Experience helping build or evolve a recognizable brand design language.
- Experience within a fast-growing or entrepreneurial consumer brand.
Our Leadership Principles- Lead with ownership, accountability, and integrity.
- Put the consumer and exceptional products at the center of creative decisions.
- Bring a strong point of view while remaining open to collaboration and feedback.
- Think holistically about the brand and assortment, not just individual products.
- Balance creativity and innovation with commercial and operational realities.
- Set a high design standard and help others achieve it.
- Build trust through clear direction, constructive feedback, and follow-through.
- Collaborate across functions to protect design intent and deliver exceptional product.
- Challenge the status quo and continuously push UNRL's product forward.
- Maintain an uncompromising standard for design quality and brand excellence.
Why UNRLUNRL is redefining premium performance apparel through innovation, exceptional products, and an obsessive focus on the consumer. As the Head of Design, you'll help shape the product design direction of the brand, building a recognizable design language and ensuring every product feels distinctly UNRL.
Benefits- Health Insurance (Immediate Eligibility)
- Dental Insurance (Immediate Eligibility)
- Vision Insurance (Immediate Eligibility)
- Annual Performance Bonus (Immediate Eligibility based on Company and Individual Performance)
- 401(k) Profit Sharing Retirement Plan (Eligibility begins after 1 year of employment)
- 401(k) 4% Employer match (Eligibility begins after 1 year of employment)
- PTO (Immediate Eligibility)
- Employee Discount on UNRL product (Immediate Eligibility)
