Design Manager

Design Manager

Founded in 2000, FAM Brands designs, manufactures, and sells men's and women's sportswear and active wear apparel to major retailers, big box stores, and specialty boutiques across the country and throughout the world. Our portfolio of proprietary brands features Marika, Wildfox, Three Dots, and Balance Collection, while a partial list of licensing partners includes Orvis, Jessica Simpson, Eddie Bauer, and Woolrich.

With the capacity to produce over 75 million units per year, our mission continues to be making top-quality apparel accessible to everyone at an impressive value and an irresistible price.

That's the FAM Brands difference.

Summary

FAM Brands is seeking a strategic and hands-on Director of Design to lead and elevate our design function across multiple product categories, including sportswear, women's, and men's sportswear. This role will oversee and mentor three Design Managers, ensuring cohesive vision, brand alignment, and executional excellence across all offerings.

The ideal candidate brings a strong balance of creative leadership, operational rigor, and deep understanding of the activewear and apparel market. They will drive innovation while maintaining the speed, cost-efficiency, and commercial focus required in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

What You'll Do

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop three Design Managers across Sportswear, Women's, and Men's categories
• Foster a high-performance, collaborative, and accountable design culture
• Provide clear direction, feedback, and career development opportunities for design teams
• Champion creativity while ensuring alignment with business goals and timelines

Creative Direction & Brand Consistency

• Define and drive the overall design vision across all categories
• Ensure consistency in brand identity, seasonal storytelling, and product aesthetics
• Review and approve design concepts, ensuring alignment with brand strategy and customer expectations
• Elevate product design through trend-right innovation and competitive benchmarking

Product Strategy & Execution

• Partner with Merchandising, Product Development, and Production teams to build compelling assortments
• Translate business objectives into actionable design strategies
• Ensure designs meet margin targets, cost constraints, and production feasibility
• Oversee seasonal calendars, ensuring timely delivery of all design milestones

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with merchandising to align on assortment plans and category strategies
• Partner with sourcing and development teams to ensure material and construction innovation
• Collaborate with marketing and branding teams on campaigns, lookbooks, and product storytelling
• Act as a key voice in leadership meetings, representing design priorities and insights

Trend & Market Insight

• Maintain deep knowledge of market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive landscape
• Drive innovation through research, travel, and trend forecasting
• Identify new opportunities for growth and category expansion

About You

• 10+ years of experience in apparel design, with 3–5+ years in a leadership role
• Proven success managing and developing multiple design teams and/or managers
• Strong background in sportswear, activewear, or performance apparel preferred
• Deep understanding of the full product lifecycle from concept through production
• Demonstrated ability to balance creative vision with commercial and margin goals
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate business objectives into design direction
• Strong leadership presence with excellent communication and influencing skills
• Highly organized with strong project management capabilities in fast-paced environments
• Collaborative mindset with cross-functional partnership experience
• Strong trend awareness and ability to drive innovation
• Ability to operate with speed, agility, and attention to detail

Commitment to Equal Employment Opportunities & Diversity

FAM Brands is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. FAM Brands makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Notice for Job Applicants

FAM LLC values your privacy. This notice outlines our practices regarding the personal information of job applicants in compliance with the CCPA.

What We Collect: We collect information you provide in your job application, including contact details, educational and employment history.

Purpose: We use this information to evaluate your application and manage the hiring process.

Disclosure: Your personal information may be shared with service providers assisting with recruitment and as required by law.

Your Rights: Under the CCPA, you have the right to access and request deletion of your personal information and to not face discrimination for exercising these rights.

For questions or to exercise your rights, contact recruiting@fambrands.com.

By applying, you acknowledge you understand our privacy practices.