Associate Creative Director, Apparel & Accessories Design

1 Month ago • 10 Years +

Job Summary

Job Description

The Associate Creative Director, Apparel & Accessories Design will lead the creative strategy and design direction for WHOOP's Apparel & Accessories product range. This role involves developing product concepts from sketches to final iteration, providing design-driven feedback, and aligning Apparel & Accessories with other teams. Responsibilities include trend forecasting, color development, graphic design direction, and supporting product launch storytelling. The role also involves mentoring the design team and staying ahead of industry trends. The candidate will need to ensure the apparel designs reflect emerging trends while aligning with the brand's vision and innovation.

Must have:

10+ years of design leadership experience
Expertise in trend forecasting and CMF
Ability to drive creative strategy and execution
Experience working cross-functionally with teams
Strong skills in visual storytelling and design critique

9 skills required

9 skills required for this role

Add these skills to join the top 1% applicants for this job

product-vision

innovation

product-launch

visual-storytelling

forecasting-budgeting

storytelling

organisational-skills

graphics-design

team-management

Job Details

At WHOOP, we’re on a mission to unlock human performance. WHOOP empowers members to perform at a higher level through a deeper understanding of their bodies and daily lives.

We are seeking an Associate Creative Director, Apparel & Accessories Design, to drive the creative strategy and design direction for our Apparel & Accessories product range. This role will have creative influence over our Apparel & Accessories product offering ensuring that all soft goods designs not only reflect emerging trends but also align with our brand’s aesthetic vision, storytelling, and innovation.

This role is based in the WHOOP office located in Boston, MA. The successful candidate must be prepared to relocate if necessary to work out of the Boston, MA office.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Directly contribute to the Apparel & Accessories design process by developing, iterating, and executing product concepts from sketches to final iteration, ensuring our designs are both innovative and aligned with the WHOOP brand.
Provide design-driven feedback to elevate product design, ensuring our apparel and accessories maintain the highest standards of quality, innovation, and performance.
Act as a creative connector across teams, aligning Apparel & Accessories with Industrial Design, Engineering, Product Marketing, and the wider marketing organization.
Develop and implement a strategic creative roadmap, ensuring consistency in design storytelling, material selection, and trend forecasting.
Lead seasonal trend forecasting, color development, and product aesthetics, ensuring a cohesive and forward-thinking product vision.
Manage and organize trend research, mood boards, and material libraries to drive creative decision-making.
Conduct aesthetic reviews of inbound design requests from partners, external brands, and collaborations.
Own and guide graphic design direction, ensuring it integrates seamlessly into the WHOOP brand.
Support product launch storytelling, ensuring that color, material, and design decisions are effectively communicated.
Champion process improvements to keep design work and calendars on track, reducing inefficiencies.
Stay ahead of macro trends in performance wear, lifestyle fashion, and technology, translating insights into actionable product strategies.
Mentor and guide the broader design team, fostering creative growth and alignment.

QUALIFICATIONS:

10+ years of experience in design leadership roles, with expertise in trend forecasting, color, and CMF (Color, Material, Finish). Experience in wearables and consumer goods is a plus.
Proven ability to drive creative strategy and execution, ensuring design alignment across multiple product categories.
Strong experience working cross-functionally with Design, Product, and Marketing teams to align on aesthetic strategy.
Highly skilled in visual storytelling, design critique, and presentation creation.
Strong organizational and project management skills, ensuring design calendars and creative milestones are met.
Passionate about consumer-driven innovation and design excellence.
Ability to influence key stakeholders, ensuring aesthetic consistency and brand alignment across all products.

Interested in the role but don’t meet every qualification? We encourage you to apply! At WHOOP, we believe there’s more to a candidate than what’s on paper, and we value character as much as experience. As we continue to build a diverse and inclusive environment, we welcome all applicants.

WHOOP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-verify to determine employment eligibility. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.