Senior Designer | Technical Performance Apparel
Own the creative vision and seasonal design direction for a premium activewear brand, taking technical performance apparel from research and concept through to final production-ready CADs.
- Location
- London
- Workplace
- Hybrid
- Function
- Design & Product
- Industry
- Activewear
- Salary
- £60,000–£70,000
The opportunity.
Designing performance apparel means thinking about how a garment moves, feels and functions from the first sketch. Fabric, construction and proportion all need to work together, with the finished product delivering on both appearance and performance.
ETISK is working with a premium activewear brand looking for a Senior Designer to own its creative vision and seasonal design direction. You’ll shape the range aesthetic across categories and stay hands-on through research, concepts, fabric selection and final CADs.
There’s real creative ownership here, alongside the practical demands of getting technical product right. Your designs need to deliver for the customer, work within factory capabilities and meet cost and launch requirements. You’ll work closely with Technical Developers, who lead fit sessions and technical factory communication, while you remain responsible for the creative and aesthetic outcome.
What you’ll own.
- Set the seasonal design direction, translating research, customer insight and sales performance into a clear, commercially relevant range.
- Design across the performance apparel collection, taking products from initial sketches through to detailed, production-ready CADs and developer handover.
- Source performance fabrics, trims and materials with the Technical Developers, assessing aesthetic suitability, construction possibilities and sustainability credentials.
- Contribute to fit sessions and review pre-production and shipment samples, checking that proportion, detail and overall finish deliver your design intent.
- Run the wear-testing programme alongside the development team, interpreting feedback and testing products yourself to inform improvements.
- Keep range plans and design deadlines on track, direct the Product Assistant on CAD updates and support tasks, and travel to fabric shows or factories when required.
What you’ll bring.
- At least eight years’ product design experience, including a minimum of two years in sportswear or performance apparel.
- A portfolio showing strong technical apparel design and your ability to develop a cohesive range from concept through to final CAD.
- Detailed knowledge of performance fabrics and garment construction, with the ability to make informed design decisions about how a product will look, feel and perform.
- Expert Adobe Illustrator skills and confidence producing precise CADs that communicate design intent clearly.
- Commercial judgement, close attention to proportion and finish, and the organisation to manage seasonal workloads while remaining hands-on.
- A collaborative approach and the confidence to own creative decisions, respond to feedback and work through product challenges with developers.
- Seamless manufacturing experience would be useful but is not essential. An active interest in sport and first-hand understanding of what you need from your kit would also be an advantage.
Why consider it.
- Own the creative vision and seasonal design direction across a premium performance apparel collection.
- Stay close to the product from research and concept through fabric selection, final CADs, samples and wear testing.
- Work in partnership with Technical Developers while retaining responsibility for the creative and aesthetic outcome.
- This is a hybrid London role. To apply, send your CV and portfolio, including examples of technical sportswear or performance apparel work.
Let’s have a useful conversation.
Send your CV or LinkedIn profile with a short note about what interests you. ETISK will speak with you before putting you forward to a business.
Register your interest