Director Innovation Apparel Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Position Overview:

At Haggar Men’s Apparel, we create products with purpose—combining quality, comfort, innovation, and value to strengthen our position as the market share leader in Men’s Pants and Tailored Clothing and one of America’s leading menswear brands.

As a Designer, you will join a small, entrepreneurial team with the opportunity to make a visible impact through meaningful ownership of your category, contributing a strong design point of view, product expertise, and collaborative leadership.

Working closely with the Director of Design, you will translate broad seasonal direction into specific, commercially compelling designs for your category—driving concepts through development and execution while making sound decisions on your line with a high degree of independence.

This role is ideal for a designer with strong apparel experience who thrives in a fast-paced environment, can balance creativity with commercial relevance, and brings demonstrated success partnering with mills, factories, and cross-functional teams to drive innovation, solve problems, and deliver products with impact.

Essential Job Functions: 

MUST INCLUDE PORTFOLIO 

• Design & Concept Development:
  • Own the translation of seasonal direction into specific product ideas for your category, driving concepts, fabrications, product updates, line edits, and newness that align with market trends, brand strategy, and business goals.
  • Stay connected to the competitive landscape through store visits, online research, and ongoing trend awareness.
  • Create clear, compelling presentation materials and trend tools using PowerPoint and Adobe Illustrator to communicate product concepts, seasonal direction, and business opportunities.
  • Present the product story with confidence and clarity to internal partners, leadership, and retail customers, using strong visual and verbal communication skills to influence decisions and build alignment.

• Technical Sketching & Product Specification:

  • Translate broad design direction into accurate flat sketches and CADs that clearly communicate product intent, construction, and key details for development and execution.
  • Prepare, update, and maintain technical sketches and product specifications in Adobe Illustrator with accuracy and attention to detail.

• Design Package Completion

  • Lead fabric and trim development, sample ordering, and prototype follow-up through direct communication with mills, factories, and cross-functional partners, driving innovation and ensuring progress against seasonal timelines.
  • Ensure design packages, including sketches and BOM details, are complete, accurate, and delivered on schedule to support product development, technical design, and vendor execution.

• Approvals & Production Readiness

  • Manage approvals for materials and color components, including labdips, handlooms,knit-downs, and strike-offs, ensuring design intent and timing are maintained throughout development.
  • Lead final sample reviews and approvals within the scope of the role to help ensure products are ready for production with design intent intact.
  • Coordinate cross-functionally and participate in weekly fittings to solve issues quickly, keep development moving forward, and support timely execution of the line.

• Fittings & Execution:

  • Communicate design and fit intent clearly to Technical Design partners and participate actively in fittings to ensure the product is executed as intended.
  • Maintain clear documentation of updates and design decisions across product development tools and systems.

• Minimum Qualifications

  • 3+years of apparel design experience, preferably in menswear
  • Bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience
  • Experienced manager in managing development directly with overseas mills, factories, and global partners
  • Knowledge of apparel construction and manufacturing processes
  • Strong understanding of trends, consumer insights, and the competitive landscape, with the ability to translate direction into a commercially relevant product
  • Working knowledge of color evaluation processes and terminology, including visual and digital color review
  • Understanding of retail math and the ability to balance creativity, innovation,cost, and margin goals
  • Experience working in PLM or similar product development systems
  • Demonstrated success driving innovation and development with mill and factory partners
  • Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel
  • Strong presentation skills with the ability to communicate product concepts and seasonal direction to internal partners, leadership, and retail customers
  • Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment, manage multiple priorities, make sound decisions, and adapt quickly to changing business needs
  • Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and follow-through
  • Portfolio that demonstrates original design work, creative thinking, and technical capability

• Bonus Qualifications

  • Experience in Men’s Apparel and Tailored Clothing is a plus
  • CLO3D and YPLM experience is a plus

What we Offer: 

• Competitive base salary.
• Three weeks of paid time off within the first year of employment. 
• Company-provided life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, and paid parental leave. 
• Comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance options with low employee contributions.  
• Commuter benefit plan.  
• Optional supplemental life insurance, pet insurance, and accident & critical illness insurance offered at a group discount rate. 
• 401(k) plan. 
• Unlimited access to an award-winning online fitness and wellness program.
• A fast-paced work environment with significant opportunities for career growth.

“The statements in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. Randa management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.”