KREWE is hiring: Art Director in New York

KREWE is an independent, high-fashion eyewear brand rooted in the vibrant culture and boundless creativity of our hometown, New Orleans - and now proudly headquartered in both New Orleans and New York City. Since our launch in 2013, KREWE has grown into a dynamic brand celebrated for its distinctive, handcrafted sun and optical frames that reflect a deep commitment to quality, individuality, and design.

In 2022, we opened the doors to our NYC headquarters in the heart of the Meatpacking District, building a second home for the brand that brings New Orleans’ culture, creativity, and energy to one of the world’s most iconic design capitals. Our presence now spans brick-and-mortar boutiques, mobile retail concepts, and a thriving e-commerce platform - alongside distribution through premier independents and top national retailers. Celebrated for our unique approach to design, KREWE has cultivated a loyal following among style-conscious consumers and influential tastemakers.

As we continue to expand, we’re looking for passionate, driven, and innovative individuals to join our talented team. At KREWE our work is fast‑paced, collaborative, and deeply mission‑driven. Our people are high‑performing and ambitious - not just about hitting goals, but about building something that’s original, culturally rooted and globally resonant. Every team member at KREWE has the opportunity to own their role and make a lasting impact. If this sounds like the right environment for you we invite you to apply below.

We are currently searching for an Art Director to lead the creative strategy & execution across our brand. This is a highly influential role responsible for translating high‑level creative vision into a clear, ownable point of view and leading the creative team to execute against it with excellence. You will partner with the Founder & Creative Director to align on creative direction and strategy—regularly bringing forward ideas, concepts, and references that push the brand forward. From there, you will translate that direction into actionable guidance for the creative team, ensuring all output is elevated, cohesive, and on‑brand.

This role sits at the intersection of creative direction and execution—requiring both exceptional taste and the ability to lead, refine, and scale creative output across all channels.

This role is based in our NYC Headquarters 5 days a week.

Key Responsibilities

Manage & Develop the Creative Team

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of designers, photographers, and creatives

Elevate team output through strong taste, clear feedback, and the optimization of systems & processes

Create an environment of high standards, accountability, and creative growth

Drive Creative Direction & Concept Development

Partner with the Founder & Creative Director to define and evolve KREWE’s creative direction

Regularly develop and pitch campaign concepts, visual ideas, and creative frameworks

Translate high‑level direction into a clear, differentiated point of view for the brand

Make decisive creative calls that simplify and strengthen the work

Oversee all creative output across photography, video, digital, social, print, OOH, and retail design

Translate creative direction into clear guidance for graphic designers, spatial / interior designers, photographers, and retouchers

Act as the primary filter for all work—refining, editing, and elevating output to meet brand standards

Ensure consistency and excellence across all channels and touchpoints

Own Creative Processes & Workflows

Partner with the Project Manager to build and refine creative processes and timelines

Develop systems that enable efficient, scalable, and high‑quality creative execution

Ensure clarity of direction, timelines, and deliverables across all projects

Execute & Direct Campaigns and Shoots

Lead creative direction for campaigns, photoshoots, and brand moments

Provide on‑set direction and ensure alignment with creative vision

Balance hands‑on involvement with leadership oversight across projects

Requirements

8‑10+ years of experience in art direction or a similar creative leadership role, preferably within fashion, lifestyle, or retail

A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional taste, concepting, and execution across channels

Experience working closely with senior creative leadership or founders

Proven ability to translate vision into clear direction and scalable output

Strong leadership skills with experience managing and developing creative teams

Ability to make decisive creative calls and edit work down to its strongest form

Highly organized with experience building or improving creative processes

Deep knowledge of design, photography, video, and cross‑channel creative best practices

Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite & Figma

Benefits and Perks

Competitive wage

Group health plans: health, vision and dental insurance

Welfare benefits: life, ad&d, supplemental voluntary coverage

401(K) Investment Options

Quarterly Cultural Spend

Ongoing Training and Development, an Educational Allowance

10 paid holidays and Paid Time Off accrual

KREWE employee quarterly frame allowance (of course!)

Salary (for New York only)
Up to $155,000 annually based on experience and qualifications.

This reflects the base salary for this position. Compensation may vary based on factors such as skills, experience, certifications, and business needs. In addition to base pay, KREWE offers annual bonuses, a comprehensive benefits package, paid time off, and employee discounts.

Diversity and Inclusion
KREWE believes in providing an inclusive workplace where all individuals have the opportunity to succeed. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without discrimination or retaliation because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, pregnancy or any other protected characteristic as established by applicable local, state, or federal law.

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In Summary: KREWE is an independent, high-fashion eyewear brand rooted in the vibrant culture and boundless creativity of our hometown, New Orleans . We are currently searching for an Art Director to lead the creative strategy & execution across our brand . This is a highly influential role responsible for translating high‑level creative vision into a clear, ownable point of view and leading the creative team to execute against it with excellence .

En Español: KREWE es una marca independiente de gafas de alta moda arraigada en la vibrante cultura y creatividad ilimitadas de nuestra ciudad natal, Nueva Orleans -y ahora con orgullo ubicada tanto en Nueva Orleans como en la Ciudad de Nueva York. Desde nuestro lanzamiento en 2013, KREWA se ha convertido en una marca dinámica celebrada por sus marcadores distintivos, artesanales del sol y los marcos ópticos que reflejan un profundo compromiso con la calidad, individualidad y el diseño. En 2022, abrimos las puertas a nuestras oficinas centrales de NYC en el corazón del Meatpacking District, construyendo un segundo hogar para la marca que trae la cultura, la creatividade y la energía de New Orleans a una de las capitales más emblemáticas del mundo. Nuestra presencia ahora abarca boutiques modernas, conceptos móviles y una plataforma e-commerce próspera. Si esto suena como el entorno adecuado para usted, le invitamos a solicitarlo abajo. Actualmente estamos buscando un Director de Arte que dirija la estrategia creativa y ejecución en toda nuestra marca. Este es un papel muy influyente responsable de traducir una visión creativa de alto nivel en un punto de vista claro y propicio y llevar al equipo creativo a ejecutar contra ella con excelencia. Se asociará con el fundador y director creativo para alinearse con la dirección y la estrategias creativaspresentando regularmente ideas, conceptos y referencias que impulsen la marca hacia adelante. A partir de ahí, traducirás esa dirección en una guía actionable para el equipo creativo, asegurando que toda la producción sea elevada, cohesionada y dentro de la marca. Este papel se sitúa en la intersección de la dirección creativa y la ejecuciónque requiere tanto un gusto excepcional como la capacidad de dirigir, refinar y escalar la salida creativa a través de todos los canales. Esta función está basada en nuestra sede de NYC 5 días por semana. Responsabilidades claves Gestionar & Desarrollar el líder del equipo creador, mentor y liderar un equipo de diseñadores, fotógrafos y creativos Elevate el producto del equipo mediante puntos de visión sólidos, concepto claro y optimización de sistemas y procesos Crear un entorno de alto nivel, responsabilidad y creativo Dirección creativa e desarrollo de diseño y desarrollo de conceptos junto con los fundadores y socios creativos. La compensación puede variar en función de factores tales como habilidades, experiencia, certificaciones y necesidades empresariales. Además del salario básico, KREWE ofrece bonos anuales, un paquete integral de beneficios, tiempo libre pagado y descuentos para los empleados. Diversidad e Inclusión KREWA cree que proporciona un lugar de trabajo inclusivo donde todas las personas tengan la oportunidad de tener éxito. Estamos orgullosos de proporcionar igualdad de oportunidades de empleo (EEO) a todos los trabajadores y solicitantes sin discriminación o represalia debido a raza, color, religión, sexo, origen nacional, edad, discapacidad, genética, orientación sexual, identidad de género, expresión de géneros, estado veterano, embarazo u otra característica protegida según establezca la ley local, estatal o federal aplicable. #J-18808-Ljbffr