Designer, Outlet

Job Title: Handbag Designer
Primary Purpose: The Designer, Handbags is responsible for conceptualizing, creating, and developing fashion driven handbag designs that are reflective of the creative vision and Kate Spade aesthetic. You will be part of a dynamic, creative environment where you will collaborate with talented designers and cross‑functional partners in the business.

Responsibilities

Participate in seasonal trend, market, and material research to support the overarching design concept.

Assist the Senior Designer in managing the design process from conception through production.

Create and maintain detailed CADs and technical specification packages to accurately communicate design intent, construction details, and material usage to our factories and PD partners.

Ensure that product is of high quality and consistent with market trends, as well as business strategy.

Work with technical design and product development partners to ensure design packages are complete and accurate.

Support the preparation of design presentations, mood boards, and visual tools for key milestone meetings.

Collaborate with cross‑functional partners in Merchandising, PD, Hardware Design, Tech Design, and Print Design teams to support the design process from concept through to final production.

Qualifications

College degree in fashion design or a related field preferred; a combination of education and work experience will be considered.

4+ years design experience.

Experience designing handbags/leather goods.

Strong computer knowledge, including Adobe Illustrator.

Strong ability to hand sketch.

Strong design and conceptual skills.

Strong sense of trends, style and color.

Knowledge of raw materials, as well as construction techniques.

Graphic design and experience working with prints a plus.

Strong communication and organizational skills.

Understanding of merchandising as it relates to sales and store environment.

Competencies

Courage:

Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and "actionable" positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.

Creativity:

Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value‑added in brainstorming settings.

Customer Focus:

Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first‑hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.

Dealing with Ambiguity:

Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.

Drive for Results:

Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom‑line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.

Interpersonal Savvy:

Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high‑tension situations comfortably.

Learning on the Fly:

Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.

Strategic Agility (People Manager):

Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulate credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.

Developing Direct Reports and Others (People Manager):

Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; is aware of each person’s career goals; constructs compelling development plans and executes them; pushes people to accept developmental moves; will take on those who need help and further development; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.

Building Effective Teams (People Manager):

Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.

Base Pay Range
$88,000.00-$110,000.00

Benefits
Medical insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, 401(k), Paid Paternity and Maternity leave, Commuter Benefits, Disability insurance and Tuition assistance. Please click here for a complete list of U.S Corporate Compensation & Benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
Kate Spade. is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally‑recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Tapestry, Inc. will provide applicants and employees with reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact Tapestry People Services at 1-855-566-9264 or employeerelations@tapestry.com.

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