Art Director

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.

KREWE is looking for an Art Director to lead creative strategy & authorship across the brand - responsible for shaping, advancing, and scaling the visual identity across all channels. The Art Director will partner closely with the Founder & Creative Director to help define the creative direction of the brand, while also bringing forward original ideas, concepts, and points of view that push KREWE forward. You will be responsible for translating creative standards into clear, ownable creative lanes - enabling the team to execute with greater clarity, autonomy, and consistency. This role exists to help scale creative quality across the business by reducing reliance on Creative Director level oversight, without lowering the bar.

This role sits at the intersection of creative direction and execution, requiring exceptional taste, strong creative conviction, and the ability to turn ideas into scalable systems. You create an environment where creatives can do their best work - balancing high standards with the right level of support, structure, and autonomy. You understand that strong creative output comes from both exceptional talent and clear direction, and you are equally invested in developing people as you are in elevating the work.

This role reports to the VP of Brand Marketing and is based in NYC, with regular travel to New Orleans.

Key Responsibilities

Drive Creative Direction & Concept Development

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

Bring forward campaign concepts, visual ideas, and creative frameworks that push the brand forward

Establish a clear, differentiated point of view for each campaign and brand moment

Generate, refine, and resolve ideas - not just execute them

Make decisive creative calls that simplify and strengthen the work

Own the quality and consistency of all creative output across photography, video, digital, social, print, OOH, and retail

Translate direction into clear guidance that enables the team to execute with confidence

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

Ensure all work reflects a cohesive and elevated KREWE point of view

Build Creative Systems & Standards

Translate creative standards into clear, actionable systems and frameworks

Create defined "creative lanes" that allow the team to operate with autonomy

Reduce reliance on top-down approvals by building clarity into the system

Partner with the Project Manager to develop processes that enable efficient, high-quality execution

Continuously refine workflows to support scale without sacrificing quality

Direct Campaigns & Creative Production

Lead creative direction for campaigns, photoshoots, and key brand moments

Provide on-set direction and ensure execution aligns with the intended creative vision

Balance hands-on creative involvement with leadership oversight

Lead & Develop the Creative Team

Manage and mentor a team of designers, photographers, and creatives

Elevate team output through strong taste, clear feedback, and thoughtful selection

Build a culture of high standards, accountability, and creative ownership

Create the clarity and structure needed for the team to produce their best work

Requirements

8-10+ years of experience in art direction or creative leadership, ideally within fashion, lifestyle, or retail

A portfolio that demonstrates exceptional taste, strong point of view, and concept-driven work

Proven ability to generate ideas and translate them into cohesive, high-quality output

Experience working closely with founders or senior creative leadership

Strong editing instinct - knowing what to push, what to refine, and what to remove

Ability to turn creative standards into scalable systems and processes

Experience leading and developing creative teamsHighly organized with strong attention to detail and execution

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

Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and 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 $165,000 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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