Men's Boardshort and Apparel Designer

Role Summary

The Men’s Sr Apparel & Boardshort Designer is responsible for the creative development and execution of seasonal men’s apparel and boardshort collections from concept through final product. This role combines strong apparel design expertise with a deep understanding of surf culture, performance product, and the evolving action-sports market.

The designer translates consumer insights, market trends, brand direction, and surf culture into relevant, differentiated product. The role has particular ownership of silhouette, fit, fabrication, color, print, graphics, and construction across both lifestyle apparel and boardshorts.

The ideal candidate understands how men shop across surf, street, fashion, and performance categories and can identify opportunities that push the product forward while remaining commercially viable and true to the brand.

Key Responsibilities & Job Duties

1. Market Shopping & Trend Research

• Conduct regular market shopping across surf, action sports, streetwear, fashion, and performance categories.
• Identify emerging trends in silhouette, proportion, fabrication, color, graphics, print, construction, and finishing.
• Analyze competitive product, pricing, merchandising, and consumer behavior to identify opportunities and whitespace.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the evolving surf and youth culture landscape.
• Translate relevant market insights into actionable seasonal product direction.

2. Men’s Silhouette & Fit Development

• Develop and evolve men’s apparel silhouettes across key categories and seasonal collections.
• Establish proportion, fit, length, volume, and construction appropriate to the brand and target consumer.
• Develop new silhouettes that create meaningful differentiation within the marketplace.
• Work closely with technical design and product development to refine fit through the sample and fitting process.
• Maintain consistency and integrity across the overall men’s product line.

3. Boardshort Design & Development

• Own the creative direction and design development of seasonal boardshort collections.
• Develop boardshort silhouettes, lengths, waistband systems, pocket configurations, closures, trims, and construction details.
• Apply knowledge of performance fabrics and construction to improve function, comfort, durability, and aesthetics.
• Understand how boardshorts perform in water and how fabric, stretch, weight, drying properties, and construction affect the end product.
• Develop boardshort product that balances technical performance, surf functionality, style, and commercial relevance.

4. Seasonal Product & Concept Development

• Create seasonal design concepts and product assortments based on brand direction, market insights, and consumer needs.
• Develop original apparel and boardshort designs through sketches, CADs, colorways, material direction, and technical specifications.
• Build cohesive seasonal stories across apparel and boardshort categories.
• Partner with Design leadership to establish and evolve the seasonal design direction.
• Ensure product maintains a clear point of view while meeting commercial and margin objectives.

5. Fabric, Color, Print & Trim Development

• Research and select fabrics, washes, finishes, trims, and performance materials appropriate to each product category.
• Develop seasonal color palettes that support the overall collection direction.
• Collaborate on original prints, patterns, graphics, and artwork for apparel and boardshort applications.
• Explore new fabrications, treatments, and construction techniques that improve product design and performance.
• Evaluate materials based on aesthetic, hand feel, function, durability, cost, and market relevance.

6. Technical Design & Product Execution

• Create accurate CADs, sketches, construction details, and technical documentation.
• Provide clear design direction throughout the product development process.
• Review prototypes and samples for design intent, proportion, fabrication, color, construction, and finishing.
• Participate in fittings and make informed adjustments to achieve the intended fit and silhouette.
• Partner with Product Development, Technical Design, and Production to resolve design and construction issues.

7. Graphics & Brand Expression

• Collaborate with graphic designers to develop artwork, logos, prints, and graphic applications that support the seasonal collection.
• Ensure graphics and product details work cohesively with the overall apparel and boardshort assortment.
• Maintain a consistent and recognizable brand point of view across product.
• Identify opportunities to integrate cultural, artistic, and surf-driven references into the product in an authentic way.

8. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Design, Merchandising, Product Development, Technical Design, Production, and Marketing.
• Present concepts and seasonal product direction to internal teams and leadership.
• Communicate design intent clearly to internal teams, vendors, and manufacturing partners.
• Incorporate feedback while maintaining the integrity of the original design vision.

9. Commercial & Calendar Accountability

• Design product that balances creativity, consumer relevance, quality, and commercial opportunity.
• Work within established seasonal calendars, development milestones, and product deadlines.
• Understand product costs and design within target margin requirements.
• Prioritize product development based on category importance, consumer demand, and business objectives.
• Deliver complete and accurate design work within established timelines.

Skills & Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Apparel Design, or related field preferred.
• 3–5+ years of men’s apparel design experience, preferably within surf, action sports, streetwear, lifestyle, or performance apparel.
• Direct experience designing boardshorts or swim/performance product strongly preferred.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating apparel and product design experience.

Men’s Apparel & Boardshort Expertise

• Strong understanding of men’s apparel silhouettes, fit, proportion, fabrication, and construction.
• Demonstrated knowledge of boardshort design, construction, fit, materials, and performance requirements.
• Understanding of how product functions across both lifestyle and active/surf environments.
• Ability to develop new silhouettes and product concepts rather than simply update existing styles.

Market & Trend Expertise

• Strong understanding of current men’s fashion, surf, streetwear, action sports, and performance markets.
• Proven ability to identify relevant trends and translate them into commercially viable product.
• Strong market-shopping and competitive-analysis skills.
• Deep connection to surf culture and an understanding of the consumer driving the category.

Technical & Design Skills

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Strong CAD, technical drawing, and presentation skills.
• Ability to create detailed technical specifications and communicate construction clearly.
• Strong understanding of fabrics, trims, color, print, garment construction, and manufacturing processes.
• Strong eye for fit, proportion, color, material, and product detail.

Communication & Collaboration

• Strong verbal and visual presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate creative concepts and technical details clearly.
• Comfortable working collaboratively across creative and business functions.
• Able to receive feedback and translate it into thoughtful product solutions.

Organization & Execution

• Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
• Able to manage multiple categories and seasonal projects simultaneously.
• Comfortable working within fast-paced product development calendars.
• Demonstrated ability to take product from concept through final execution.

Industry Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of surf, action sports, streetwear, fashion, and performance apparel.
• Passion for product, design, and surf culture.
• Strong awareness of emerging consumer, cultural, and marketplace shifts.
• Willingness to travel for market research, development, fittings, and industry events as needed.