Lead Associate - Design (Women Western / Ethnic )

Role: Lead Associate Fashion Design (Womens Wear & Ethnic Wear)

Location: Bengaluru

Experience: 510 years

Role Overview

We are looking for a Manager Fashion Design with strong expertise in Womens Wear and Ethnic Wear to drive creative and commercially successful product development across private label brands. This role requires a balance of creative design thinking, vendor collaboration, and data-led decision making to build relevant, scalable, and trend-forward assortments. The ideal candidate is a strategic designer who understands consumer behavior, market trends, and vendor capabilities, and can translate insights into strong seasonal collections while ensuring operational efficiency and business growth.

Key Responsibilities

1. Design Strategy & Product Development

• Lead seasonal design direction for Womens Wear and Ethnic Wear categories including silhouettes, colors, prints, fabrics, and styling concepts.
• Develop cohesive seasonal collections aligned with brand positioning, consumer trends, and commercial targets.
• Create innovative and scalable design solutions that address market gaps and evolving customer preferences.

2. Data-Driven Design Approach

• Use sales data, customer insights, trend analytics, and competitor benchmarking to drive assortment planning and design decisions.
• Identify winning product attributes, pricing opportunities, and category white spaces using marketplace and consumer data.
• Translate performance insights into future product and assortment strategies.

3. Vendor & Production Collaboration

• Partner closely with vendors to drive innovation in fabric sourcing, construction techniques, cost optimization, and product quality.
• Work collaboratively with vendor partners to solve design and production challenges through creative and practical solutions.
• Ensure timely sampling, product development, and execution aligned with seasonal timelines.

4. Technical & Execution Excellence

• Develop line sheets, mood boards, design presentations, and detailed tech packs with strong attention to construction, measurements, and finishing.
• Ensure design feasibility, production efficiency, and adherence to quality standards.
• Work cross-functionally with buying, merchandising, sourcing, and technical teams to drive seamless product development.

5. Brand & Market Alignment

• Contribute to brand storytelling through design direction, campaign inputs, catalog styling, and visual merchandising support.
• Track evolving fashion, cultural, and consumer trends in Womens and Ethnic categories to keep collections relevant and differentiated.

6. Team & Process Management

• Mentor junior designers and guide them on trend research, product development, and execution excellence.
• Ensure all deliverables are completed within seasonal calendars and business timelines.

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelors degree in Fashion/Apparel Design or related field.
• 710 years of progressive experience in Womens Wear and Ethnic Wear design.
• Strong understanding of Indian ethnic aesthetics, fabric applications, embellishment techniques, and garment construction.
• Proven ability to create data-informed design strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Hands-on experience working closely with vendors and managing product development cycles.
• Strong proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Working knowledge of Excel/Google Sheets and presentation tools.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to balance creativity with commercial thinking and operational execution.