Temporary Designer

"At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We are committed to fostering a culture of diversity and creating safe, inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome—both here and Outside. We value individual differences and are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive work environment where everyone can bring the best of their experience and talents and truly thrive."

L.L. Bean is currently searching for Temporary Designer to join our Product Creation Team. We welcome the opportunity for this role to be hybrid based (three days in office required) at the corporate headquarters in Freeport, Maine. In this key role you will focus on Active & Core Women’s Apparel.

Design is responsible for the product aesthetic for all product categories.

Key accountabilities include:

1) Creating product aesthetic inclusive of color, pattern, and silhouette.

2) Partnering with Design Leadership, Product Developers and Corporate Merchants in conducting market research to evaluate competitive set, identify seasonal trends, and decide on seasonal concept direction.

3) Collaborating with Product Development to select fabric color and trims & relate them to the product design, function, and silhouette.

4) Creating seasonal corporate color palettes and ensuring on-brand, commercial color direction and color compositions.

5) Creating and designing silhouette, silhouette direction and garment styling; collaborating with Corporate Merchants to recommend fit block to TD.

6) Creating and deciding on brand appropriate / viable surface pattern and print direction.

Responsibilities:
Partners with Design Leadership to:

• Build and create seasonal concept and mood boards to establish and identify key looks, trends, concepts, color, fabric, trim and silhouette direction.
• Offer on-brand commercially viable product ideas.

• Create seasonal trend direction, seasonal trend presentation, seasonal trend, and vendor decks. Conduct research on market and competitive brands - domestic travel for inspiration and trade shows (NY Spin Expo/Premier Vision/Print Source).

• Identify and establish seasonal concepts and trends/communicate seasonal color palettes.
• Support creation of the product design strategy at a collection level, vs. an item level.

Other tasks include the following:

• Working with Corporate Merchandise Managers to ensure viability of products and product opportunity fills need within the assortment.

• Applies knowledge and expertise to ensure consistency and cohesiveness of line through perfect pairings and cohesive look of the collection and key looks.
• Selecting all materials and working with lab to ensure trim passes testing.
• Working with graphics department to instigate graphic and surface pattern direction.
• Presenting fresh and commercial color and pattern for key items and relisting programs to ensure they look fresh and commercial each season.
• Communicating with mills and vendors to ensure fabric and all surface pattern is executed to the very highest standard.
• Developing print/pattern/graphics packages for product and hangtags/packaging.
• Presenting sketches and proto samples at appropriate check-ins and meetings.
• Partnering with Product Development to finalize product details with vendors.
• In collaboration with PD, creating comprehensive development spec packages and selects Fit Block suitable for wearing occasion.
• Ensuring robust hand off to Technical Design.
• Attending all fittings to provide relevant feedback regarding fit and styling.

Health and Safety Requirement: Every employee is responsible for contributing to a safe and healthy workplace. Employees are expected to be active participants in health and safety by following all safety policies and procedures, reporting unsafe conditions or at-risk behaviors to leadership, and conducting work in a safe manner. Those in a leadership role are also expected to model safe behaviors, evaluate risk, and ensure that risks are reduced to acceptable levels.

Skills and Qualifications:

• 4-year college degree
• CLO 3D experience is preferred
• High-level communication skills
• Ability to present to varied audiences
• Cross-functional relationship building
• Ability to function at both strategic and tactical levels
• Experience mentoring others

"If you care about the outdoors, joining L.L.Bean is a great way to feel good about what you do. Our benefits package makes a good thing even better, with programs and perks designed to support your health and financial goals. Plus, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and re-charging outside are all part of the plan.

If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you'd be great at this role, we'd love to learn more about you! At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We strive to reflect this every day in our commitments to employees and partners and in our efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability."