ROLE

As a Senior Designer for the show Womenswear, you will play a key role in defining Lacoste's future collections, especially in the woven and jersey segment. Your work will not only influence the aesthetic and functionality of products but also contribute to the brand's commercial success by striking the right balance between creativity and market demands. Through your leadership, creative input, and collaboration with key stakeholders, you will help shape the evolution of Lacoste's womenswear offering for the global market. Reporting directly to the Head of Design for Womenswear, this role plays a strategic part in shaping Lacoste's identity.

MISSIONS PRINCIPALES

As a senior member of the design studio, you are expected to innovate within the brand's existing framework while introducing fresh ideas and new codes, contributing to the overall evolution of Lacoste's womenswear. You will be the creative driver behind the woven and jersey collections, ensuring that they reflect Lacoste's DNA while remaining commercially viable and adaptable to market demands.

You will work closely with various internal teams :

• ​​Creative Design Director and their team: Collaborating on creative vision and ensuring alignment with the brand's overarching design goals

• ​​Product Development Teams: Ensuring the translation of creative ideas into feasible products

• ​Graphics, Trims, and Fabrics Departments: Collaborating to ensure the appropriate use of materials, prints, and trims

• Menswear team. Collaborating closely to ensure the coherence of the collection

Additionally, you will manage and mentor a small team, consisting of one junior designerand one intern, providing guidance and fostering their professional growth

Key Missions and Responsibilities :

1. Creative Leadership and Collection Development

You are responsible for driving the creative process within the woven and jersey womenswear category. As a key contributor to the Womenswear Studio, you will ensure that each season's collection adheres to the brand's core aesthetic while introducing innovative ideas that resonate with the modern consumer. This includes:

• ​Defining and executing the creative direction, from concept through to final product

• ​Designing within the woven and jersey segments, including pants, skirts, dresses, coats, jackets, and flowing fabrics that reflect Lacoste's athletic elegance and sophisticated style

• ​Infusing new codes offering that are aligned with Lacoste's brand DNA but introduce fresh elements for bottoms, outerwear, and lightweight styles

• ​Continuously adapting to market trends and commercial needs while maintaining the aesthetic integrity of the brand

Your work will be critical in shaping the visual identity of the womenswear, driving product innovation that aligns with global fashion trends and consumer preferences

2. Material and Trims Selection

Material selection is one of the core aspects of this role, where creativity meets functionality:

• ​​You will be responsible for choosing fabrics, trims, and accessories, ensuring that they meet Lacoste's price point targets, quality standards, and design requirements

• ​​You must strike a balance between aesthetic appeal and technical performance, ensuring that the selected materials reflect both the visual intent and the practical demands of the collection

• ​​Your role also involves working closely with suppliers to ensure that materials are sourced and developed according to environmental standards, cost efficiencies, and sustainability goals

• ​You'll collaborate with the fabric team to explore innovative materials, including sustainable options, textiles with enhanced technical properties, and trims that enhance the overall garment's visual appeal

3. Document Creation and Presentation

A critical part of your role involves translating your creative ideas into actionable documents that clearly communicate your vision:

• ​You will create detailed design sketches, technical drawings, and moodboards that present the overarching creative direction to internal teams and external stakeholders

• ​You'll also be responsible for digital and physical documentation, producing high-quality visuals for internal presentations, design reviews, and creative pitches to senior management

• ​Your work will include creating mockups and prototypes for specific design elements, ensuring that key details like stitching, embellishments, and construction are clearly conveyed

• ​​After fitting sessions, you will update all relevant sketches and technical documents to reflect changes, ensuring that the final garments align with both the design intent and fit requirements

4. Fittings and Photoshoot Involvement

You'll play an active role in the fitting process, ensuring that the garments' construction, fit, and design elements are fully aligned with the creative vision:

• ​​Attending fitting sessions will allow you to make immediate decisions regarding adjustments, ensuring that all design details (proportions, seams, finishing) are perfected

• ​You may also contribute to photoshoot styling, ensuring that the creative direction is fully captured and represented in the show

5. Supplier Collaboration and International Travel

As part of Lacoste's commitment to maintaining high production standards, you will be involved in traveling Euromed twice a year to meet with suppliers:

• ​These visits will allow you to ensure that production processes, material quality, development of the show pieces and finishing standards are maintained at the highest level

• ​You will collaborate directly with suppliers to address any production challenges and ensure that the materials selected meet both creative and technical specifications

• ​During these visits, you'll work to build strong partnerships with suppliers, ensuring they fully understand the brand's expectations and maintain the ability to produce innovative, high-quality fabrics and trims

6. Leading and Mentoring a Design Team

As a senior designer, you'll have a leadership role within your team:

• ​​Managing a junior designer and an intern, you will be responsible for overseeing their daily tasks, providing feedback, and guiding them through the design process

• ​You will foster an environment of collaboration, encouraging your team to contribute ideas while ensuring that projects are completed on time and to the highest standard

• ​​You will be responsible for setting the creative direction for the womenswear category and ensuring that your team follows through on every aspect of the design process, from concept to production

7. Cross-Departmental Collaboration

To ensure the success of each collection, you'll work closely with multiple departments:

• ​You'll maintain a strong working relationship with the Product and Marketing teams, ensuring that the designs not only look appealing but also align with Lacoste's broader marketing strategy and sales goals

• ​​You'll also collaborate with the Creative Office, ensuring that the creative vision is consistent across all womenswear and menswear categories and that your designs align with the overall brand strategy

• ​Close collaboration with the Graphics team is essential to integrate any patterns, prints, or logos that complement the woven designs and reflect Lacoste's distinctive style

PROFIL

With a higher degree in design or creativity management, you have significant experience (5-8 years) in a design studio womenswear. You have demonstrated your ability to lead a multidisciplinary team and know how to build and deploy performance improvement plans on an international scale. You are results-oriented, a team leader, and have strong communication skills. Knowledge of the industry is a must.

• Creative Expertise: Extensive experience in designing for the womenswear category, with a strong portfolio showcasing innovative designs and technical master

• Material Knowledge: Deep understanding of woven and jersey fabrics, trims, and garment construction, with a focus on balancing creativity with commercial feasibility

• Great skills and experience with adobe programs (illustrator and photoshop). Experience with PLM software is a plus.

• Team Leadership: Proven experience in managing design teams

• Collaboration Skills: Ability to work effectively with multiple departments

• Travel-Ready: Willingness to travel internationally to collaborate with suppliers, ensuring high-quality production standards.