Creative Footwear Materials Designer

Creative Footwear Materials Designer

Location:

Portland, OR (Hybrid; occasional onsite collaboration required)

Contract Length: 13 months

We are seeking a highly creative and experienced Footwear Materials Designer to support a special product initiative focused on innovative footwear concepts across performance, lifestyle, and culture-driven categories. This role will partner with designers, developers, and cross-functional teams to create compelling material stories that balance creativity, consumer relevance, technical execution, and brand identity.

• Develop creative footwear material concepts across multiple product categories and collections
• Research and identify emerging materials, finishes, textures, and construction techniques to elevate product design
• Create material stories and presentations that communicate design intent, inspiration, and consumer relevance
• Partner with footwear designers, product developers, suppliers, and cross-functional teams to bring concepts from idea through execution
• Support the development of innovative material applications while considering performance, aesthetics, manufacturability, and cost
• Review prototypes and provide design feedback throughout the product creation process
• Collaborate on special projects, partnerships, and culturally relevant product initiatives
• Stay informed on footwear trends, sneaker culture, streetwear, and evolving consumer preferences

• 5+ years of experience in creative footwear material design, footwear design, or related product design roles
• Bachelor's degree in design, industrial design, footwear design, fashion design, or equivalent professional experience
• Demonstrated experience working across multiple footwear segments or product lines
• Strong portfolio showcasing:
• Material concepts and experimentation
• Footwear design process
• Design exploration and iterations
• Final product execution
• Ability to communicate creative rationale and design decisions
• Strong understanding of footwear materials, including:
• Leather
• Canvas
• Synthetic materials
• Wovens
• Meshes
• Upper constructions
• Footwear trims (preferred)
• Passion for skateboarding, sneaker culture, streetwear, or youth lifestyle markets
• Ability to balance creative vision with technical requirements and business considerations
• Strong collaboration, communication, and presentation skills

• Experience designing footwear materials for skateboarding, action sports, sneaker, or streetwear categories
• Experience supporting footwear collaborations, partnerships, or limited-edition product launches
• Knowledge of footwear manufacturing, material sourcing, and supplier capabilities
• Experience working with global brands or highly recognizable consumer product organizations
• Understanding of consumer trends and cultural influences impacting footwear design

• Candidates should provide a portfolio that demonstrates:
• Recent footwear material design work
• Creative approach and design point of view
• Material exploration and development process
• Examples of challenges, iterations, and design decisions
• Ability to bring fresh ideas and concepts to a culture-driven footwear category