VF: Principal Apparel Protoype Concept Designer; Innovation

Position: VF: Principal Apparel Protoype Concept Designer (Innovation)
VF:
Principal Apparel Protoype Concept Designer (Innovation)### VF:
Principal Apparel Protoype Concept Designer (Innovation)
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USCA  USA  Colorado  Denver Lab - VFC:
Full time:
Posted Today:
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** What will you do?
** The Senior Innovation Designer, Apparel is a highly experienced creative contributor within Enterprise Innovation, responsible for leading complex apparel innovation projects from early exploration through validated prototypes and transition-ready concepts.  Working within the innovation direction and priorities established by the Director, Innovation Design, this role brings together consumer insights, brand DNA, advanced materials, emerging technologies, construction methods, and rapid making to create differentiated apparel solutions with the potential to scale across brands.  

This is a hands-on design role for a curious, experimental maker who thrives in ambiguity and operates with a
** learn-fast mindset**, moving quickly from insight to tangible prototypes, testing early, and using evidence to iterate toward compelling, feasible, and scalable solutions.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more:  
** What will you do?
** A day in the life of a Senior Innovation Designer, Apparel at VF looks a little like this.

Innovation Design & Concept Development
* Lead apparel innovation projects from early exploration through validated prototypes and transition-ready handoff.
* Translate consumer insights, brand needs, trend signals, material opportunities, and emerging technologies into differentiated apparel concepts.
* Explore new opportunities across materials, construction, fit, function, sustainability, manufacturing methods, and product experience.
* Develop strong design points of view while working within the broader innovation direction, briefs, hypotheses, and priorities established by Innovation leadership.

Hands-On Design & Prototyping
* Personally design and prototype concepts using sketching, digital tools, material experimentation, construction exploration, and rapid physical prototyping.
* Establish prototype-first approaches, moving quickly from concept to artifact, review, test, learning, and iteration.
* Partner closely with Materials, Development, Testing and other technical partners to validate concepts and assess feasibility.
* Translate learning into actionable design criteria, specifications, construction solutions, and subsequent prototype iterations.

Materials & Technology Integration
* Explore and apply advanced textiles, constructions, treatments, manufacturing techniques, and emerging technologies to create meaningful product innovation.
* Collaborate with internal and external material and technology partners to develop and evaluate new solutions.
* Consider design intent, sustainability, manufacturability, durability, cost, and scalability throughout the design process.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
* Serve as the design lead for assigned innovation projects, working across Design, Development, Materials, Testing, Sourcing, Supply Chain and Manufacturing.
* Drive clarity and momentum across projects, identifying design trade-offs and escalating key decisions or risks when appropriate.
* Partner with brand teams to ensure concepts respect brand DNA and can effectively transition into product roadmaps and product creation.
* Build relationships with external vendors, suppliers, research institutions, and technology partners to accelerate exploration and learning.

Design Excellence & Communication
* Create compelling prototypes, visualizations, presentations, and narratives that clearly communicate consumer need, design intent, hypotheses, and innovation potential.
* Present work effectively to Innovation leadership, brand design teams, and cross-functional stakeholders.
* Maintain a high bar for design craft and ensure design intent is preserved through iterative prototyping and transition to product creation.
* Share expertise, methods, and learning with other designers, contributing to stronger innovation capabilities and consistent design quality across the team.  
** What do you need to succeed?
** We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel.…