Accessories Designer

Accessories Designer—Leather Bags and Accessories Will Leather Goods—A Casual, Rough Luxury Leather Goods Brand for Men and Women

This is NOT a graphic design position. Direct experience designing bags and accessories, including handbags, belts, wallets, and other leather goods, is required.

Will Leather Goods is seeking an experienced Accessories Designer to work directly with founder Will Adler in creating the next generation of products for the brand.

This is a hands‑on creative role for a designer who works with great leather products:
how to imagine them, how to develop them, and how to make them. You must know leather, construction, materials, manufacturing, price points, and the marketplace—and be able to take an idea from inspiration through development and into production.

We’re looking for someone with a strong point of view, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to recognize what makes a product distinctive, functional, desirable, and unmistakably Will Leather Goods.

Availability to work periodically in Eugene, Oregon.

Compensation is DOE.

• Lead the creative design and development of leather bags and accessories from initial concept through production.
• Research the marketplace, competitive products, emerging trends, materials, colors, silhouettes, hardware, and trims while maintaining a clear understanding of the Will Leather Goods aesthetic.
• Translate ideas into seasonal concepts, sketches, CADs, presentation boards, visual line plans, and fully realized products.
• Design and engineer handbags, bags, belts, wallets, and accessories with careful attention to proportion, construction, function, materials, hardware, stitching, and fit.
• Create detailed technical drawings, specifications, and production‑ready tech packs for factory partners using Adobe Illustrator and related design tools.
• Design with an understanding of target costs, retail price points, perceived value, margin goals, and manufacturing requirements.
• Work closely with Merchandising, Product Development, Sourcing, and Sales to build cohesive collections that align creative direction with business goals.
• Communicate directly with domestic and overseas factory partners, ensuring design intent and production information are clear and accurate.
• Review prototypes and samples, resolve construction and design issues, and modify products as needed.
• Partner with Product Development to ensure BOMs, specifications, measurements, and factory communications are accurate and complete.
• Manage design and development timelines to ensure seasonal collections remain on calendar and meet launch requirements.
• Understand our bestsellers—why they work, how they can evolve, and how to create the next one.
• Know the competition, travel the market, and look ahead for new product ideas, materials, and techniques.
• Participate in market and account visits, with travel up to 20%, primarily domestic with international travel as needed.

• Direct professional experience in the design and manufacturing of leather bags and accessories, including handbags, belts, wallets, or related leather goods,
  is required.
• 5+ years of relevant professional design experience preferred.
• Degree or certificate in Fashion Design, Industrial Design, Fashion Merchandising, or a related discipline is strongly preferred; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
• Strong technical knowledge of leather, materials, construction, hardware, and accessory manufacturing.
• Excellent sketching, product design, and conceptualization skills.
• Strong proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.
• Excellent production tech‑pack skills.
• Knowledge of color, sewing techniques, graphics, embroidery, print, hardware, and trim.
• Strong understanding of the accessories…