Director, SPW & FCC Design

Director – SPW & FCC Apparel Design

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization

The Director of SPW & FCC Apparel Design is responsible for setting the creative vision and direction for adidas, overseeing the development of new collections, and ensuring excellence across the entire design process. The role leads the Sportswear and Future City design teams to strategically analyze the current apparel range, generate new design concepts, optimize workflows, and leverage existing design assets.

A key focus is maintaining quality and consistency of design output across platforms, channels, and media.

This position partners closely with cross-functional leaders—such as product management, marketing, and other stakeholders—to align creative outcomes with business objectives and consumer needs.

Responsibilities

• Create and direct seasonal creative narratives, ranges, and product stories, ensuring alignment across product types, colors, materials, and graphics.
• Oversee the full creative process; identify industry trends in color, materials, and graphics; and influence merchandising and assortment strategies.
• Translate complex business concepts and consumer insights into clear, compelling creative solutions.
• Take ownership of the creative vision and uphold the quality of output across all team members.
• Confidently pitch ideas and present the creative vision to stakeholders and communicate expectations clearly to the design team.
• Develop, and inspire a high-performing design team; demonstrate strong people leadership and talent ‑ building capabilities.
• Ensure all creative output aligns with brand identity and meets adidas’ qualitative standards.
• Lead multiple projects from concept to completion while meeting key deadlines.
• Demonstrate agility in managing unexpected projects, feedback cycles, and team-related variables.
• Collaborate with relevant functions to ensure alignment with brand and business strategic priorities.
• Champion innovation—ask the right questions, take informed risks, and advocate for bold ideas.
• Drive the identification and application of long-term and seasonal industry trends to advance innovative retail and product strategies.
• Guide and optimize the creative process to ensure final products are both brand-right and commercially viable.
• Develop and implement design and creation strategies for key initiatives, setting a high bar for excellence and consistency.
• Mentor and lead the design team to foster collaboration, creativity, and professional growth.
• Inspire designers to create meaningful, user-centered product experiences while also developing their own skills and career pathways.
• Ensure all output complies with Corporate Identity guidelines and legal requirements within the category.

Key Stakeholders

• Product Marketing (PM)
• Product Development & Sourcing (PD&S)
• Business Unit (BU)
• Design Director & Senior Design Director
• Design team members
• Brand Marketing & Retail Marketing
• External partners and resources

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Fashion Design or equivalent professional experience.
• 8–10+ years of senior design experience, preferably within outdoor or performance brands, and a portfolio demonstrating successful direction of major projects.
• 5–7+ years of management experience with proven ability to lead teams toward strategic outcomes.
• Strong creative vision and leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse design team.
• Deep understanding of Chinese consumers and market dynamics.
• Strong industry awareness and trend sensitivity, with the ability to translate insights into design solutions.
• Experience in collaboration projects
• Ability to work cross-functionally to understand requirements, build structured plans, and integrate feedback effectively.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to clearly communicate creative concepts and solutions to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong collaborative mindset and the ability to synthesize abstract ideas into actionable design direction.
• Extensive supervisory experience, including leadership, delegation, and team development.
• Enthusiastic about working in a distributed collaboration model and delivering design solutions regularly for review and approval.
• Experience in performance apparel is highly desirable.
• Fluency in English and Mandarin, with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.)
• Candidates must submit a portfolio demonstrating relevant work.