Design Director, Outerwear Jobs in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Design Director, Outerwear (Hybrid – Toronto, Canada)
Design Director, Outerwear (Hybrid – Toronto, Canada)
Design Director, Outerwear (Hybrid – Toronto, Canada)
About the role
A global luxury outerwear company is seeking an Outerwear Design Director to lead the creative vision, seasonal direction, and category evolution across Women’s and Men’s collections. This hybrid role is based in Toronto and oversees a team of four designers, including a graphic designer.
About the Brand
This Canadian outerwear house is known for tailored, fashion‑forward silhouettes that discreetly integrate high‑performance technical features. Designed for global explorers, the brand blends sleek, urban sophistication with Arctic‑ready functionality, enabling seamless movement from metropolitan environments to extreme weather conditions. The business operates a DTC model across the U.S. and Canada, with approximately 30 stores in a key Asian market, and a growing international presence through specialty retailers and select partners in Europe and Russia.
Price Architecture
Entry Price Point $395–$595 USD → ~$535–$805 CAD (rain shells, mid‑layers, lightweight jackets)
Core Winter Parkas
$995–$1,200 USD → ~$1,345–$1,620 CAD
Premium Luxury Parkas
$2,000+ USD → ~$2,700+ CAD
What You’ll Lead
Own the creative direction for two seasonal collections per year (Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter), ensuring a cohesive, elevated, and globally relevant design language. Strengthen and expand the Women’s collection, with a focus on tailoring, silhouette refinement, and modern luxury detailing. Guide the Men’s assortment to maintain the brand’s signature balance of technical innovation and sophisticated, urban styling. Manage and mentor a team of four designers, fostering a collaborative, high‑performance creative culture. Drive fabric, trim, and innovation research, ensuring technical performance is seamlessly integrated into fashion‑forward design. Partner cross‑functionally with Product Development, Merchandising, and Technical teams to ensure design intent is executed with precision. Elevate brand storytelling through thoughtful design, proportion, and craftsmanship that resonate across global DTC and specialty retail markets.
What We’re Looking For
This role is not the traditional technical outerwear designer. We are seeking a fashion‑forward creative leader with a strong command of tailoring, silhouette engineering, and luxury construction. Someone who approaches outerwear with a ready‑to‑wear mindset, elevating proportion, line, and refinement while integrating performance features in a discreet, design‑led way.
What You Bring
10+ years in luxury outerwear, RTW, or performance‑fashion hybrid environments. A modern, directional aesthetic rooted in fashion, not gear — with mastery in tailoring, fit architecture, and sculpted silhouettes. Proven ability to strengthen and evolve Women’s through proportion, fit, and elevated construction. Expertise in patternmaking, tailoring, and engineered silhouettes that balance style and function. Experience leading and developing design teams. Ability to translate creative vision into commercially strong, globally relevant assortments across DTC and specialty retail. A portfolio demonstrating innovation, refinement, and a modern luxury point of view.
PLEASE READ: All applicants must include a portfolio or samples of their work to be considered. Please ensure all website links are active, and if your portfolio is password‑protected, include the password with your application.
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About KMKnyc
KMKnyc is a bespoke global consulting firm founded by Karen Mercado‑Kempter, specializing in executive search, organizational design, and modern talent development strategies. Karen brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience across iconic global brands, where she built and led high‑impact talent acquisition, HR, and employer branding functions.
Her background includes serving as Vice President of Talent Acquisition, Early Career & Emerging Talent, and Global Employer Branding for Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger at PVH, as well as Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Sotheby’s. She previously spent over a decade at Calvin Klein in progressive HR and Talent Acquisition leadership roles, following earlier HR positions at ZenithOptimedia, Saks Fifth Avenue, Rapp Collins Worldwide, Macy’s, and Sears.
Karen is also deeply committed to supporting early‑career professionals and individuals transitioning into the fashion industry. She partners with accredited universities and business schools as a mentor and subject‑matter expert, offering real‑talk guidance, unfiltered industry insight, and practical pathways into early‑career and transitional roles based on individual skill sets.
Today, KMKnyc partners with clients across fashion, retail, beauty, architecture, media, private equity, and early‑stage venture capital to deliver thoughtful, high‑touch talent solutions. A native New Yorker and Fordham graduate, Karen brings a modern, people‑first approach to every engagement.