VP Design & Product Development

Some brands are built. Others are grown, season after season, out of a genuine love of place, craft and the people who wear what is made. We are leading a search for a VP of Design & Product Development based in Toronto, to write the next chapter for a fashion brand with real emotional equity, trusted with the everyday moments of the people who love it, and now ready to sharpen its edge.

This is a rare mandate. Take a brand that already commands deep affection and elevate it: build an aspirational top layer, sharpen specific categories, and do the everyday exceptionally well. It calls for someone who moves fluently between instinct and strategy, between craft and commerce, between the mood board and the margin.

The Role

Based in Toronto, you will lead the creative vision across Menswear, Womenswear and Kidswear, with storytelling and marketing woven into every decision, from first sketch to final campaign. You will set seasonal direction, shape a monthly drop strategy, and lead a design team of around fifteen toward one clear, ambitious point of view, all while protecting the quality, comfort and craftsmanship the brand has built its name on over decades.

You will bring an instinctive read on the effortless style driving contemporary fashion today, one informed as much by heritage and vintage as by what comes next. You will lead through your team rather than around them, nurturing commercial expression through shape, proportion, fabric and detail, and building a studio culture people are proud to belong to.

Reporting into the office of the President, you will sit at the centre of the business, collaborating cross functionally with Product Development, Sourcing, Buying, Merchandising, Marketing, Ecommerce and Retail at senior leadership level, and representing design and product at the executive table.

Toronto, Canada | Hybrid & On Site | Reporting to the Office of the President

Key Responsibilities

Creative Direction & Seasonal Planning

• Lead the design team, seasonal direction and monthly drop strategy, guiding a team of around fifteen toward a unified creative vision.

• Set seasonal themes, colour palettes, fabric direction and silhouette evolution for every drop.

• Build an aspirational top layer while elevating specific categories and perfecting the everyday.

• Track emerging European and global trends, adapting them intelligently and authentically for the North American customer.

• Shape cohesive concepts that support storytelling and outfit building across the full assortment.

• Balance newness with functional ease, performance and commercial focus.

• Use consumer insight and sales data to sharpen creative direction, pairing instinct with evidence.

Product Design & Development

• Lead multi-category design with close attention to proportion, fit, construction and lifestyle use.

• Partner with Buying to build design-led, commercially sound assortments.

• Lead fabric direction, partnering with international mills and vendor partners.

• Oversee fit sessions, sampling and development alongside the technical design team.

• Maintain calendar discipline, ensuring accuracy and alignment from concept through final sample.

• Own the design budget and margin targets in partnership with Merchandising and Sourcing, balancing ambition with commercial reality.

• Champion responsible and sustainable material choices, and support the brand's craftsmanship and ethical sourcing commitments, including relationships with owned or specialist manufacturing partners.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Buying, Sourcing, Technical Design, Product Development and Production teams.

• Communicate design intent clearly through seasonal briefs, sketches, tech packs, mood boards and design presentations.

• Partner with Marketing to reflect storytelling in seasonal themes and capsules, engaging the target audience meaningfully.

• Present seasonal vision and product strategy to executive leadership, translating creative direction into commercial confidence at the highest level.

• Support business objectives through informed product decision making and design leadership.

• Guide brand collaborations and capsule partnerships, ensuring they extend the brand's story rather than dilute it.

Leadership & Team Development

• Mentor and guide the design team with clear vision, structure and creative leadership.

• Provide seasonal briefings, constructive feedback and ongoing skill development.

• Build a talent pipeline and succession plan within the design function, developing the next generation of design leaders.

• Foster a collaborative studio culture defined by curiosity, accountability, calm problem-solving and cross-functional partnership.

Experience & Skills Required

• Educated to degree level or above in Fashion Design.

• 12+ years of experience in fashion design operating at VP or equivalent level, spearheading retailers or brands.

• Proven ability to drive modern, commercially successful multi-category collections and capsules.

• Skilled in identifying European and global trends and translating them for the North American market.

• Elevated fashion eye, with expertise in capturing key trends and leading fabric direction.

• Experience working with global mills and vendors, including artisan manufacturing partnerships.

• Strong understanding of garment construction, fit and technical development.

• Commercial fluency, including budget ownership, margin management and cost negotiation.

• Experience navigating cross-border sourcing and supply chain considerations relevant to the Canadian and US markets.

• Excellent communication, presentation and organisational skills, including comfort presenting to senior executive audiences.

• Demonstrated experience leading, nurturing and inspiring design teams in a fast-paced environment.

What's On Offer

• A competitive salary aligned with experience.

• Benefits package including healthcare.

• Relocation assistance provided where required.

• Hybrid working based in Toronto, four days in the office and one day from home.

• The opportunity to lead and shape a retail business, bringing an innate understanding of modern fashion influences and product, and translating this to engage the North American consumer at every touch point.

• A genuine hand in shaping the next chapter of a brand's design legacy, not just executing on someone else's vision.