Director of Apparel Design

At Life is Good, we believe great design is less like a factory assembly line and more like building a classic car by hand. We don’t chase endless models and trim packages. We focus on fewer, better products—designed with care, intention, and optimism—so every tee, hoodie, and hat feels like a keeper the moment you put it on.

As our Director of Apparel Design, you’ll steer that philosophy forward. You’ll guide a talented team of designers, dreamers, and doers to create apparel that’s not just stylish, but meaningful and lasting —pieces that help people wear and share optimism every day. If you’re the kind of leader who values quality over quantity, inspiration over speed, and believes design can move people as much as it dresses them, we’d love to take this ride with you.

What is a product at Life is Good?
Some brands create new products several times a year, hoping you'll love what's new more than what you bought last month. It's different here. The way we spread the POWER of optimism is through art. Art is our vehicle. Art unites us. The optimistic art and messages we create are applied to blank "canvases" known as t-shirts, hats, games, and other lifestyle products customers love.

Over time, we've learned how much customers love our 'canvases'. We offered solid versions of our most popular silhouettes and found an untapped demand. Our solid business has grown into a staple, and we're thoughtfully adding a few new products that represent the best of our assortment: styles that are timelelss, authentic, reliable, flattering, and stay in your closet for years.

IMPORTANT DETAILS

• This application requires a significant commitment to answering specific questions. You may want to compose your answers outside of this app and paste them once you're satisfied with your composition, spelling, grammar, and tone. We can't consider incomplete applications, and you'll be disqualified quickly if you don't answer the questions.
• Our market-based compensation strategy determines base pay for our jobs. You can use any of the publicly available tools to predict what you might earn here. All permanent roles are eligible for an annual bonus based on company performance, to which you will make a significant contribution.
• This role is based in Boston. You'll work on-site Wednesdays and Thursdays each week.
• Everyone who applies will get a response from a human. Although we love and use AI regularly, you're about to put a lot of heart and skill into this application and deserve a human response. You'll get one. If you don't answer the questions or meet the requirements below, you'll get a swift and kind rejection.
  

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• You have 8 or more years of apparel design experience  
• You effectively manage, coach, and develop others
• You are adept at flat sketching and illustration
• You use Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, and Microsoft Suite with skill and ease
• You have proven color acumen as measured by a superior score (less than 3) on the Munsell Hue Test
• You have demonstrable experience and knowledge of garment construction, textiles, and fit
• You present relevant ideas and plans skillfully to a wide variety of team members
• You lead open discussions that lead to clear, executable decisions

Pay Transparency:
We post our jobs on a collection of sites. Not all of them portray accurate information about our compensation ranges. For years, we've used a market-based approach to determine starting pay for all roles at Life is Good. We encourage you to explore reputable salary calculators like Salary.com or PayScale and, using accurate data for the apparel industry, this job (from the job description), our company size (under 300 people), location (Boston), and the required experience for this role (10 years or less), you will see the pay range for this role.

YOUR OBJECTIVE

You build and strengthen brand identity, customer loyalty, and profitability through leading our design with vision and expertise. You lead the execution of the creative vision, design execution, and cross-team alignment that bring our products to market with consistency, speed, and brand integrity.

YOUR JOB
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Creative Leadership

• Translate brand vision into cohesive product design across all categories (Men’s, Women’s, Kid’s, Accessories, Home)
• Lead the creative briefing process for product graphic art and market trends analysis by product category

Product Development 

• Lead design from concept through hand-off, including sketches, tech packs, fittings, and vendor communication to ensure accuracy and quality
• Develop effective strategic relationships and communication with our supply chain partners (agents, factories, material and trim suppliers, etc.) to ensure effective collaboration in meeting company objectives
• Create and manage the seasonal company milestone and vendor calendar

Market Insight

• Research global trends, fabrics, silhouettes, and competitive landscape to inform seasonal direction and ensure cost, margin, and timelines are met

Merchandising and Assortment

• Build seasonal inspiration boards, curated assortments, and selling tools (workbooks, lookbooks, samples) that align with business strategy
• Manage material, components, and construction options to meet quality and costing targets in alignment with graphics and technical design teams

Collaboration

• Partner with Creative Director, Art Director, and cross-functional leads to execute brand strategy, deliver graphics, and support speed-to-market needs
  Align business unit leaders on assortment size and sales planning for all product categories by distribution channel
  create an atmosphere in which people work together effectively to produce superior results
• Coordinate product changes and clear resolutions arising from copyright concerns

Team Management

• Guide and develop Associate Designer and Design Assistant, ensuring organization, prioritization, and workflow efficiency
• Manage change tracking log for product and design teams
  Ensure established product timelines and deliverables are met
• Ensure your team uses the Centric PLM system accurately and as intended
  

Your Personal Attributes:

• Your values align with our mission and the Life is Good Superpowers
• You are skilled and comfortable working independently and as part of a team of dynamic creative professionals, including creative executives
• You give and receive real-time feedback thoughtfully and constructively
• You speak and write clearly, simply, and succinctly
• You present a consistently steady and optimistic demeanor
• You feel fulfilled by cultivating collaborative relationships with those you influence
• You are naturally curious, open-minded, and creative

YOU'LL KNOW YOU'RE SUCCESSFUL WHEN

• You and your team meet your annual goals
• You are a cultural leader at Life is Good
• You are trusted and valued by your leaders, peers, and employees, as evidenced by their feedback and adoption of your ideas and suggestions

We are located in the innovative and thriving Fort Point neighborhood. Our community is full of green space, outstanding food, and entertainment options. We offer comprehensive Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, Transit or Parking Reimbursement Accounts, Life, AD&D, Short, and Long-Term Disability, 401(k) with a match, Paid Time Off, 10 paid holidays, Good Vibes Time (we pay you to volunteer for the non-profit cause of your choice) and Family Time. And we have dogs that like to play.

You’ll contribute to helping kids heal from trauma as we serve our social mission, The Playmaker Project.

Life is Good is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against otherwise qualified applicants based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender orientation, or expression, marital status or veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic under applicable federal or state law.