About The Brand: We are building a recent India-first women's athleisure and activewear brand, currently operating in stealth and being built through Arrakis Ventures. At the founding stage, before production and sales, we are looking for a creative leader to build the brand's creative identity and product design function from the ground up.

Looking for:

A hands-on creative head who can translate the founder’s vision into a cohesive women’s athleisure brand, leading end-to-end product design and technical development alongside visual identity, campaigns, photography, packaging and digital creative. The goal is to combine global fitness aesthetics with Indian fit and consumer preferences at accessible mid-range prices.

Title - Head of Creative & Product Design

Reports to - Founder, with executive oversight from Arrakis

Works with - Business & Operations Head, designers, photographers, agencies and vendors

Location - Worli, Mumbai Onsite

Key Responsibilities:

Creative Strategy and Brand Direction

- Translate the founder’s vision into a cohesive creative strategy, defining the brand’s design language, visual identity, aesthetics and overall creative direction.
- Develop seasonal design concepts, mood boards, colour palettes, fabric stories and silhouettes aligned with global fitness trends and Indian consumer preferences.
- Conduct competitor benchmarking and trend research to identify design opportunities and establish a distinctive brand identity.

Product Design and Development

- Lead the design of women’s activewear, including sports bras, leggings, coordinated sets, tops and layers, balancing aesthetics, functionality and comfort.
- Drive the complete product development process, from concept sketches and tech packs to prototypes, fit iterations, sample approvals and production-ready collections.
- Own fabric selection, garment construction, sizing, coverage, fit and performance testing to ensure suitability for Indian body types and usage conditions.

Technical Design and Quality

- Collaborate with manufacturers, fabric suppliers and technical specialists to finalise specifications, construction details and material requirements.
- Conduct fit sessions, movement tests and wear trials, incorporating feedback to improve comfort, durability,



performance and product consistency.
- Establish design specifications, quality checkpoints and approval processes to ensure products meet defined standards before production.
- Brand Identity and Creative Execution
- Lead art direction for brand campaigns, photoshoots, lookbooks, packaging, e-commerce imagery, social media creatives and other customer-facing touchpoints.
- Develop creative briefs, visual references, styling directions and campaign concepts for photographers, designers, agencies and external vendors.
- Ensure consistency in visual identity, storytelling, typography, colour palettes and overall brand presentation across all platforms.

Commercial and Consumer-Centric Design

- Design collections within target retail prices while balancing quality, material selection, manufacturing feasibility and design ambition.
- Collaborate with business and operations teams on product costing, margins, minimum order quantities (MOQs) and production timelines.
- Incorporate consumer research, competitor insights, wear-test feedback and product performance data into design decisions and future collections.

Team and Governance

- Build and lead the creative and product design function, managing designers, technical specialists, photographers, agencies and other creative partners.
- Establish design calendars, creative workflows, project timelines and approval processes to ensure quality and timely execution.
- Define responsibilities, creative approval rights, budgets and deliverables in collaboration with the founder, Arrakis and business leadership.
- Present product concepts, prototypes, campaign directions and creative recommendations to the founder and leadership for review and approval.

Non Negotiable Capabilities:

- Women’s Activewear Product Design: Strong design sensibility and technical expertise in sports bras, leggings, coordinated sets, tops and layers,



including fabric selection, fit, garment construction and performance testing.
- End-to-End Brand Creative: Proven ability to lead brand identity, art direction, campaign development, photoshoots, content creation, e-commerce creative, packaging and retail visual language.
- Technical Product Development: Demonstrated experience translating concepts into detailed tech packs, prototypes, fit iterations and production-ready collections in collaboration with manufacturers.
- Creative Leadership: Ability to lead and brief designers, photographers, agencies and external vendors while maintaining creative quality, consistency and delivery timelines.

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Candidate Profile:

- Experience: 10–15 years across fashion, athleisure design and creative direction, including at least 5 years in women’s activewear.
- Product Expertise: Strong understanding of women's performance wear, technical apparel design, garment construction, fabric technologies, fit development and production processes.
- Creative Portfolio: Demonstrated experience leading both product design and brand creative, supported by a portfolio of successfully developed and launched collections.
- Brand-Building Experience: Ability to establish a cohesive visual identity and translate brand positioning into campaigns, photography, packaging, digital creative and other consumer-facing assets.
- End-to-End Ownership: Proven ability to take concepts from initial ideation through sampling, testing, supplier collaboration and production readiness.
- Leadership and Collaboration: Experience managing creative teams and external partners while working closely with founders, business leaders, manufacturers and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Commercial Mindset: Ability to make design decisions that balance creativity, quality, customer preferences, manufacturing feasibility and target price points.
- Education: Formal training or a degree in fashion, apparel or textile design from NIFT, Pearl Academy, NID or an equivalent institution is preferred. However, portfolio strength and demonstrated product expertise will carry greater weight than academic qualifications.

Budget

We are open to discuss for the right candidate.

📌 Head of Creative & Product Design (Mumbai)
🏢 Arrakis Ventures
📍 Mumbai