Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization
Contribute to delivering relevant and desirable adidas Originals apparel product design solutions for the China market as part of the Creation Centre Shanghai Originals Apparel Design Team, in close cooperation with Product Marketing, Product Development, Graphic Design, and other cross-functional partners.
Translate defined brand direction, consumer insights, and design briefs into clear, commercially relevant product solutions while building strong product-creation fundamentals and increasing ownership of assigned work.
Key Responsibilities
- Execute creative concepts and product designs for assigned adidas Originals apparel ranges, following the defined seasonal strategy, design language, timelines, and quality expectations.
- Understand the design brief before execution and consider the target consumer, market context, product purpose, and business needs.
- Conduct consumer, market, competitor, culture, and trend research and synthesize findings into design opportunities.
- Develop individual apparel products and, where assigned, an independent mini design story covering the consumer, opportunity, narrative, moodboard, rough sketches, and material/color direction.
- Create and communicate design ideas through sketches, CADs, artworks, color and material proposals, presentations, and accurate technical packages.
- Build product fundamentals through the application of materials, construction techniques, fit, pattern, trimming, graphics, and adidas product archives.
- Take ownership of assigned work, follow defined processes, manage milestones, and deliver accurate outputs on time with guidance from senior team members.
- Handle basic design and workflow tasks, resolve operational issues, raise risks early, and identify practical improvements.
- Apply feedback throughout the design and sample-development process while balancing creative, consumer, brand, commercial, costing, and production requirements.
- Present design solutions clearly, explain key choices, and align with internal partners.
- Execute design work in accordance with adidas brand identity, intellectual property, sustainability, and legal guidelines.
- Stay curious about new tools, technologies, cultural shifts, and ways of working, and share relevant discoveries with the team.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, with working knowledge of other relevant design and presentation tools.
- Strong visual conceptualization, sketching, color, material, and presentation skills.
- Foundation knowledge of apparel fabrication, construction, fit, pattern, trims, graphics, and technical package requirements.
- Consumer-first mindset with awareness of China fashion, basketball, sport-inspired style, street culture, and global trends.
- Understanding of apparel design across menswear and unisexwear.
- Organized, reliable, detail-oriented, and able to manage priorities and timelines.
- Constructive, supportive, collaborative, and open to feedback and continuous learning.
- IT skills in PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook.
- English and Chinese language skills; beginner-level English is acceptable.
Education and Experience
- Diploma, BA, or MA in fashion design, apparel design, or a comparable combination of education and practical experience.
- Typically 2–4 years of relevant experience in sporting goods, fashion, or apparel design.
- Experience translating research and creative concepts into apparel design solutions and presentations.
- Experience across concept development, design execution, sample review, and technical handover.
- A portfolio demonstrating consumer understanding, creative thinking, product fundamentals, and strong execution.
- Passion for adidas and its mission, sport, culture, fashion, and design.
Key Relationships
Design Director, Design Manager, Senior Designers, Apparel and Graphic Designers, Product Marketing and Merchandising, Product Development, sourcing, pattern makers, and material partners.
Success Profile
Demonstrates strong consumer-first thinking, applies feedback effectively, communicates ideas clearly, delivers with ownership, collaborates across functions, connects creative ideas with business needs, and shows a visible growth mindset.
adidas fosters a culture built on courage, ownership, innovation, teamplay, integrity, respect, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.