Head of Apparel Design - Special Projects & Collaborations

The Head of Apparel Design – Special Projects & Collaborations defines, drives, and executes the creative vision for On's apparel capsules, co-creations, and strategic brand partnerships. Operating at the intersection of high fashion, culture, and high-performance engineering, the role expands On's cultural footprint through disruptive, limited-edition, and halo collections. The position bridges guest creators, external brands, and elite athletes with On's internal design, innovation, and inline apparel teams to deliver collections that are functional, culturally resonant, and brand-defining.

• Define, drive, and execute the creative vision for On's apparel capsules, co-creations, and strategic brand partnerships.
• Partner closely with external creative directors, guest collaborators, artist and athlete management, and external brand teams, while orchestrating internal alignment with Footwear Special Projects, Apparel Inline, Innovation, Brand Marketing, Legal, and Commercial/GTM teams.
• Cultivate an agile, boundary-pushing design environment, empowering the team to operate with speed, creative bravery, and precision, and ensuring every collaboration honours both the partner's identity and On's performance DNA.
• Lead the overarching design strategy, ideation, and visual narrative for all special apparel projects, limited-edition capsules, and brand collaborations in close partnership with the Creative Director.
• Serve as the brand's cultural antenna, identifying emerging movements across fashion, contemporary art, streetwear, and athletic subcultures to proactively propose game-changing partner concepts.
• Design elevated halo products that generate brand equity, provoke cultural conversation, and trickle down design inspiration into On's inline seasonal collections.
• Direct the co-design process alongside external brands, high-fashion houses, artists, and athletes, balancing co-branding guidelines, conflicting design languages, and shared creative goals.
• Lead the lifecycle of special projects from initial napkin sketch and storyboarding to final runway/drop assets, ensuring storytelling clarity and concept integrity throughout.
• Manage complex stakeholder landscapes, translating high-concept creative ideas into actionable briefs for Product Management, Development, Sourcing, and Go-To-Market teams under tight, non-standard timelines.
• Drive hands-on execution across fittings, technical specs, trim customisation, and specialised embellishments, ensuring the highest standards of luxury-level execution and performance utility.

• Hold a higher education degree in Fashion, Apparel, or Industrial Design.
• Bring 8+ years of progressive design experience in sportswear, high fashion, luxury, or streetwear, with a proven track record of delivering high-profile apparel collaborations or special concept projects.
• Possess a strong portfolio of launched co-branded capsules, limited-edition drops, or concept collections demonstrating an ability to fuse distinct brand identities into cohesive product lines.
• Have direct people management experience, with a track record of leading, mentoring, and inspiring agile design pods and cross-functional project teams.
• Bring a deep understanding of global fashion/streetwear culture, luxury design methodologies, and subcultural dynamics across major global markets (Europe, North America, APAC).
• Be highly skilled at navigating senior executive dynamics and external talent management, with the gravitas to present to founders, high-profile partners, and executive suites.
• Exhibit mastery in technical execution (Adobe Creative Suite, 3D apparel software, PLM tools) alongside hands-on draping, garment construction, and prototyping capabilities.
• Have an entrepreneurial, highly adaptive mindset, capable of thriving in fast-paced, non-linear development cycles and managing high ambiguity with poise.
• Be an exceptional communicator, fluent in written and spoken English.

• An environment designed to give people the tools to develop holistically – to stay active, to learn, explore and innovate.
• A supportive, team-oriented atmosphere.
• Access to personal self-care for both physical and mental well-being.
• A culture where each person is led by purpose.