What does a Footwear Creative Director do?
Footwear Creative Directors shape and steer sneakers through leading advanced design solutions and direction to the look of a brand’s ethos. In general, they seamlessly work cross-functionally with design teams to influence and develop current and future initiatives. They do this according to market trends and overall design direction to ensure consistency across sneakers lines. Furthermore, they steer and drive the conceptualization process by researching functional, product concepts and outlining areas of innovation.
How much does this career make?
According to Comparably, Footwear Creative Directors make an average of $133,333 annually or $64.10 an hour. Nationally, junior creative directors make around $65,000 annually, with senior-level creative directors making $180,00 a year.
What impact does this career have towards the sneaker industry?
Footwear Creative Directors are at the forefront of design trends and innovation, as well as their application. They are key in functional relationships across a brand’s leadership team, design team, and innovation teams through inspiring and motivating teams to pursue cutting edge ideas that are innovating and original in the market.
What is the job outlook for a Creative Director in Footwear?
The Footwear market is expected to show a volume growth of 3.25% annually through 2025. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job growth in the fashion design industry (including Footwear Creative Directors) is projected to grow by 1% by 2028.
Learn from:
Jon Tang
Sneaker Essentials contributor, Fronteer
Founder & Creative Director, Fronteer
Senior Designer, Collaborations & Special Projects, K-Swiss
Related Careers:
Men’s Footwear Designer | Women’s Footwear Designer | Kid’s Footwear Designer | Footwear Graphic Designer | Product Line Manager | Product Development Manager | Materials Designer | Color Designer| Athletic Footwear Designer | Product Developer | Design Engineer | Photographer | Photo Retoucher
