Design Manager Men’s Leather Goods (Bags)

Beyond Talent is supporting a renowned luxury Maison in Paris to strengthen its Men’s Leather Goods team with a senior Design Manager profile. This role will lead the creative elevation of the Men’s Bags category, bringing a new, distinctive approach with the ambition to create future iconic bags that will define the history of the Maison.

This is a leadership position, managing a team and driving projects end-to-end in close collaboration with Product Development, Atelier, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Materials/Fabrics, and Industrial teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and drive the creative vision for Men’s Bags in alignment with the Maison’s DNA and the Creative Director/Design Director’s direction.
• Propose innovative concepts, silhouettes, constructions, and functional ideas that push the category forward while staying true to luxury codes.
• Build strong seasonal narratives, supporting both runway and commercial needs, ensuring a clear product architecture across the assortment.
• Lead the creation of new icons: from early concept to refined execution, ensuring long-term relevance and desirability.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a design team (designers, assistants, interns as applicable), setting clear priorities and high creative standards.
• Manage team workflow and deadlines across multiple drops (show, pre-collections, special projects, carry-over evolution).
• Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and constructive critique with a strong focus on craftsmanship and detail.
• Oversee the full development process: sketches, CAD, technical drawings, material selection, prototypes, sampling, fittings/reviews, and production validation.
• Partner with product development and industrialization teams to balance creativity with feasibility, cost targets, and quality standards.
• Drive continuous improvement of construction techniques, weight, durability, comfort, and user experience.
• Collaborate daily with Merchandising to ensure range balance, price architecture, and strategic carry-over evolution.
• Monitor the luxury landscape, men’s fashion movements, consumer behaviors, and key competitors.
• Translate insights into product ideas that feel culturally relevant, premium known-how, and commercially strong.

Profile & Requirements

• Significant experience (typically +6 years) in Men’s Leather Goods design within pure luxury Maisons (heritage and high craftsmanship environment).
• Proven track record of building successful bag lines and/or launching standout pieces with strong market impact.
• Demonstrated team leadership experience (managing and developing designers).
• Strong creative vision paired with deep technical knowledge of leather goods construction and luxury finishing.
• Excellent ability to work cross-functionally with product development, materials/fabrics/leathers, hardware, and industrialization.