Tapestry Senior Handbag Designer
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Senior
- Compensation
- $113,000–157,000/year
- Department
- Creative, Design & Styling
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- Apr 16, 2026
About Tapestry
Kate Spade New York is a lifestyle brand within the Tapestry portfolio known for bold, colorful design across handbags, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear and home décor. As part of Tapestry — a global house of consumer luxury brands — the maison emphasizes creativity, cross‑functional collaboration and inclusive workplace practices.
Kate Spade (Tapestry) seeks a Senior Handbag Designer in New York, NY to lead leather handbag design from concept to production.
Role & Responsibilities
- Develop and execute seasonal handbag concepts from initial research and trend analysis through to production, ensuring coherence across the assortment.
- Produce and maintain detailed CADs and technical specification packages to communicate design intent, construction details and material usage to product development and factories.
- Support the Design Director in managing team workflow, organisation and delivery of design milestones.
- Collaborate closely with Merchandising, Product Development, Raw Materials, Technical Design, hardware and Print teams to align creative direction with commercial objectives.
- Prepare design presentations, mood boards and visual tools for key milestone reviews and cross‑functional meetings.
- Recommend seasonal edits and ensure product quality, market relevance and alignment with business strategy.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum 8+ years of leather handbag design experience at a trend‑driven, aspirational brand.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating the translation of creative concepts into commercially successful product.
- Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and creation of detailed CADs/technical spec packages.
- Excellent hand‑sketching ability and strong conceptual design skills.
- Deep knowledge of raw materials, leather construction techniques and print/graphic design (print experience a plus).
- Strong communication, organisational skills and an understanding of merchandising relative to sales and stores.
Skills
Experience
At least 8 years of leather handbag design experience within a trend‑driven, aspirational fashion brand with end‑to‑end involvement from concept through production and demonstrated collaboration with merchandising and product development teams.
Education
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Workplace
This position is based in New York, New York, USA.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 113,000 to USD 157,000 per annum.
Benefits
Medical insurance, Dental insurance, Vision insurance, 401(k), Paid paternity and maternity leave, Commuter benefits, Disability insurance, Tuition assistance.
Culture
The brand fosters an optimistic, design‑led culture that values creativity, inclusivity and cross‑disciplinary collaboration. Employees are expected to balance original thinking with commercial rigor and to work tightly with merchandising and product development to bring seasonal visions to market.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Tapestry, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Senior Product Designer — Handbags», «Lead Handbag Designer», «Senior Leather Goods Designer», «Senior Accessories Designer», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.