GUCCI Sneakers & Sport Shoes Designer

Summary
Founded in Florence, Italy, in 1921, Gucci is one of the world’s leading luxury brands. Under the leadership of President and CEO Francesca Bellettini and the artistic direction of Demna, the House continues to redefine luxury and fashion while celebrating creativity, Italian craftsmanship, and innovation.
Gucci is part of the global luxury group Kering, which manages renowned Houses in fashion, leather goods, jewelry, and eyewear.

The Sneakers & Sport Shoes Designer contributes to the creative development of Gucci sneakers and sport-inspired footwear across the Men’s and Women’s collections. Translating the Creative vision and collection briefs into distinctive, innovative and technically feasible products, the role combines strong creative sensitivity, contemporary culture awareness and in-depth footwear knowledge. The Designer follows projects from initial research and concept development through design definition, prototyping and collection presentation, ensuring a coherent balance between brand identity, functionality, comfort, craftsmanship and innovation across Fashion and Core collections.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities

• Translate seasonal briefs and creative direction into original sneaker and sport shoes concepts for Men’s and Women’s Fashion and Core collections.

• Conduct creative research into contemporary culture, sport, performance, streetwear, vintage references, materials, technologies and emerging footwear trends.

• Develop sketches, color proposals, technical drawings and detailed design specifications, defining proportions, constructions, uppers, soles, components, graphics and finishes.

• Create and develop new sneaker concepts and product families while evolving Gucci icons and recurring styles with a fresh and relevant perspective.

• Work closely with the wider design team to ensure alignment with the overall collection vision and a consistent product language.

• Partner with Product Development, Merchandising to translate creative concepts into high-quality, technically feasible products.

• Participate in fittings and prototype reviews, providing clear feedback and refining volumes, fit, comfort, construction, materials, colorways and product details.

• Explore innovative materials, sustainable solutions, sole technologies and production techniques that can enrich the collection and enhance product performance.

• Prepare and maintain accurate design files, technical information, color references and collection boards throughout the development process.

• Present concepts and design proposals clearly during creative reviews, collection meetings and cross-functional alignments.

• Manage multiple projects and development timelines simultaneously, incorporating feedback while safeguarding the original creative intent and expected quality level.

Requirements

• 5-7 years of experience in a comparable sneaker or sport shoes design role within luxury fashion, premium footwear or a highly design-led brand.

• Strong portfolio demonstrating originality, refined aesthetic sensitivity and proven experience in designing sneakers and sport-inspired footwear from concept through development.

• Excellent drawing and visualization skills, including hand sketching and digital design, with advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Illustrator and Photoshop.

• Solid technical understanding of footwear construction, lasts, soles, uppers, materials, components, fit and industrial development processes.

• Strong awareness of sneaker culture, sport, fashion, art, music and contemporary lifestyle, combined with the ability to transform cultural insights into relevant luxury products.

• Ability to balance creative experimentation, brand identity, commercial relevance, comfort and technical feasibility.

• Experience working closely with development teams, suppliers and manufacturers, with confidence in reviewing prototypes and communicating precise design feedback.

• Curious, proactive and collaborative approach, with strong organizational skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects and evolving priorities.

• Fluency in English; knowledge of Italian is a strong advantage.

Key challenges

• Creating distinctive and desirable sneaker concepts in a highly competitive and fast-evolving product category while preserving Gucci’s unique creative identity.

• Balancing fashion impact, innovation, comfort, functionality, commercial relevance and industrial feasibility across Fashion and Core collection needs.

• Managing complex development processes, multiple stakeholders, prototype revisions and demanding collection timelines without compromising design quality and accuracy.

Salary Package

- Gross Annual Salary : 40.000 € (unless otherwise agreed, in the event of a positive outcome of the selection process, should specific levels of experience and autonomy and/or particular competencies emerge during the selection process, based on objective criteria).
- NCBA (National Collective Bargaining Agreement) : National Contract per gli Addetti alle Industrie Manifatturiere delle Pelli e Succedanei e Ombrelli e Ombrelloni (unique alphanumeric code: D111)
- White-collar
- Bonuses and Commissions : Annual Target Bonus as per the company-level collective agreement in force, up to 20% of the Gross Annual Salary.
- Other Benefits :
- Company canteen
- Supplementary health insurance yes
- Company welfare program

Gucci is committed to building a diverse workforce. We believe diversity in all its forms – gender, age, nationality, culture, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation – enriches the workplace. It opens up opportunities for people to express their talent, both individually and collectively and it helps foster our ability to adapt to a changing world. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their background.

Job Type
Regular

Start Date
2027-01-11

Schedule
Full time

Organization
Guccio Gucci S.p.A.