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Creative Director / Design Director / Brand Strategist
Jonathan de Lagarde
New York, NY
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About
Jonathan de Lagarde is an award-winning creative director with over 20 years of global experience leading design teams and shaping the aesthetic identities of lifestyle and performance brands. His expertise spans creative direction, heritage storytelling, trend forecasting, premium materials innovation, and sustainability integration.
Jonathan has held senior leadership roles at Nike (Asia Pacific Head Designer), Gap, FILA, Diadora S.p.A., and Pyer Moss, where he directed multi-category product strategies across apparel, footwear, and accessories. Most recently, as Vice President of Design for LITA by Ciara and Good Man Brand, he developed globally resonant collections that merged aspirational narratives, cultural relevance, and market-defining design systems.
His ability to translate consumer insights and trend analysis into cohesive brand storytelling has positioned him as a key figure in the evolution of global lifestyle design. He is known for cultivating high-performing creative teams and delivering collections that drive cultural and commercial impact.
Jonathan’s work has been featured in Vogue, GQ, Surface Magazine, L’Officiel Hommes, and The New York Times. He is a recipient of the 2023 ACE Award for Sustainability from the Accessories Council of America and a finalist for the International Woolmark Prize. -
Education
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BANew York University1997
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Experience
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CREATIVE STRATEGY/ INNOVATION CONSULTANT (Contract)FanaticsJul 2025 - Present (11 months)• Consulting directly with senior leadership on product storytelling, brand strategy, and design-driven innovation across global sport verticals.
• Leading the integration of AI tools into the creative workflow, enhancing concept-to-consumer processes, product storytelling, and merchandising alignment.
• Created frameworks for visual storytelling tools to support apparel development, stakeholder communication, and cross-functional factory handoffs.
• Sharing best practices and thought leadership on the future of creative direction, digital ideation, and AI/ML-enhanced design systems. -
Creative Director, Men's & Women's Apparel, Footwear & AccessoriesNov 2020 - Present (5 years 7 months)• Served as the creative force behind two lifestyle brands, establishing a global design vision that fused aspirational storytelling and cultural relevance.
• Acted as the public-facing creative ambassador, shaping industry perception through media appearances and high-level brand partnerships.
• Orchestrated the creative direction across all touchpoints—including seasonal product strategies, art direction for campaign imagery, and consumer-facing brand activations.
• Oversaw apparel, accessories, and footwear design from concept through global delivery, aligning collections with luxury lifestyle trends and cultural shifts.
• Led a multidisciplinary team of 8 designers and collaborators, cultivating a studio culture that embraced innovation, craft, and storytelling excellence.
• Spearheaded global trend and fabric research trips (Italy, Japan, China, South America), curating partnerships with leading mills and artisans to elevate materiality.
• Partnered intimately with co-owners Ciara and Russell Wilson to distill their iconic personal brands into luxury-level narratives, elevating the collections into globally resonant expressions of modern lifestyle. -
Design ConsultantJan 2021 - Oct 2021 (9 months)• Designed and executed key trends and concepts for Fall 2022, aligning with Pyer Moss’s distinctive storytelling.
• Directed line architecture, sourcing strategies, and fit philosophy to ensure cohesive product vision.
• Collaborated closely with technical designers to facilitate efficient sample production cycles. -
CREATIVE DIRECTORLos Angeles, CA2016 - 2019 (3 years)• Creative Director for LA based direct to consumer elevated menswear brand which became a perennial favorite for stylists and celebrities.
• Directly responsible for concept/color/trend, product design, fabrication and trim sourcing, factory sourcing, art directing, development/approval process.
• Global travel for trend research, fabric tradeshows and product development.
• Custom fabric development done in Los Angeles, Japan, and Italy, while overseeing production in LA, Europe and Japan. -
VARIOUS CONSULTING PROJECTSConsultant2011 - 2017 (6 years)Iconix Apparel Group / Artful Dodger - Creative Direction Consultant
GLG Research Group - Consulting Council Member, Retail
Wilson Sporting Goods - Creative Direction Consultant -
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SPECIAL PROJECTSLos Angeles, CA2015 - 2016 (1 year)• Produced textile strategies and direction, high level illustration, and technical/fit packages.
• Delivered, executed, and managed a complete brand footprint providing direction for graphic stories, marketing strategies, internet presence and retail execution.
• Created and conceived high level conceptual themes, and collections for the Diadora Sportswear Collection. -
CONSULTING DESIGNERMEN-CHUEN FIBRELos Angeles, CA2014 - 2016 (2 years)• Oversaw design, concept, and global development processes.
• Created modern sportswear collections using advance technical fabrics and production techniques.
• Conceived and executed proof of concept designs for a Men’s & Women’s Private Label fashion brand utilizing cutting edge technology solutions to enhance and simplify the lives of urban professionals world wide. -
CREATIVE DIRECTORSELESTENorrmalm, Sweden2014 - 2016 (2 years)• Tapped by a Sweden-based brand group to design and develop a high end women’s outerwear brand for the European market.
• Regularly flew to Stockholm to lead Concept-to-Creation presentations for strategic investors and retailers. http://www.seleste.se
• Conceived and directed all product development from sketching to sourcing to final product.
• Designed a 10 piece luxury capsule using a focused fabric palette and a tight, minimalist color story. -
DESIGN DIRECTORFILANew York, NY2008 - 2014 (6 years)• Accounted for more than $100MM in total revenue, with product represented in over 1,000 doors nationwide
• Directed and managed the overall creative direction and product development process for Fila Sport.
• Led as the primary ambassador to outside partners and executive officers to ensure brand vision, design, and trend aligned with corporate business objectives.
• Managed, trained, and mentored a cross functional team of ten designers and artists. -
CO-FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTORGAR-DENew York, NY2008 - 2011 (3 years)• Conceived and created overall brand profile and design ethos. Acted as Creative Director for both the Men’s and Women’s full collections
• GAR-DE was a New York design collective and brand specializing in directional high end apparel for men and women.
• Retail doors include Barney’s New York, Harvey Nichols Hong Kong, Intermix and over 70 more doors domestic, and abroad in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and Dubai. http://www.gar-de.com
• Able to penetrate 30 retail doors with a fledgling brand in a challenging economy, with $1m in total revenue. -
DESIGN DIRECTORBaltimore, MD2007 - 2007• Served as mentor and manager to Associate and Assistant Designers
• Designed and presented seasonal concepts and collections to our team and customers under aggressive time lines
• Acted as key senior partner in nurturing the brand identity and created distinctive Under Armour apparel offerings with a dynamic, timeless design vision.
• Interacted cross functionally with PLM’s, Developers, Patternmakers and Fabric Developers on seasonal line development, including Fit Sessions. -
DESIGN DIRECTORHong Kong, Hong Kong2005 - 2007 (2 years)• Provided leadership in business processes and design excellence within product and graphic design across multiple categories.
• Directed a team of six for the Asia Pacific and Global regional apparel markets, based in Hong Kong.
• Conceived and implemented design creation processes to guarantee product excellence and effectively build the brand.
• Created short and long-term design vision and strategies for the apparel business categories.
• Collaborated with other apparel product teams (i.e. marketing, sales), and business units (i.e. footwear, equipment, retail) to ensure continuity regarding design strategies and brand positioning.
Head Designer - Nike Basketball, Asia Pacific 2005 – 2006
Design Director - Nike Basketball / Running / Lifestyle, Asia Pacific 2006 - 2007 -
DESIGNERNew York, NY2003 - 2005 (2 years)• Traveled overseas to South Korea to oversee sample creation process to ensure garments are correct for bulk production.
• Researched, developed, and negotiated prices for innovative new fabrics with overseas mills.
• Managed a cross-departmental team of designers and graphic designers.
• Responsible for the overall concept and design for the Men's Activewear division, a segment which contributed $150M to the overall sales of the Old Navy.
• Designed a full collection covering all categories, including the first offering of moisture management tech tops ever at Old Navy.
• Created effective and clear line presentations for Executive Level meetings that incorporated both conceptual design briefs and business projections.
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Awards
Accessories Council Excellence Award (ACE) for Sustainability
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Industries
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Skills
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Elsewhere on the Web
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On Coroflot@delagarde, member since 2002
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Following 14
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Followers 70
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