Art Director Creative · Manchester HQ

Club L London Limited; Chadderton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A fashion retail company is seeking a visionary Art Director to define and execute its creative vision globally. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in fashion and luxury brands, able to lead creative teams and campaigns effectively. Responsibilities include setting creative standards, guiding social content creation, and collaborating with various teams to ensure brand consistency. This role offers opportunities for profound impact in a fast-growing environment.

Benefits

Bi-annual bonus scheme

25 days of annual leave

Extra day off for your birthday

Flexible working hours

Cycle to work scheme

40% staff discount

Healthcare Cashplan

Free onsite gym

Enhanced pension contribution

Enhanced maternity and sick pay

Free snacks and drinks

Social events

Qualifications

• Experience in fashion or luxury brands is essential.
• Proven experience leading creative teams.
• Ability to translate strategic ideas into creative executions.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the creative vision for the brand.
• Lead all creative campaigns from moodboards to final delivery.
• Guide the Social team in creating on-brand content.

Skills

Proven experience as an Art Director

Strong portfolio in creative direction

Understanding of fashion imagery

Conceptual thinking

Attention to detail

Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

Job description

About Us

Club L London is the next-generation online fashion retailer for the forward-thinking woman. Conceptualised and crafted in-house and abroad, we specialise in accessible luxury and designs of unrivalled quality that flatter all figures.

From prom to occasion, maternity, bridal, and beyond, we deliver an elevated shopping experience that connects our global community of trend-setting consumers, influencers, and content creators with fresh collections dropping weekly.

The Role

We are seeking a visionary Art Director to define, elevate, and execute the creative universe of Club L London on a global stage. Reporting directly to the CEO and working closely with the Brand Director and Head of Marketing, you will be the guardian of the brand’s visual identity, shaping how the brand looks, feels, and speaks across every channel and international market.

You will transform strategic ideas into impactful visuals, ensuring concepts are executed with excellence from ideation to final delivery. This role is equal parts creative direction, brand stewardship, and hands‑on leadership, demanding both high aesthetic standards and sharp commercial awareness within an expanding international landscape.

Key Responsibilities

Creative & Brand Direction

• Set and communicate the brand’s overarching creative vision and visual standards across all global customer touchpoints.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously evolve the Club L brand guidelines — ensuring consistency in art direction, tone of voice, colour palettes, typography, styling, and visual storytelling worldwide.
• Translate abstract concepts or strategic ideas into tangible creative executions that bring the brand vision to life.
• Act as the guardian of the brand identity, ensuring all creative reflects Club L’s DNA while staying innovative and aspirational across diverse international audiences.

Campaign & Asset Development

• Lead and art direct all creative campaigns, from moodboard creation to production and final asset delivery.
• Oversee concept development, shot lists, storyboards, and visual direction for all major brand moments.
• Partner with Studio Producers, Stylists, Graphic Designers, and Marketing teams to produce world‑class content that performs both creatively and commercially in international markets.
• Ensure shoot direction is consistent with brand styling standards and guidelines.
• Maintain strict quality control across all deliverables, including imagery, video, retouching, typography, and layout.
• Approve all final assets, ensuring they meet the highest creative standards and align with brand strategy.

Social Content & Visual Storytelling

• Guide the Social team in creating visually consistent and on‑brand content across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and emerging platforms globally.
• Ensure social assets follow brand guidelines while remaining agile, trend-aware, and optimised for regional nuances and cultural differences.
• Provide creative direction for social‑first shoots, rapid content capture, and trend‑driven storytelling.

Brand Identity Development

• Play a leading role in developing and refining the core Club L brand identity, ensuring it evolves with the business, audience, and global market expansion.
• Build and maintain a strong, cohesive visual world that differentiates Club L within the international fashion landscape.
• Ensure brand identity is understood and adopted across the organisation, helping internal teams interpret and apply guidelines correctly across regions.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the Creative Director, Head of Marketing and E‑commerce teams to align creative execution with global business objectives.
• Collaborate with external photographers, agencies, retouchers, videographers, and creative partners worldwide to deliver exceptional campaigns.
• Bridge creative and commercial teams, balancing brand expression with performance needs across multiple markets.

Post‑Production Excellence

• Oversee all post‑production processes including retouching, colour grading, layout, and final asset refinement.
• Ensure colour accuracy, quality consistency and flawless finishing across all imagery and video outputs for global distribution.
• Provide detailed feedback to designers, retouchers and editors to maintain excellence across all deliverables.

Insights & Trend Analysis

• Stay constantly informed on international fashion trends, cultural shifts, media behaviours and digital innovation to inspire creative evolution.
• Analyse global campaign and asset performance to refine creative direction and improve future outputs.

Leadership & Team Development

• Mentor, guide and inspire internal creatives, elevating the overall quality and consistency of brand visuals across markets.
• Influence long‑term brand development and creative planning with senior leadership as the brand expands internationally.

About You

• Proven experience as an Art Director, Senior Creative or Creative Strategist within a fashion, luxury, retail or lifestyle‑led brand.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating brand identity development, creative direction and high‑level visual execution across international markets.
• Deep understanding of fashion imagery, campaign direction, digital storytelling and global brand visual systems.
• Exceptional conceptual thinking with the ability to turn vision into high‑quality, commercially effective content.
• Obsessed with detail — from composition and lighting to typography and post‑production.
• Confident working in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment with multiple projects running simultaneously.
• Passionate about fashion, culture, creative innovation and delivering elevated global customer experiences.

What's on offer?

• Bi‑annual bonus scheme
• 25 days of annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Extra day off for your birthday
• Flexible working hours around core hours of 10-4
• Cycle to work scheme
• 40% staff discount across Club L and Lavish Alice products
• Healthcare Cashplan
• Free onsite gym
• Enhanced pension contribution
• Enhanced maternity and sick pay
• Free snacks, drinks & treats
• Social events