Art Director (Honolulu)
Role: Art Director, Hale Tori Brands: Tori Richard, Kahala, Birdwell Reports to: Vice President of Marketing, Hale Tori Partners with: Chief Brand & Marketing Officer, Hale Tori Location: In office Honolulu, HI or San Clemente, CA Employment Type: Full-Time The Opportunity Do you want to be a part of one of the world’s leading heritage resort and lifestyle apparel groups? Hale Tori, home to iconic brands including Tori Richard, Kahala, and Birdwell, is hiring an Art Director to define, elevate, and protect the visual language of all three brands. Combined, these brands are leaders in their space with 225 years of heritage. Founded in 1956, Tori Richard is known for exceptionally crafted, art forward apparel defined by signature prints, lightweight technical fabrics, and a deep connection to Honolulu’s history of art, travel, leisure, and community. Kahala brings a timeless approach to aloha wear rooted in authenticity and tradition, while Birdwell represents the spirit of the ocean through durable, purpose built surfwear with a legacy that spans generations. Together, these brands share a commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and meaningful design. This is the group’s senior creative craft role. As Art Director, you will set the aesthetic standard for Hale Tori and then go build it yourself. You will own the look of seasonal campaigns, lead photo and video shoots, design across digital advertising, email, web, print, and retail, and write the guidelines that keep three distinct brands distinct. You will also lead the work of other designers, raising the level of the whole team through direction, critique, and mentorship rather than approval alone. You will report to the Vice President of Marketing and work directly with the Chief Brand and Marketing Officer to build out the aesthetic for each brand, so that Tori Richard, Kahala, and Birdwell each hold their own individual distinction and brand promise while the group as a whole reads as deliberate and well made. We are looking for someone who has come up through the ranks of design and earned the seat: a student of aesthetics and design history with real technical skill, a live read on what is current in fashion, art, photography, and culture, and the judgment to know the difference between what is merely of the moment and what is right for these brands. You will join a small, passionate, in-house creative team that values craft, clarity, and collaboration. Primary Responsibilities Brand Aesthetic and Creative Direction Define, evolve, and protect the visual identity of Tori Richard, Kahala, and Birdwell, ensuring each brand holds a distinct point of view and delivers on its own brand promise Partner with the Chief Brand and Marketing Officer to translate each brand’s positioning into a working aesthetic across typography, color, photography, styling, and composition Bring a clear and differentiated point of view to every project, knowing the difference between work that is on trend and work that is unmistakably ours Present concepts, campaign looks, and creative rationale to brand and executive leadership with clarity and conviction Seasonal Campaigns and Art Direction Lead seasonal campaign concepting for each brand, from brief and mood board through casting, location, styling, and final selects Develop the seasonal campaign look and the art direction guides, shot lists, and storyboards the wider team executes against Lead photo and video shoots on set, directing photographers, stylists, and talent, and making live calls on lighting, composition, and wardrobe Own image selection, retouching standards, and post production direction, including direction of external retouchers and editors Hands-On Design Across Channels Design and produce work yourself across digital advertising, email, ecommerce and web, print, packaging, and retail projects Art direct and design the site experience, including homepage, collection pages, product detail pages, and seasonal landing pages, in partnership with ecommerce Create paid and organic social creative built for the platform, adapting concept, format, and aspect ratio without diluting the idea Design print and retail work including lookbooks, catalogs, direct mail, line sheets, packaging, hangtags, signage, and in store and trade show environments Design or direct motion and video content for campaign, social, and site use Design Leadership and Mentorship Lead and elevate the work of the brand designers and production artist through clear direction, critique, and hands on collaboration Mentor designers on craft, typography, and creative decision making, raising the ceiling of the team rather than simply reviewing output Scope and manage freelance designers, retouchers, photographers, and agency partners, holding outside work to the same standard as in house work Establish a critique and review rhythm that improves quality and shortens the path from brief to approved work Guidelines, Systems, and Standards Build and maintain brand guidelines for each brand, covering logo usage, typography, color, photography, art direction, and visual tone of voice Build scalable design systems, templates, and reusable asset libraries that increase speed and consistency without flattening the work Set and uphold standards for craft, file management, and production quality across everything the group publishes Audit creative in market and close the gap between the guideline and what the customer actually sees Collaboration and Execution Partner with the Vice President of Marketing and the brand marketing leads to align creative with campaign strategy, product drops, and commercial goals Work with Product Development and Design so that marketing creative represents each season’s prints, fabrics, fit, and story accurately Support Sales with the tools the business runs on, including seasonal presentations, line sheets, and wholesale and trade materials Manage creative workload, timelines, and priorities across three brands and multiple channels, on time and on budget Qualifications Seven to ten years of progressive, hands on experience in design and art direction for fashion, apparel, or lifestyle brands, having come up through the craft rather than around it Demonstrated ownership of a brand aesthetic, not only execution within someone else’s, including guidelines and systems you personally authored Proven ability to lead, direct, and mentor other designers while remaining excellent and fast with your own hands Deep command of typography, layout, color, composition, and photography, and the ability to articulate why a decision is the right one A genuine study of aesthetics and design history, paired with a current read on fashion, art, photography, and culture, and the taste to apply both Experience leading photo and video shoots on location and in studio, from pre production through final selects Proven multi channel range across digital advertising, email, ecommerce, print, and retail or environmental design Expert proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, with working knowledge of After Effects or Premiere, Capture One or Lightroom, and ecommerce platforms such as Shopify A portfolio that shows individual craft, campaign level thinking, and systems you built that other people were able to use well Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience Ability to thrive on a small, fast moving, entrepreneurial in house team where the person with the best idea is often the person who builds it An authentic connection to the world these brands live in, including island life, surf, ocean, travel, and the craft of making things well Able to report for work during office hours five days a week in Honolulu, Hawaii or San Clemente, California Compensation The expected base salary range for this role is $100,000 to $120,000 per year. Final compensation will reflect experience, demonstrated scope, portfolio, and work location, and the role is eligible for Hale Tori’s benefits package.
