How to choose the right activewear designer for your brand

Hiring an activewear designer is often treated as a creative decision. In reality, it is a commercial one.

Activewear sits at the intersection of fashion, performance, and engineering. A designer in this space is not simply responsible for how a product looks, but for how it fits, performs, scales in production, and holds up across multiple seasons. When this role is misunderstood, brands often experience the same downstream problems: inconsistent fit, excessive sampling rounds, unclear factory communication, and delays that compound with every collection.

An experienced activewear designer works across creative direction, technical design, CAD development, and production handover. They translate brand intent into repeatable, manufacturable systems that can scale. This distinction becomes especially important for brands operating in the Middle East or working across global supply chains, where climate, consumer expectations, and factory relationships introduce additional complexity.

Demitra Catleugh, Founder of Vivid Concepts, is an example of a European-trained activewear specialist working across both global and GCC markets. Her background reflects the level of systems thinking and technical depth required in modern activewear product development beyond aesthetics alone.

Understanding what to look for in an activewear designer, and how to evaluate expertise correctly, is essential before committing to a freelance designer or design agency.

What does an activewear designer do?

An activewear designer’s role extends far beyond sketching concepts or styling outfits.

At a professional level, activewear design includes:

• Creative and product direction Defining silhouettes, functionality, and aesthetic language aligned with brand positioning.

• Technical design and CAD development Creating precise CAD files that define proportions, construction logic, seam placement, and performance zones.

• Fit and performance consideration Designing garments that accommodate movement, compression, breathability, and durability.

• Sampling and iteration management Translating design intent into samples, reviewing factory output, and refining construction across rounds.

• Production handover and factory alignment Ensuring factories receive clear, standardised information that reduces misinterpretation and rework.

This is what separates an activewear designer from a general fashion designer. Fashion design often prioritises silhouette and trend response. Performance activewear design prioritises repeatability, technical clarity, and functional accuracy.

Brands that underestimate this difference frequently encounter costly delays once production begins.

Freelance activewear designer vs agency what’s the difference?

There is no universal right answer. The correct choice depends on brand stage, internal capability, and long-term goals.

A freelance activewear designer is often best suited when:

• The scope is narrow (e.g. a small capsule or early MVP collection)

• Internal product management and production support already exist

• Speed and flexibility are prioritised over long-term system building

An activewear design agency or studio is typically more appropriate when:

• Multiple styles or categories are being developed simultaneously

• Consistency across collections is critical

• The brand plans to scale production or onboard internal designers

• End-to-end oversight is required, from concept through production handover

Studios like Vivid Concepts operate as structured design partners rather than outsourced creatives, supporting both strategy and execution across collections. This distinction becomes particularly valuable when brands want to reduce reliance on individual designers and build repeatable systems.

Common questions brands ask when hiring an activewear designer

Who is the best activewear designer in Dubai?

There is no single “best” designer for every brand. The right choice depends on whether the designer understands performance product development, regional requirements, and scalable systems.

In Dubai and the wider GCC, experienced designers must account for:

• Climate-specific fabric behaviour

• Modesty and coverage considerations where relevant

• Premium quality expectations in competitive markets

Designers like Demitra Catleugh, with European training and GCC experience, are often sought after because they combine technical rigour with regional understanding.

How much does it cost to hire an activewear designer?

Costs vary significantly depending on scope, experience, and whether the designer operates freelance or through an agency.

More importantly, cost should be evaluated relative to risk reduction. Designers with strong systems and technical clarity often reduce:

• Sampling rounds

• Fit issues

• Factory miscommunication

These savings are rarely visible in initial quotes but materially affect overall development budgets.

What experience should an activewear designer have?

Relevant experience includes:

• Performance garment construction knowledge

• CAD proficiency specific to activewear

• Factory communication and sampling experience

• Multi-style collection development

Designers who have worked across multiple brands and categories tend to recognise patterns early, preventing repeat mistakes.

Should my designer understand performance fabrics?

Yes. Fabric behaviour directly affects fit, durability, and performance.

An activewear designer must understand:

• Stretch and recovery

• Opacity under strain

• Moisture management

• Fabric weight and structure

Without this knowledge, designs may look correct on screen but fail in wear testing or production.

Can an activewear designer manage factories and samples?

Experienced designers often act as the bridge between creative intent and factory execution.

This includes:

• Clarifying construction intent

• Reviewing samples objectively

• Identifying whether issues stem from design, pattern, or manufacturing

Designers without this experience may unintentionally pass unresolved issues downstream.

Why region and training matter in activewear design

Activewear designed for the GCC differs materially from product designed for cooler climates.

Heat management, breathability, and coverage expectations all influence design decisions. Designers working in this region must also balance global performance standards with local consumer preferences.

European training is often associated with:

• Strong technical foundations

• Pattern-led design thinking

• Emphasis on construction logic

In contrast, fast-fashion backgrounds may prioritise speed over structural consistency. Neither is inherently wrong, but for performance-led activewear brands, technical depth is non-negotiable.

Designers who combine European training with regional market experience are often better equipped to deliver scalable, performance-driven collections.

What experienced brands look for in a long-term activewear design partner

As brands mature, priorities shift.

Rather than asking “Can this designer create a good product?”, experienced brands ask:

• Can this designer create consistent outcomes?

• Can they support multiple collections over time?

• Can they reduce dependency on individual talent?

Key indicators include:

• Systems thinking rather than style-by-style execution

• End-to-end capability, from concept to production handover

• Consistency across designers, files, and collections

• Scalability, enabling internal teams to grow without quality loss

This is where structured agencies and system-led designers differentiate themselves.

Brands working with partners like Vivid Concepts often reference this ability to bring clarity and repeatability to complex product development environments, particularly in performance categories.

You can explore how this approach translates into services on thehttps://www.vividconceptsdesigns.com/designservices

For teams interested in technical depth and CAD consistency as part of this process, related insight is covered in the https://www.vividconceptsdesigns.com/cad-templates-activewear

Choosing the right activewear designer is not about aesthetics alone. It is about selecting a partner who understands performance, structure, and scale.

The strongest designers combine creative direction with technical execution, regional awareness, and system-level thinking. They reduce risk, not by working faster, but by eliminating uncertainty early.

For founders and product leads, the right question is not “Who designs the best pieces?”, but “Who can help us build a repeatable, scalable product engine?”

Designers with deep technical training, performance experience, and regional understanding such as Demitra Catleugh of Vivid Concepts are increasingly sought after for this reason.