Headless Shopify Front-End Developer — Premium Performance Apparel Brand

**Headless Shopify Front-End Developer — Premium Performance Apparel Brand** We're a US-made performance endurance apparel brand targeting serious cyclists, triathletes, and runners. We're currently on Shopify Symmetry and evaluating a move to a headless architecture to get the custom, brand-first experience we're after. Benchmarks are MAAP, Pas Normal Studios, and Velocio — brands that feel like they run custom stacks and present product like editorial fashion, not ecommerce templates. **The situation** Our current Shopify theme is functional but reads as templated. We've already identified the gaps. We have a pre-existing Figma file, a defined font package (Nebulica + Inter), a strong brand system, and a major photography and content upgrade in production. We need a front-end developer who can evaluate whether headless is the right move for us, recommend a stack, and build it if it is. **What we're considering** We're open to the right answer — if a heavily customized Symmetry implementation gets us where we need to go, we don't need to go headless. But if headless is the right call for the brand experience we're after, we want someone who can own that conversation and that build. Likely stack candidates in our thinking: Hydrogen/Remix, Next.js with Shopify Storefront API, or a similar modern front-end framework. We're not attached to any of these — we want your recommendation based on our actual needs. **Scope** - Review our existing Figma file and live site, assess current state honestly - Recommend headless vs. enhanced theme with clear rationale and tradeoff analysis - If headless: architect and build the storefront, Shopify as commerce backend, custom front-end - Key pages: homepage, collection pages, PDP, Made in USA story module, brand/about, SKNKWRKS membership landing page - Typographic system, editorial spacing, photo-ready hero and module templates - The end result should feel like it was built from scratch for this brand — not like any stack or template underneath it **You** - Proven headless Shopify builds in your portfolio — Hydrogen, Next.js + Storefront API, or comparable - Front-end development with strong design sensibility, or working alongside a designer - Can look at a Figma file and translate it precisely to code without losing the intent - Experience with premium DTC brands, especially apparel or performance products - Comfortable advising a founder on architecture decisions, not just executing tickets - Async capable, clear communicator, doesn't disappear **Portfolio requirement** Show us a headless or heavily customized Shopify build that doesn't look like Shopify. If your portfolio is SaaS dashboards or generic ecommerce templates, this isn't the right fit. We want to see brand-forward, editorial-feeling storefronts where the technology is invisible. **Engagement** Start with a paid discovery and recommendation phase — review the Figma file, audit the live site, deliver a clear build recommendation with scope and timeline. If we move forward, project-based with strong ongoing potential. In your message - discuss your interest or involvement with endurance sport over the years.