Womenswear Designer

Job Title: Womenswear Designer – Jersey Product

Reporting to: Head of Knit, Jersey and Swim

Location: London

Contract Type: 1 Year Fixed Term Contract, Full time, 37.5 hours per week

About the Company:

ME+EM is one of the UK’s fastest-growing luxury fashion brands. In addition to a thriving global digital presence, we operate flagship stores in London and Edinburgh, concessions within Harrods and Selfridges, and have recently expanded with new store openings in the U.S.

At ME+EM we are an entrepreneurial, creative, and passionate group of people. We work hard, are enthusiastic to learn and are not afraid to take risks. Everyone contributes to our success at all levels, and that precisely what makes being a member of the team so rewarding.

Our office and stores are always busy and fast paced, but we work just as hard to make sure it’s fun, with social activities and biannual parties. We pride ourselves on being approachable, supportive, and welcoming and ensure that everyone’s hard work is rewarded. It takes all these things to build a strong, successful business and our door is always open to new talent ready to contribute to our growth and evolution.

About the Role:

We’re hiring a Womenswear Designer with strong expertise in Jersey to support the Senior Designer in creating original, beautiful, and high-quality products that reflect our brand DNA. The ideal candidate will be trend-aware, commercially focused, and able to help deliver collections on time and within target margins to maximise sales potential.

Responsibilities:

• Has a clear understanding of the ME+EM Brand positioning and assists the wider jersey team to create & design product that appropriately reflects the brand & customer requirements.
• Works with the senior member of the jersey team to build stories, produce mood boards, research fabric and colour palettes for each story.
• Assists the more senior members of the team to aid their design developments and spread workload.
• Is able to respond well to direction and interpret design briefs with pace.
• Responsible for designing own styles from initial research, through detailed sketches, artwork and spec packs, working with suppliers to develop the first prototype.
• Assists more senior team members in tech pack creation when required.
• Manages the presentation of own Jersey team styles in Sketch & Swatch meetings and preps for senior team members when required.
• Manages presentation of own styles in the Proto meetings.
• Considers the best styling for each piece to showcase it’s part of the Fashion Lego and appropriateness for the collection.
• Is capable of taking an objective view of developments in selection meetings and deciding whether they are right to be included in the collection.
• Offers suggestions, with the guidance of senior team members to improve the styles where relevant to improve commerciality, price or delivery.
• Proactively presents lab dips, colour options, inspiration in Proto meetings to support the decision-making process.
• Manages the actions from the Sketch & Swatch, Proto, Intake meetings in a timely fashion.
• Anticipates and meets the customers’ needs through the customer and sales feedback and uses this to appropriately influence designs and to contribute to the overall jersey team output.
• Attends fit sessions and works with the Garment Tech & Buyer to ensure all styles are reviewed in accordance with the brand DNA, cost and quality.
• Always considering – flattering, function, forever.
• Aware of company and competitor product and retail prices and is capable of working on design developments to achieve price targets.
• Understands and achieves company and style critical paths.
• Is decisive to avoid blockages to critical paths and collaboratively works to resolve these.

External awareness:

• To ensure that new trends are identified and included in the range as appropriate.
• To build own trend awareness through inspiration shopping and other mediums; constantly looking for new sources of inspiration.
• Continually seeks to keep abreast of new technologies, trends, suppliers and techniques.
• Seasonal store visits – with Design & Technical to ensure brand KPI’s are consistently achieved.
• Sourcing fabric & trims that meet the ME+EM customer expectations (washable, non crease, luxurious, a point of difference).
• Meeting suppliers/ travel where appropriate to develop new styles/ fabric/ trims.
• Attendance at Fabric Fairs where possible and conducive to jersey team output.

Employee Benefits:

• 33 days annual leave for full time employees (25 days holiday + 8 bank holidays)
• A day off to celebrate your birthday.
• Pension Scheme
• Group Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Length of Service Award
• Refer a Friend Scheme
• Staff uniform for retail employees
• Generous Staff and Friends and Family Discount
• Annual Volunteer Day
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Tech Scheme
• Eye Care Vouchers
• Real Living Wage Employer
• Employee led committees
• Social events and biannual parties
• Enhanced maternity and paternity package after 2 years of service.

ME+EM is an equal opportunities employer committed to fostering and preserving a culture of diversity, equality, and inclusion in our workforce. As an equal opportunities’ employer, we do not discriminate against applicants based on race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We believe that diversity enriches our workforce and strengthens our organisation. Therefore, we encourage minorities, LGBTQ+ candidates, and individuals with disabilities to apply for opportunities within our company.

Please note, due to the large number of applications we receive, we can only reply to those that are successful to the next stage.