Barbour | Senior Fashion Manager

Company Description:

The Barbour story began in 1894 in South Shields in the North East of England. Founder John Barbour began supplying oilskins and other garments to protect the growing community of sailors, fishermen and dockers. Still family owned and now fifth generation, Barbour HQ remains in South Shields. Under the leadership of Chairman Dame Margaret Barbour, Barbour has grown into a lifestyle brand sold in over 55 countries worldwide including Europe, the US and Asia offering a wardrobe of stylish functional clothing, footwear and accessories inspired by the unique values of the British countryside. The iconic Barbour Bedale and Barbour Beaufort wax jackets continue to be made by hand in the factory in South Shields. In 2020, Barbour launched Wax for Life, an overarching name for all of Barbour’s wax services designed to encourage customers to extend the life of their wax garments. Wax for Life includes re-waxing and repairs (first introduced in 1921) and Barbour Re-Loved an upcycling circularity initiative. Each year over 70,000 wax garments are sent back to Barbour globally to be repaired, rewaxed or altered.

Position Overview:

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Fashion Manager based at our inhouse Studio in South Shields to lead our in house styling and art direction capabilities predominately for our ecomm studio but also supporting on our campaigns. You will be a key member in our in house studio management team helping build a culture of continuous improvement and creative excellence. Reporting to the Senior Creative Services Manager. Looking for an experienced creative leader who knows how to coach and develop team members.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Creative excellence:

• Work with the Brand and design teams to lead the development the styling and art direction for Barbour and Barbour International across men’s and women’s ecomm photography as well as leading our styling capabilities across the business.
• Lead the further development of creative concepts by ensuring the styling and art direction teams are creating art direction/styling/product mood boards in-line with each specific shoot brief across ecomm and campaigns.
• Expert knowledge of key trends and how we can translate them for the Barbour and Barbour International brands across men’s and women’s.
• Lead the season ecomm styling sessions with sales and design for our ecommerce.
• Lead the stylists and art directions to great world class, simple styling and art direction guidelines to codify the Barbour and Barbour International style, for internal and external teams.

Commercial acumen:

• Collaborate closely with design and sales teams to understand creative & commercial goals of each brand/collection and execute through styling and art direction.
• Bring expert product knowledge (both creative and commercial) to every project you work on, ensuring styling is seasonal appropriate and aligned with the 5-year commercial plan.
• Lead the development of global nuances of our brands styling and get the team to understand cultural differences in styling.

Team development:

• Work with and inspire the inhouse and freelance creative team of photographers, stylists and art directors ensuring best in class ecommerce photography.
• Work closely with the other senior managers across production and photography to ensure that each campaign shoot brief/concept is understood and delivered and the overall output of the inhouse studio is the best it can be.
• Directly manage, lead and develop the inhouse team of stylists and art directors as well as ensure the level of quality coming from freelancers. Whilst also being a mentor and coach for those outside of your direct management in the studio.

Attention to detail:

• Ensure all the critical admin jobs of the styling and art direction team are done to the required standard, and the team value attention to detail. For example:
• The creation of shoot garment lists ensuring product information is accurate.
• Prep garments ahead of shoots
• Ensure that all products are looked after and correctly stored/transported across all projects.
• Ensure that all pre and post shoot processes are correctly followed.
• Ensure that correct stock management processes are implemented correctly at all times.

Skills and Experience:

• Experience working in styling and art direction across men’s and womenswear.
• Experience directly managing, coaching and developing teams.
• Team player, working with other senior team members to create a fantastic management team in the studio.
• Previous experience working for a global brand or retailer is preferred
• Significant experience of working on busy shoot set (both location & studio
• A passionate fashion stylist/ art director with experience in both on and off-model shoots
• A creative mind who has a strong understanding of commercial strategies
• A robust knowledge of trends and brands
• High competence using MAC Operating systems
• High competence using Microsoft Office (Excel/PPT)
• A self-motivated person who is able to take and give direction
• Great communicator and knows how to manage and lead a set.
• A confident hard worker who is always strives for the best end-result
• Exemplary attention to detail
• Ability to develop systems and processes and ensure they are followed.
• A team player and collaborator, comfortable working across departments and with different creative roles i.e. photographers, other stylists on the team, production team.

Additional Information:

• Travel will be involved in this role when required

Benefits:

• Discretionary Company bonus scheme
• Staff discount
• Staff shop
• Healthcare cash plan
• 25 days holiday as standard increasing with length of service plus bank holidays
• Free onsite parking
• Subsidised canteen
• Wellbeing support
• Operate hybrid & flexible working
• 4pm finish on a Friday

Note: In the event that a sufficient volume of suitable applications are received, the post may close prior to the specified closing date. Please apply as soon as possible if interested.