Menswear Assistant Designer - Casual Woven Bottoms - Next Sourcing in Leicester

Working Pattern: Typically 5 days in the office, with core hours flexible between 8am-6pm.

The Role: As our new Assistant Menswear Designer for Woven Bottoms, you will be the creative engine behind a category that defines the modern wardrobe. Your mission is to translate global catwalk influences and emerging street-style trends into wearable, "must-have" trousers, chinos, and cargos that resonate with the Next customer.

Next Sourcing: We’re so much more than just a British retailer. From Istanbul to Shanghai, our Sourcing teams live and work in some of the most iconic cities in the world. They're at the heart of finding, developing and delivering the products our customers love, wear and use every day. Located across the globe, our Next Sourcing teams specialise in all different parts of the sourcing operation, from design and technology to product development.

What You’ll Take On:

• Support the Design Vision: You’ll assist in identifying key trends in colour, fabric, and silhouette for the menswear market, helping to build cohesive and commercial casual woven bottoms collections that keep Next ahead of the competition.
• Design with Agility: You will respond rapidly to design briefs, turning fresh sketches into "production-ready" designs at high-street speed. You’ll thrive in a fast-turnaround environment where agility is key to winning the buy.
• Technical CAD Work: You will spend your day-to-day creating highly detailed 2D and 3D CADs and tech packs, ensuring every specification is precise for our global manufacturing partners to minimise lead times.
• Inspirational & Development Travel: Join the team on trend-scouting trips to global fashion hubs. Crucially, you will travel overseas for factory visits to work directly with our suppliers, gaining hands-on experience in the production process and ensuring our woven designs are realised to the highest standard.
• Sample Management & Refinement: You’ll take ownership of the sample lifecycle, reviewing prototypes for aesthetic accuracy and fit, ensuring every pair of trousers or shorts is refined and ready for successful range reviews.

What You'll Bring:

• A Passion for Menswear: You have a genuine interest in menswear construction and a sharp eye for detail, from selecting the right laundered finish to understanding the nuances of technical trims.
• Creative Agility: You are a natural at spotting street-style trends and can quickly translate a "big idea" into a practical, wearable trouser design that fits the modern Next aesthetic.
• The Ability to Juggle: You are highly organised and stay calm under pressure, comfortably managing multiple briefs and tight deadlines across various casual woven categories.
• A Collaborative Spirit: You’re a proactive communicator who enjoys working alongside cross-functional teams and global suppliers to solve construction or cost challenges.
• Commercial Savvy: You understand the balance between aspirational design and high-street price points, keeping a close eye on garment complexity and production costs without losing the "wow" factor.
• Technical Foundations: You bring relevant design experience (or a specialist degree) and are highly proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for creating professional-grade CADs.

Portfolios: To help us get a feel for your style, please attach a digital portfolio. We’re looking for work that demonstrates a sharp eye for the future of Menswear Casual Woven Bottoms, how these can be commercially viable for Next, and showcases your designs and CAD work within this area. Applications without a portfolio will not be considered.

Sponsorship: Candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship for this role will be required to meet the Home Office sponsorship requirements.

We encourage early applications for our roles, as our recruitment process begins as soon as the role is advertised. If we successfully fill the position, this advert may close earlier than planned.