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- Tasks: Lead design excellence from concept to completion in womenswear.
- Company: Dynamic fashion brand focused on innovation and quality.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, creative environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of womenswear while mentoring emerging design talent.
- Qualifications: Strong design leadership and knowledge of market trends required.
- Other info: Join a vibrant team dedicated to pushing creative boundaries.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Responsibilities
- Delivering excellence in design for your categories, from concept to completion through the critical path, making the best choices on fabric, engineering, fit and quality to ensure our products look the best they can for the level of the market.
- Deliver excellence in design through effective leadership of your team, creating the right conditions and equipping them to succeed and thrive.
- Through consistently up to date market and industry knowledge, setting and leading the direction for your design team, ensuring they are aware throughout the season of key trends, items, fabrics, styles and colours, and their designs are on brand.
- Holding the relationships with the Buying Managers, ensuring opportunities and potential upsides are assessed and balanced, creating focus and direction for the Design teams.
- Effectively managing your design resources, balancing creativity with focus to ensure time and resources are prioritised to drive the best design outcomes.
- Holding accountability for decisions that deliver the commercial outcomes without compromising the delivery of excellence in design.
- Understand sales history, sales and margin targets and range plans across both your own area of accountability and more broadly across all divisions to ensure designs are aligned to deliver on commercial opportunities.
- Identifying and supporting projects within the broader RI community, using creative skills to deliver improvements for the benefit of the Product function and wider RI business.
- Advocating for, and creating a destination for upcoming design talent; identifying, coaching, training, nurturing and mentoring future talent.
Design Manager, Womenswear employer: River Island
Contact Detail:
River Island Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Design Manager, Womenswear
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to industry contacts, attend design events, and engage with professionals on platforms like LinkedIn. We can’t stress enough how important it is to build relationships that could lead to job opportunities.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your portfolio! Make sure it’s up to date and highlights your best work. When you get the chance to meet potential employers, bring it along or have it easily accessible online. We want to see your creativity shine!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its design ethos. Understand their market position and be ready to discuss how your vision aligns with theirs. We believe that showing genuine interest can set you apart from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to connect directly with us. Don’t miss out on the chance to land that dream role!
We think you need these skills to ace Design Manager, Womenswear
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Design Skills: When you're applying for the Design Manager role, make sure to highlight your design expertise. Share examples of your past work that showcase your ability to deliver excellence in design, from concept to completion. We want to see how you’ve made the best choices on fabric, fit, and quality!
Leadership Matters: Don’t forget to emphasise your leadership experience! Talk about how you've created the right conditions for your team to thrive and succeed. We’re looking for someone who can inspire and guide a design team, so share your best stories of effective team management.
Stay Trendy: Keep us updated on your market knowledge! In your application, mention how you stay on top of key trends, fabrics, styles, and colours. Show us that you can lead a design team with a clear vision and direction based on current industry insights.
Commercial Awareness is Key: Make sure to demonstrate your understanding of sales history and margin targets. We want to know how you align your designs with commercial opportunities. Highlight any experiences where you balanced creativity with commercial outcomes to drive success.
How to prepare for a job interview at River Island
✨Know Your Design Trends
Stay updated on the latest trends in womenswear design. Research current styles, fabrics, and colours that are making waves in the industry. This knowledge will not only impress your interviewers but also show that you can lead your team with a clear vision.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've successfully led a design team in the past. Highlight your ability to create an inspiring environment and equip your team for success. Discuss specific instances where your leadership directly contributed to excellent design outcomes.
✨Understand the Commercial Side
Familiarise yourself with sales history and margin targets relevant to the role. Be ready to discuss how your designs can align with commercial opportunities while maintaining high standards of quality and creativity. This shows you’re not just a creative mind but also a strategic thinker.
✨Build Relationships with Buying Managers
Think about how you would approach building relationships with Buying Managers. Prepare to discuss strategies for assessing opportunities and balancing potential upsides. Demonstrating your understanding of collaboration will highlight your readiness to work effectively within the company.
