WOMENSWEAR DESIGNERROLE OVERVIEW
In the role of Womenswear Designer , you will be responsible for creating innovative, commercial and trend-led womenswear collections from initial concept through to final product.
You will have a strong understanding of the womenswear market, current and emerging fashion trends, fabrics, colour, print and garment construction, with the ability to translate creative ideas into commercially successful ranges that meet our customers’ needs.
Working closely with the design, sales, merchandising and production teams across our global offices, you will develop exciting collections for a variety of UK and international customers. You will be confident presenting your ideas, responding to customer briefs and balancing creativity with commercial awareness, price architecture and production capabilities.
At SAN Global Fashion, we pride ourselves on putting product at the heart of everything we do, from initial concept and design through to delivery to our clients. We are a global company, with offices in the UK, Spain, Ireland, America, and India, with production across India and Sri Lanka.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Womenswear Design: Create commercial, trend-led womenswear collections across relevant product categories, from initial concept and research through to final design.
- Trend Research: Research and interpret current and emerging womenswear trends, catwalk influences, retail activity, social media, competitor ranges and customer insights.
- Customer Focus: Understand individual customer handwriting, target market and price point, adapting design direction appropriately for each account.
- Range Building: Create cohesive collections with strong consideration of colour, print, silhouette, fabric, styling and key seasonal trends.
- CAD & Technical Drawing: Produce accurate CADs, technical drawings, specifications and design information for production teams.
- Fabric & Trim Selection: Work closely with sourcing and production teams to identify suitable fabrics, trims, washes and finishes that support the design aesthetic and required price point.
- Print & Graphic Direction: Work collaboratively with graphic and print designers to develop relevant prints, placements and graphic direction for womenswear collections.
- Sample Development: Manage designs through the sampling process, reviewing samples and providing clear comments and amendments to achieve the required fit, quality and appearance.
- Customer Meetings: Prepare for and attend customer meetings, confidently presenting ranges, trends, fabrics and new development opportunities.
- Factory Collaboration: Work closely with overseas offices and factories to ensure designs are commercially viable, technically achievable and appropriate for bulk production.
- Critical Path Management: Manage workload and design deadlines effectively, ensuring collections, CADs, technical packs and samples are completed in line with customer and business critical paths.
- Commercial Awareness: Design with an understanding of target costs, margins, retail pricing and volume opportunities while maintaining creativity and product appeal.
- Market Shopping: Regularly review the market, including high street, premium retailers and online competitors, to identify emerging opportunities and product gaps.
- Risk Assessment: Review product designs to ensure they are appropriate, safe and fit for purpose.
- Health & Safety: Comply at all times with company health and safety requirements.
- Any Other Duties: Participate in additional projects and activities that support the design department and wider business as required.
BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES & TECHNICAL SKILLS
- A BA (Hons) Degree in Fashion Design or a related discipline.
- Ideally 3+ years’ experience within womenswear design , preferably within a supplier, retailer or commercial fashion environment.
- Strong womenswear portfolio demonstrating excellent taste level, commercial awareness and versatility across product categories.
- Excellent knowledge of the UK womenswear market and key retailers.
- Strong understanding of current and future womenswear trends, colour, print, silhouette, fabrication and garment detailing.
- Proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop , with strong CAD and technical drawing skills.
- Strong technical understanding of garment construction, manufacturing processes and fabric capabilities.
- Experience working directly with overseas factories and production teams is highly desirable.
- Ability to interpret customer briefs and translate them into relevant, commercial product.
- Excellent eye for colour, print, proportion, silhouette and detail.
- Strong presentation skills with the confidence to present ranges and creative concepts to customers.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple customers, projects and deadlines simultaneously.
- Commercially minded with an understanding of target prices, margins and production considerations.
- Collaborative team player, comfortable working across design, graphics, sales, merchandising and production.
- Proactive, adaptable and comfortable working in a fast-paced fashion environment.
- Willingness to travel within the UK and internationally for customer meetings, inspiration trips, trade shows and factory visits where required.
DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE
Experience designing across areas such as jersey, separates, dresses, loungewear, casualwear and/or nightwear would be advantageous, alongside experience working with major UK high-street or supermarket retailers.
A good understanding of Excel, Google Slides and Google Sheets would also be beneficial for range planning, presentations and internal communication.
