Creative Designer (retail) in Manchester

Men’s Knitwear Designers – Senior & Junior Opportunities

Manchester

Experience:

• Senior Designer: 5+ years in true men’s knitwear
• Junior Designer: 1+ year in true men’s knitwear

Our client is expanding their design team and are seeking both a Senior Men’s Knitwear Designer and a Junior Men’s Knitwear Designer to join their team. These roles will work closely together to develop seasonal collections for our in-house brands and key UK and global contract customers.

What you’ll do

Both roles will involve:

• Developing seasonal stock collections across several in-house menswear brands.
• Working to customer briefs to create knitwear collections that align with style and colour direction for UK and international contract accounts.
• Creating technical packs for initial sample development and refining colourways for production.
• Setting up style profiles on our PLMS database so the merchandise team can raise orders.
• Liaising with our China and Bangladesh offices, plus UK-based senior management, sales, garment technologists, and merchandisers.

Senior focus:

• Lead design direction for key contract customers and in-house ranges.
• Mentor and support the Junior Designer in technical and creative development.

Junior focus:

• Work closely with the Men’s Knitwear Design Director to develop seasonal collections for priority contract customers.
• Support senior team members across all stages of the design and sampling process.

What you’ll bring

Senior Men’s Knitwear Designer

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a men’s knitwear design role.
• Strong creative design skills and a solid understanding of garment construction.
• Excellent Illustrator/CAD skills.
• Proven experience working with global suppliers and factories.
• Sound technical knowledge of stitch techniques, knitting times, yarn counts, and gauges.
• Commercial awareness with a strong eye for adapting high-street trends and colour.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
• CV with a current portfolio showcasing men’s knitwear work.
• Shima Seiki experience is desirable but not essential.

Junior Men’s Knitwear Designer

• Minimum 1 year’s experience in a men’s knitwear design role.
• Strong creative design skills and a good understanding of garment construction.
• Excellent Illustrator/CAD skills.
• Some experience working with global suppliers.
• Good technical knowledge of stitch techniques, knitting times, yarn counts, and gauges.
• Shima Seiki experience is essential.
• Commercial awareness with an eye for high-street trends and colour.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail.
• CV with a current portfolio showcasing men’s knitwear work.

Both roles require the ability to work collaboratively as part of a busy design team.