Senior Designer, Fashion & Retail Products – Kings Cross, London

We are passionate about music. Music is Universal. It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.

Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation.

We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email UniversalMusicCareers@umusic.com.

About the opportunity

Apple Corps Ltd. was founded in 1968 to oversee The Beatles’ creative and business interests. It initially served as the new outlet for The Beatles’ own recordings as well as the music of a wide-ranging roster of artists, all brought to the label personally by the band (individually and/or collectively). Apple Corps’ mission celebrates artistry in an inclusive, creative environment. Since its inception, the company has encompassed music, publishing, merchandise, electronic and film enterprises.

For almost six decades, Apple Corps Ltd. has helped to bring The Beatles music to billions of fans in pioneering, creative manners, decade after decade. Apple Corps and Universal Music Group UK are coming together to build a dedicated team focused on shaping the next chapter of Beatles product, ecommerce, retail and customer experience. This is a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of music, culture, creativity, commerce and fan experience. The Beatles remain one of the most important and influential creative forces in the world, with a legacy that continues to inspire fans across generations.

This team will create exceptional products, experiences and customer journeys for Beatles fans globally. From product design and packaging to retail, ecommerce, trading and fan engagement, every touchpoint must reflect the creativity, quality and cultural significance associated with The Beatles.

Role purpose

The Senior Designer will be responsible for leading the design vision, development and execution of fashion, accessories and retail product ranges connected to The Beatles. This role blends creative direction with hands-on design craft, ensuring products are distinctive, commercially aligned, production-ready and consistently reflective of the quality and cultural importance of the brand. The role will work closely with creative, merchandising, production, marketing, ecommerce and supplier partners to bring concepts from initial idea through to market-ready product.

Key responsibilities

• Lead product design direction
  • Define the overall design vision, aesthetic and product language for fashion, accessories and retail product ranges.
  • Ensure designs align with Apple Corps’ brand identity, product strategy and commercial objectives.
  • Bring a high level of creativity, craft and cultural sensitivity to all product work.
• Concept and range development
  • Develop original product concepts, seasonal collections and design narratives.
  • Take ideas from initial ideation through to final specifications.
  • Create cohesive range stories across hero items, core products, trend-led pieces, limited editions and special fan moments.
• Material and manufacturing specification
  • Select appropriate fabrics, materials, trims, finishes and product details.
  • Ensure selections align with product goals, customer expectations and price architecture.
  • Produce detailed technical documentation for production partners.
• Technical packs and specifications
  • Create accurate tech packs, CADs, specification sheets and production-ready documentation.
  • Ensure suppliers and manufacturers have clear, detailed and commercially practical design information.
  • Maintain strong documentation standards from initial development through to final production.
• Trend and market research
  • Analyse fashion, culture, retail, music, entertainment and consumer trends.
  • Translate relevant insight into design directions and product opportunities.
  • Ensure product ranges remain relevant, desirable and commercially viable.
• Prototype and sample development
  • Work closely with suppliers to review prototypes and samples.
  • Refine design details, fit, quality, finish and overall aesthetic.
  • Provide clear feedback and solve manufacturing challenges to achieve production-ready outcomes.
• Cross-functional collaboration
  • Partner with merchandising, production, marketing, retail and ecommerce teams.
  • Ensure products meet creative vision, commercial objectives and customer needs.
  • Support product positioning, forecasting conversations, campaign planning and go-to-market activity.
• Design quality and brand consistency
  • Oversee final execution of designs across relevant product categories.
  • Ensure consistency with brand guidelines, quality benchmarks and customer expectations.
  • Make sure every product reflects the care, creativity and cultural significance associated with The Beatles.

Key skills and experience

• Creative and technical skills
  • Strong ability to define and deliver a clear design vision across multiple product categories.
  • Advanced concept development skills.
  • Ability to translate ideas into fully realised product ranges.
  • Expertise in creating detailed technical packs, specifications and production-ready documentation.
  • Deep understanding of materials, construction methods, trims, finishes and manufacturing processes.
  • Strong competency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.
  • Strong visual storytelling skills.
  • Ability to clearly explain design rationale to stakeholders.
  • Sharp trend awareness and ability to interpret insight meaningfully.
  • Ability to balance creativity with commercial inputs such as margin, pricing, production feasibility and sales data.
• Experience requirements
  • Experience in product design, fashion design, retail product design, lifestyle, apparel, accessories or consumer goods.
  • Demonstrable experience taking products from initial sketch through development, sampling, refinement and final production.
  • Strong portfolio showcasing seasonal range development, technical specification accuracy, trend translation, cross-category versatility and product storytelling.
  • Experience working directly with suppliers and manufacturers.
  • Experience reviewing samples, approving quality and resolving production challenges.
  • Experience collaborating with merchandising, buying, ecommerce, marketing or production teams.
  • Strong experience creating tech packs, CADs and manufacturing-ready documentation.
  • Experience designing within a clearly defined brand world.
  • Strong understanding of visual identity, quality standards and brand consistency.
• Desirable experience
  • Experience in multi-brand, large retail, entertainment, music, fashion or lifestyle environments.
  • Experience developing ranges based on entertainment, music, character or cultural intellectual property.
  • Understanding of sustainability principles in design, including materials, finishes, packaging and compliance.
  • Knowledge of retail environments and customer behaviour across fashion, lifestyle and fan product categories.

Just So You Know... The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.