Olivia Hughes Recruitment

Job Description:

This is a fantastic opportunity to join one of the UKs fastest growing womenswear fashion brands as a Knitwear Designer. The company is expanding as a result of its success to date and if you would like the opportunity to bring your passion for fashion to a place where you can make your mark and develop your career then this could be the right opportunity for you.

The key purpose of the role is to lead a large product area independently, alongside the Buying and Merchandising teams.

Key Responsibilities:
• Developing creative, commercial knitwear collections from concept to production, covering jumpers, dresses, cardigans and knitted separates across formal, casual and smart/workwear end uses.
• Having excellent yarn and stitch knowledge and being able to use this knowledge to create high quality, technical sketches using Adobe illustrator making the right choices of weights and techniques to use to create each style, collaborating with our technical team to create tech packs.
• Working closely with the supply base, identifying the right suppliers for new development and supporting them through the development process to ensure high quality first samples.
• Fully understanding the analysis around how your area has and is currently performing, gaining full knowledge of its history to include best sellers, returns data and current trade and be fully up to date with the strategy for the department.
• Leading on research development across knitwear each season as well as top line trend research that reflects the messages coming through trade and lessons learnt.
• Building up a strong knowledge of the customer to allow you to confidently source newness/design inspiration that is in line with the brand identity.
• Planning/developing newness independently from a range plan/shopping list to be able to build a strong, balanced and cohesive range.
• Identifying premium knitwear yarns and knit trends that are in line with the brand identity as well as sitting within target price points.
• Work closely with our supply base to identify the right suppliers for new development and supporting them through the development process so we receive high quality first samples.
• Working closely with the Buyer on this product area to support them in trading the department by reacting to sales on a weekly basis and offering newness to further build on its success.
• Confidently presenting ideas in the planning meeting by talking through each design and reasons why this has been included in the range and sell each style to the Leadership team.
• Building up a strong knowledge of the print history of the brand, particularly across dresses and tops, so that, working with the print team, you can select and develop prints for your range that are balanced, commercial and reactive.
• Playing an active part in fit/buy sessions to achieve perfect fitting and flattering styles for the customer (alongside the Buyer and Garment Tech), taking onto account current and previous high and low returners and building knowledge of what is and isn’t working from a fit perspective.

What we’re looking for:
• Experience of designing knitwear and being part of a knitwear product team.
• Excellent knowledge of trends from catwalk to high street and a good instinct for new emerging trends.
• Passion for a fast paced, high pressured and ever evolving environment.
• Someone who embraces change and is always looking for ways to improve how the Design team function and work together.
• Excellent CAD skills and be proficient in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.