Design Assistant - Womens in Havant

Role: Design Assistant

Department: Design, Womenswear

Reports to: Designer

Contract: Permanent

Working Arrangements: Hyrbid Working (3 days per week office based)

Role Overview

FatFace has an exciting opportunity for a passionate and enthusiastic Design Assistant to join the team. The successful candidate will provide support in designing a commercial range of products which is in line with the Design direction and brand strategy, with our womenswear team.

Role Responsibilities

• Assisting the womenswear design team covering all product categories including dresses, skirts, knitwear, denim and outerwear.
• Provide support for gathering information on season trends appropriate for the Fat Face brand, through research and competitor visits. Assist in the completion of the concept boards for presentation meetings
• Support designers with the creation of colour palettes and fabric/trims sourcing
• Identifying fashion trends, producing overriding trend, catwalk and key shape boards each season
• Assist in the production of design packs, ensuring accurate and timely completion, working with the design team to achieve the design vision
• Be aware of selection meetings and ensure proto samples are chased in as required
• Prepare design samples, boards, and information for meetings to ensure all requirements are satisfied
• Manage all design samples, labelling and tidying up as appropriate
• Feedback on current trends and styling information and make suggestions for product designs, understanding the implications on the critical path
• Keep up to date with department and product sales performance and trading activity and feedback into the design process
• Carry out department product filing and general admin tasks as required
• Develop self through store, competitor, shows and suppliers visits. And through increased awareness of other functions and company activity
• Provide support across the wider design team as required
• Align self to companies social and environmental mission and champion any actions that you can directly impact at all times.

Skills and Experience

• A relevant Degree in Fashion Design
• 1+ years of experience in a design related role – we would consider those with a relevant degree but no working experience, providing you have a proven portfolio with relevant work to show
• Basic experience of design process
• Must be proficient in Illustrator & Photoshop
• A creative flair and ability to think outside the box
• Good communication skills – good oral and presentation skills
• Impact and influencing skills - able to influence externally and internally, displays drive, energy, enthusiasm and a can-do attitude
• Able to organise and prioritise, deal with change well, able to suggest improvements to working practices and systems
• Team working

Role Competencies

• An understanding of the product development cycle
• Use of computerised design system – Photoshop, Illustrator
• Understanding of customer profile, competitors, and product offer
• Basic understanding of design working practises and terminology
• Some understanding of the supply chain for product and fabric sourcing and development Brand & market aware
• Passion for product
• Affinity with the FatFace brand

Key Contacts & Relationships

Internal:

• Product team

External:

• Suppliers

Accountable for Resources

• Company integrity – relationship with externals
• Brand integrity within category