About the role:
Reporting into the Head of Design, the Design Manager plays a pivotale role in leading the creative direction of collections, ensuring brand consistency across all ranges. This role works cross-functionally with key departments, including buying, marketing, and garment technology - to drive commercial success while mentoring and developing junior members of the design team.
Your Responsibilities:
· Provide creative direction and leadership for the Design team, guiding and inspiring them to achieve the brand's vision.
· Conceptualise and develop cohesive design concepts, themes, and narratives for each collection.
· Collaborate closely with the Head of Design to align each collections with the brand's overall creative direction and vision.
· Oversee the end-to-end design process, from initial sketches to final production, ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality collections.
· Partner with the Buying & Merchandising teams to understand market research and trend analysis to identify emerging themes, styles, and consumer preferences.
· Translate trends and market insights into innovative and commercially viable design concepts that resonate with our target audience.
· Partner with the Creative and Marketing teams to support seasonal concept development, including shoot concepts and storytelling
· Approve final line-ups, ensuring product range aligns with customer needs and commercial objectives
· Evaluate market trends, consumer behaviour, and competitor activity to drive future design strategies and direction
· Lead high-level supplier relationships and negotiate key developments independently
· Oversee collection planning, ensuring design workstreams align with critical path and business priorities
· Mentor and develop junior designers, providing guidance on both creative and technical aspects
· Collaborate with senior members (Buying, Marketing, Merchandising) to align creative direction
· Lead design reviews and present collections to leadership with clear rationale and vision
· React strategically to trade and performance feedback, driving quick-turn updates or edits to enhance sell-through
Requirements
· Extensive experience in fashion design, with a strong track record of designing commercially successful womenswear collections
· Strong technical experience across Knitwear, Tailoring and Jersey
· Demonstrated ability to set and lead creative direction across multiple product categories, with a deep understanding of brand identity and customer profile
· Strong leadership and mentoring skills, with experience managing, coaching, and developing junior designers
· Proven experience conducting market and trend research, with the ability to translate insights into commercially relevant, brand-aligned collections.
· Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), and confident in producing high-quality CADs, moodboards, and presentation materials.
· Strong technical skills in garment construction and product development, including creating and reviewing detailed tech packs and prototypes
· Experience negotiating with suppliers and managing high-level vendor relationships with confidence and professionalism
· Confident in presenting collections and design rationale to leadership and cross-functional teams
· Excellent organisational and project management skills — able to manage multiple deadlines, oversee the critical path, and balance creative output with business priorities
· Collaborative approach with cross-functional teams (Buying, Merchandising, Garment Tech, Marketing), ensuring alignment at all stages of the design and development process
· Resilient, adaptable, and solution-oriented, with a forward-thinking, trend-led design approach
Benefits
* Birthday day off
* 25-day holiday
* Flexible hours
* Vibrant team
* 40% off staff discount
* Team socials
* Free Parking
* Competitions
* Hybrid working - 4 days in the Altrincham office