Senior Designer (Menswear)

White Stuff was established in 1985 through a simple idea. This idea grew and now we have shops and concessions in the UK and internationally, selling women’s and men’s clothing as well as beautiful accessories and homeware. Our original prints (all designed in house), intricate details and considered design touches reflect our personality and make us subtly distinctive.

Our people are at the heart of our brand, constantly moving and driving us forward. We’re sociable, talented and like-minded and we’re not hierarchical or political in how we do business. We encourage entrepreneurial ideas and accountability at all levels.

Who you are:

A strong creative yet commercial & inspirational Senior Designer and Menswear expert who is an innovative creative leader that can find the right balance between creativity & commerciality, delivering product that resonates with customers while remaining true to the brand vision. A lateral thinker, always taking the indirect & creative approach to come up with the unexpected. You will be an inspirational lead who is self-reliant in their role yet a real team player who collaborates with their peers to deliver the best ranges. Able to create designs that are inspirational and unique, leaving a lasting impression on our customers. Support the brand DNA and evolution of the brand.

Primary objective of the job:

You will drive the menswear product development in tandem with the print design team, identifying relevant trends & new yarns, fabrics and silhouettes delivering innovation & driving growth to meet business KPI’s. Mentor & be a role model for the more junior team members. Create mens designs that offer newness, choice & a cohesive brand handwriting throughout the seasons so that White Stuff stands out from the crowd, this is imperative to make the brand look & feel different & capture new customers in the UK & international markets.

What you’ll be doing:

• Provide leadership & support to the menswear team, training & guiding more junior members of the team on design development

• Collaborate with the wider senior team to create seasonal trend themes that inspire and drive each collection, ensuring they are relevant and engaging for the White Stuff customer.

• With the Head of Design identify fashion must haves that are brand relevant to drive the brand forward

• Develop & identify new sustainable fabric and yarn bases with key suppliers that are on brand & within price architecture

• Create on brand unique designs from sketch stage to ready to brief spec packs sharing with senior management at sketch & swatch & sign offs

• Ensure all developments meet agreed quality standards & brand values, working collobratively with wider team and supply base.

• Ensure all work is delivered in line with the critical path

• Plan options for the season with the wider team ensuring a balanced trend right range is delivered

· Chair regular team meetings actively sharing trend information & competitor activity

What you’ll need:

• Previous experience at a Senior Designer level in menswear and development is essential with a strong eye for detail, colour, shape and fabric/yarn

• Fully CAD literate within Photoshop, Illustrator.

• Relevant technical knowledge, with extensive experience designing into menswear designs from concept through to production

• Able to create factory-ready specifications, liaising directly with factories to ensure commercially balanced yet creative designs are actioned, while troubleshooting technical and production issues throughout the development process.

• Excellent organisational skills, works to & sets deadlines, ensuring direct reports also adhere to the critical path and delegates where necessary

• Strategical thinking and be to stand back from the day-to-day issues to see & act on the bigger picture

• Excellent team player who leads by example to wider team & division & be seen as a brand amabassador

• Very competent communication, influencing, negotiation skills, good working ethics & able to work with peers equally in managing up/down

• Identifies improvements in existing ways of working to achieve all KPI’s, communicates this clearly to the team

• Ensure direct reports are mentored, coached, developed & kept abreast of company strategies & understand how they relate to themselves

• Strong energized & engaging presentation skills showing a positive/pro-active approach whilst being a dynamic team leader

• Excellent at appraisals and able to deliver both positive and negative feedback

What we will offer you:

You will be entitled to an array of great benefits, some of which include:

Hybrid working

Annual bonus opportunity

Up to 33 days holiday per annum

2 extra (paid!) days off per year to volunteer in the local community

50% discount

Subsidised BUPA Dental Insurance

Healthcare cash plan and Life Assurance

Interest free season ticket loan

Pension Contribution

We are committed to creating an environment where we can all be proud to work and be ourselves. Part of this commitment is being an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, and age.