My experiences with working around and alongside other creatives has been invaluable to my journey in the industry. From being a young intern not really knowing what she could bring to the industry – to being the lead designer for a successful brands collection on a major UK online retailer. The industry will always have its challenges but I have continued to focus on growing my creativity and making it work for me.
EMPLOYMENT
Heretic Nine For ASOS –
Freelance Fashion Designer
I was the lead fashion designer on the high summer capsule collection made exclusively for ASOS in 2024 as well as the Autumn/Winter capsule collection exclusive to be launched in 2025. Both collections were quite big with around 25 pieces across a range of garment categories. This was one of my biggest challenges yet as I had such tight time frames and was designing in a style I hadn’t yet experimented with. Despite this I was able to fully understand/ integrate the brands ethos, style and consumer into my designs. The 2024 summer collection saw massive success on ASOS. My role as the lead designer consisted of:
- Interpreting and understanding: The brief, brand identity/ethos, Heretic Nine & ASOS consumer
- Research & development using resources such as WGSN
- Mood board & colour story
- Putting together a visual representation of our vision for the collection
- Hand drawing a range of designs and ideas
- Putting together tech packs
- Choosing fabrics & trims
- Liaising with the creative director and graphic designer
Amishi London –
Freelance Fashion Designer
Taking on a project with Amishi herself has been a great challenge for me as I was pushed to work independently as a creative. I was tasked with designing a collection of fur coats with Amishi’s target market and customer profile in mind. This role was a great experience as I was able to experiment with different styles of tech packs to find what suited me and experience a little bit of the mass production side of the industry. Although the collection didn’t come to light it was here I got my start as an independent artist. I took on tasks such as:
- Designing garments according the brief and client’s vision
- Putting together design presentations using adobe illustrator and powerpoint
- Creating artwork using gemstone shapes to emulate embellishment designs with adobe illustrator
- Selecting fabric samples
- Putting together tech packs
- Email communication with manufactures
- Sourcing embellishments and fastenings
Thorpe Park –
Hotel Manager
As a hotel manager I was responsible for the smooth running of the day as well as my team. I made sure they completed tasks on time, briefed them on issues throughout the day, taught them how to use the internal systems, took care of escalated customer complaints and problem solved when systems/ processes weren’t working. Although this role wasn’t directly related the fashion it has been useful for honing my communication skills and navigating difficult conversations.
Jennifer Clair –
Design Assistant
Working as a full-time design assistant intern with Jennifer (owner and creative director) taught me so much about how to efficiently work in collaboration with a tight knit team. To this role I brought a deep knowledge of fabrics and garment construction which helped me to contribute during team meetings as we would problem solve garments in real time. This enabled me to be able to stand alone in discussions with machinists, embroiders and pattern cutters, therefore, allowing me to be an active participant in client collections, not just an assistant. I assisted with:
- Finishing designs
- Making design presentations for client meetings using adobe illustrator/photoshop
- Putting together mood boards
- Picking out fabric and embroidery samples for client profiles
- In person meetings with fabric suppliers
- Email communication with suppliers
Jenny Packham –
Pattern Cutter
I worked as an intern with Jenny Packham in their sampling studio, mostly as a pattern cutter. Being part of a studio team for the first time forced me to learn a lot about myself, the reality of the industry, and the range of work you can do under one company. I came to terms with the fact that I enjoy doing a range of tasks and being able to spread out over multiple creative areas instead of being confined to one job/task everyday.
EDUCATION
University For The Creative Arts –
BA(Hons) Fashion Atelier Degree
Completing my fashion atelier degree with a 2-1 grade quickly came with a wide range of industry skills from concept research & development, pattern cutting knowledge and design processes to effectively using CAD software for technical drawings and tech pack bundles.
St John the Baptist Sixth Form –
A Level
Graphic Design: A Art: B Sociology: B
I have always had a background in art which helped boost my interest in fashion towards the end of my schooling. My interest in people and subcultures made me want to understand society on a deeper level so I took on the study of sociology as well.
University For The Creative Arts –
National Art & Design Club
I attended the National Art and Design Club on weekends hosted at UCA, Farnham. The club was run in partnership with the Sorrel Foundation and focused on drawing, composition, sketching and projects such as printing, photography, and costume design. Our end of year exhibition was held at Somerset House in London.
St John the Baptist Secondary School –
GCSE
Mathematics: 5 English Language-: 6. English Literature: 6 Business Studies: B Combined Science: 6-6 Italian: 3C’s and an A Religious Studies: 8 Art: 7