Experience

Curvy Kate

• United Kingdom
• Wholesale
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Head of Product, Curvy Kate & Scantilly

  • Apr 2022 - Present

• Head Of Design

  • Aug 2017 - Present

  Lead, manage & hold accountable Design Team, conducting appraisals, recruitment & personal developmentLead the product and brand vision for all internal product brands including Curvy Kate, Scantilly, Flirtelle Lingerie & SwimwearDesign, trend, and creative development for all in-house brands, leading the Technical Designers & Garment Technologists, maintaining agreed brand standards Responisble for the quality & fit of all in-house brands product, managing expectations through the Design team and adhering to commercial requirementsInternal training of key skills within Design team, including Lectra Modaris, Grading, Bra Fitting & Product DevelopmentWorking closely with commercial teams; including Buying & Merchandising, Production & Sales to ensure clear lines of communication on product & brand visionPublication of company-wide Ethics & Sustainability StrategyOverseas travel to factories, sourcing trade fairs & sales events, representing the brands Show less



De Montfort University

• United Kingdom
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Lecturer - Contour Fashion

  • Feb 2016 - Jul 2017

  Lecturing on the BA(Hons) Contour Fashion programme and related postgraduate courses. Involving tutoring of concept development, visual research, styling, fashion and colour trends, fashion illustration, portfolio presentation, pattern cutting, 2D to 3D resolution and garment construction. Transfer of knowledge in all Contour areas, including; structured & soft lingerie, beachwear, swimwear, dancewear, active sportswear, leisurewear, nightwear and historic corsets & their application in contemporary fashion and intimate apparel design. Recruitment & selection of students via Open Day presentations and formal interviews Module planning & delivery for all degree levels; including Trend & Colour Forecasting, Construction Techniques, Digital Pattern Cutting & FMP tutorials Planning & execution of Contour Fashion shows in collaboration with Contour staff 3D Bodymapping academic research project in commercial partnership Development and tutoring of Lectra Modaris for contour pattern work and grading for all degree levels Collaboration with designers, retailers, stylists, manufacturers and industry suppliers to develop live projects in order to further enhance the student learning experience. Supervision of student projects, local & international field trips and placements. Show less



Wacoal Europe

• United Kingdom
• Manufacturing
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Senior Designer - Freya Lingerie & Active

  • May 2013 - Feb 2016

  Lead designer in the design and development process, supervising a team of brand designers, reporting to the Head of Design. Encourage, support, develop, train and mentor subordinates ensuring products designed are suitable for the brand (fit for purpose, within cost and achievable within the size range)Develop patterns/ pattern cut & grade products using Modaris V7.Ensure all relevant processes/ procedures are followed to support the business needs (e.g designing products/ creating reps patterns on time, photo patterns on time/ production patterns on time)Ensure all team members are working to the business critical path. Show less

• Brand Designer - Elomi Lingerie & Goddess

  • Jul 2011 - May 2013

  Design accountability for the creative & development process for two Global full figure brands, aligned with business critical path.American market focus for full figure & bust.



Mast Industries HK - Limited Brands

• Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong

• Manager, Fit Technology - La Senza

  • Mar 2011 - May 2011

  Responsible for managing a team of two fit technicians & a pre-form cup specialist for the development & approval for all bra products for La Senza. Daily coordination of on-site fittings for incoming fit samples from 3 manufacturing sites in China. Direction to fit technicians for fit feedback ,sample requests & approval status inline with fit critical path. Working closely with pre-form cup specialist & suppliers to develop pad dimensions & quality to acheive fit & product standard. Biweekly visits to 3 full-service manufacturing vendors in China to communicate fit issues & assess risk to fit critical path. Responsible for leading weekly telephone conferences to update fit progress to Ohio team of fit technicians and designers. Accountable for the development of basic pattern training for designers in Ohio via weekly video conference. Show less



Sara Lee Courtaulds

• Textile Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Technical Designer: Fuller Bust for 'Gorgeous', Debenhams

  • Nov 2009 - Aug 2010

  Design accountability as sole designer for half a million seasonal products, covering internal & Customer design. DD-J cup innovation & fit development, working closely with fabric, pre-form & accessory suppliers. Design, trend & sample presentation to Debenhams on a weekly basis, working closely to supply newness into the ever growing fuller bust market. Communication with overseas factories to determine garment cost via PDM, status of design & fit samples & discuss grade development. Design accountability as sole designer for half a million seasonal products, covering internal & Customer design. DD-J cup innovation & fit development, working closely with fabric, pre-form & accessory suppliers. Design, trend & sample presentation to Debenhams on a weekly basis, working closely to supply newness into the ever growing fuller bust market. Communication with overseas factories to determine garment cost via PDM, status of design & fit samples & discuss grade development.



Triumph Group

• Switzerland
• Retail Apparel and Fashion
• 700 & Above Employee

• Technical Designer: Private Label for Marks & Spencer T81/T33

  • Sep 2007 - Feb 2009

  Seasonal trend & market research in consideration of the UK fashion market. Seasonal attendance of customer presentations on behalf of Hong Kong design team to absorb and feedback customer brief. European & Far East raw material sourcing in line with customer direction, production viability and commercial constraints. Attendance of Hong Kong and Paris Interfilliere for sourcing and supplier meetings. Creation of CAD artwork, with initial product illustration for customer Sketch & Swatch presentation. Initial prototype pattern created by hand or on Gerber V8 system. Daily onsite fittings covering sizes 34B to 42J to assess product fit in line with customer standard. Pattern amendments through fit development on base sizes on Gerber V8 system. Attendance of M&S Technologist Fit Meeting to present fit samples for red and gold seal approval. Initial grading of base sizes on Gerber V8 system. Pre-formed cup development with Far East suppliers for new silhouette concepts to approval of grades. Construction development with sample room and Sewing Technique department for aesthetic and pre-production testing. Creation of component splitting charts for size range, allowing for price, comfort and style continuity through grades. Style workflow using SAP system, accountable for initial concept to production. Creation of Pattern & Workmanship Standards, aligning style consistency for M&S product. Attendance of M&S Workflow Meeting in UK to discuss product specifics and delivery issues in line with business critical path. Show less



Bogart Lingerie

• Retail Apparel and Fashion
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Technical Design Manager: Innovation Department

  • Jul 2006 - Jul 2007

  Responsible for leading Innovation Department of up to 25 people, creating product concept with market & function focus, pattern drafting, first fit to final approval. Understanding of innovative manufacturing techniques and translation into commercially viable products for sales presentation to Global brands & retailers. Communication with global customers and suppliers, key brands including Victoria’s Secret, Marks & Spencer, Vanity Fair, D&G, Warnaco, Lane Bryant and La Senza for new technology focus. Pattern development & grading of Victoria’s Secret Spring 08 ‘One Piece Lace’ bra, communicating graded patterns to Brunet Lace drafting team. Developing construction, fitting and production processes for lace tolerances. Technical experience of bonding and laminating, ultra-sonic, laser-cutting techniques and lace engineering. Attendance of Hong Kong and Paris Interfilliere to source new innovative materials and techniques Innovation presentation to Victoria's Secret in New York alongside sales team to secure manufacture of first launch product for Bogart Lingerie. Technical design creation of Bogart Bonded Collection for customer presentation, Managing Technical Developers, Graphic Designers, Merchandisers, and Sample Machinists in factory environment. Show less