Experience

Hotmilk Lingerie

• New Zealand
• Retail Apparel and Fashion
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Creative Director & Lead Designer- Hotmilk Lingerie

  • Sep 2021 - Present

  Leading the creative direction for Hotmilk, widely known for its provocative campaigns, wearable designs with comfort and practicality, with the belief that all mothers deserve to look and feel amazing. Directing inclusive, innovative design, range and brand vision for international markets to ensure Hotmilk is at the forefront of the market worldwide, with focus on ethical and environmental sustainable practice. Available internationally with stockists across the world in UK, EU, US, AUS & NZ including Asos, BraStop, Bravissimo, Brown Thomas, Figleaves, House of Fraser and more; newly available at Marks & Spencer and Myer Australia; and more exciting announcements soon!www.hotmilklingerie.com #hotmilklingerie"Luxurious and sensuous lingerie, Hotmilk are the leaders in beautiful nursing and maternity bras." brownthomas.com Show less

• Lingerie Designer - Hotmilk Lingerie

  • Aug 2020 - Aug 2021

  The success of the Project Me Intimates brand led to its absorption into one redefined Hotmilk Lingerie brand with a contemporary high fashion aesthetic, inclusive rounded range offering and focus on sustainability and innovation. This role encompasses strong creative vision and range direction to move the Hotmilk brand to cover a women's needs from conception, maternity, birth, breastfeeding and beyond with feel-good solution-based lingerie, underwear, accessories and more to come. www.hotmilklingerie.com #hotmilklingerie"Hotmilk and Projectme merge into one relevant and future-focused brand for the ever-changing desires of a modern mama, sharing a vision of inspirational, beautiful, curated pieces." Underlines Magazine, March 2021 Show less

• Founding Lingerie Designer - Project Me Intimates

  • Aug 2017 - Jul 2020

  Designer from conception to store in 12 months, the Projectme Intimates brand was a Hotmilk Lingerie initiative to understand the new generation of mothers around the world. This project needed to have the ability to really push the boundaries, defy the norm and disrupt the everyday, without complicating the traditional Hotmilk brand. ⁠C-H cup (US C-K) maternity and nursing lingerie to defy the norm and break the rules for a generation that demands more. Stocked across the world in UK, EU, US, AUS & NZ including Asos, Figleaves, BraStop, House of Fraser, Bravissimo and more. www.projectmeintimates.com, www.hotmilklingerie.com#projectmeintimates #iamprojectme #hotmilklingerie "Forget everything you thought you knew about maternity and nursing wear with ProjectMe’s game-changing lingerie." www.ASOS.com Show less



Tessa Dawson

• Freelance Lingerie Designer and Costumier

  • Aug 2014 - Jul 2017

  Project contract work creating custom designed costumes for burlesque artists and circus performers with lingerie inspired garments or character costumes that are designed to fit and function with high demand. Foundation support and creative styling is my specialty.

• Lingerie & Sleepwear Pattern Work, Supplier & Tutor - By Nature Bamboo

  • Mar 2011 - Feb 2015

  For this local New Zealand sleepwear brand created in luxurious bamboo fabrics, I provided designs, patterns and samples as well as sourcing and supplying trims, and tutoring in all aspects of fashion design and management.

• Womenswear Contract Design and Production Support - Shen

  • Jul 2012 - Nov 2013

  This six week contract with high-fashion New Zealand label Shen turned into well over a year of work providing design, range management, website and local NZ production assistance to talented designer Mary-Ellen Prendergast. www.shenclothing.com

• NZ Franchise Owner - Booby Traps Lingerie Sewing Kits

  • Oct 2010 - Nov 2013

  A concept that has operated successfully in Australia for over 30 years, I repackaged the Booby Traps brand to run in New Zealand to appeal to a new generation of sewers. Booby Traps provides kits and workshops for customers to learn to sew their own bras and lingerie, at my own studio and Bernina sewing centres.www.boobytraps.com.au



Lonely Label

• Auckland, New Zealand

• Technical Designer Lingerie & Swimwear - Lonely Lingerie

  • Jul 2015 - Dec 2015

  Lingerie and Swimwear - Fit Specialist, Sampling, Offshore Sourcing, Research and Development. Maternity leave contract: - Project to refine fit and graded sizing to industry benchmarks for international brand expansion and improve consistency across the ranges, styles and sizes including expanding size ranges. - Fitting manual and training sales team and in-store staff on bra fitting technique and etiquette. - Development of lingerie and swimwear ranges for S/S 2016 & A/W 2017 from fabric & trim sourcing, sewing samples, fit refinement, technical specifications, technical drawings, diagrams, construction techniques, briefing factories etc. - Swimwear quality standards and testing process set up and implementation for swimwear both on site and through off shore testing facilities. - Acquired and set up lingerie and swimwear machinery for sample room, managed sample materials, as well as sewing lingerie and swim samples to production quality. www.lonelylabel.com #lonelylingerie "It's the most interesting label in New Zealand right now - and it's going global" Viva Magazine, Feb 2015 Show less



Hanes Brands Australasia

• Australia
• Retail
• 700 & Above Employee

• Women’s Underwear Designer – Jockey Australasia

  • Jan 2007 - Jul 2010

  Managing the design and implementation of over 200 women’s basic and fashion underwear styles, sold through department stores in Australia, New Zealand and around the world. Highlights include the worldwide success of the Next Generation No Panty Line underwear range innovation, creating a completely new Bra range, and innovative and fashionable Shapewear developments for real women. With research & development projects at my core I became a seamless specialist and participated in major projects sourcing factories and designing with responsible apparel production ethics in consideration. I would travel to licensee meetings around the world liaising with the head product and design teams and showcasing ideas with licensees from all around the world. We won several awards during my time there including ‘Licensee of the Year 2007’ and ‘Excellence in Design and Innovation 2010.’ See me on The Apprentice NZ, Season 1 Episode 2 here: https://youtu.be/EK7A_CTcxHQwww.jockeynz.co.nz, www.jockey.com.au, www.jockeyinternational.com Show less

• Technical Bra Design Assistant – Bonds Australia

  • Jan 2005 - Dec 2006

  Providing support to the bra designers through the design, development, sampling and pre production processes, in addition to designing and developing my own styles and managing my own R&D projects. During this time I was trained by the Bonds and Berlei bra designers in specialized design and fit. Bonds is fashion forward, affordable and practical, so imperative was designing technology driven products that reflected the brand.www.bonds.com.au



Bendon Group

• New Zealand
• Retail Apparel and Fashion
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Work Experience - Bendon Group & Essence Lingerie

  • Jan 2004 - Feb 2004

  A months experience with international brands Bendon and Elle MacPherson Intimates. Bendon head designer Wendy Fellows then mentored through my final year’s collection project. A months experience with Essence in their local design and manufacturing unit focusing on lingerie and sleepwear. www.bendon.co.nz www.essencelingerie.nz A months experience with international brands Bendon and Elle MacPherson Intimates. Bendon head designer Wendy Fellows then mentored through my final year’s collection project. A months experience with Essence in their local design and manufacturing unit focusing on lingerie and sleepwear. www.bendon.co.nz www.essencelingerie.nz