Senior Knitwear Designer

Job Title: Senior Knitwear Designer

Reporting to: Head of Knitwear

Location: London

Contract Type: 12 month fixed term contract / Full time, 37.5 hours per week

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About Us:

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ME+EM is one of the UK’s fastest-growing luxury fashion brands. As a direct-to- consumer business we operate in a truly omnichannel way, with an extremely successful online store, monthly mailings and stores in London, Edinburgh and concessions in Harrods and Selfridges. Our exciting growth continues in spring 2024 with the opening of our first US stores.

At ME+EM we are an entrepreneurial, creative, and passionate group of people. We work hard, are enthusiastic to learn and are not afraid to take risks. Everyone contributes to our success at all levels, and that precisely what makes being a member of the team so rewarding.

Our office and stores are always busy and fast paced, but we work just as hard to make sure it’s fun, with social activities and biannual parties. We pride ourselves on being approachable, supportive, and welcoming and ensure that everyone’s hard work is rewarded. It takes all these things to build a strong, successful business and our door is always open to new talent ready to contribute to our growth and evolution.

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About the Role:

As our Senior Knitwear Designer, you will report directly to our Head of Knitwear to design original, beautiful, high-quality product that delivers the brand’s DNA, capturing appropriate emerging trends, whilst maintaining on time delivery & target margin to potentialise sales.

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Job Responsibilities:

Design and Product

• Has a clear understanding of the Me+Em Brand positioning and designs product that appropriately reflects the brand & customer requirements.
• Works with the Head of Knit and Jersey to build stories, produce mood boards and colour palettes for each story
• Responsible for designing own styles from initial research, through detailed sketches, artwork and spec packages, working with suppliers develop the first prototype.
• Manages the presentation of styles in the run up to Sketch & Swatch meetings, working closely with the Head of Knit and Jersey in order to be prepared and ready for presentation to the Design Director.
• Produce detailed tech packs and liaise with suppliers & factories confidently.
• Manages presentation of your styles in the Proto meetings. Decides the best styling for each piece to showcase it’s part of the Fashion Lego and appropriateness for the collection.
• Is capable of taking an objective view of developments in selection meetings and deciding whether they are right to be included in the collection. Offers suggestions to improve the styles where relevant to improve commerciality, price or delivery.
• Ability to view the knitwear collection as a whole, ensuring that the offer caters to broad range of customers as well as ensuring that outfit building is achieved through collaboration with other senior designers.
• Anticipates and meets the customers’ needs through the customer and sales feedback and uses this to appropriately influence designs.
• Manages the actions from the Sketch & Swatch, Proto, Intake meetings in a timely fashion.
• Proactively presents lab dips, colour options, inspiration in Proto meetings to support the decision-making process.
• Able to lead in fit sessions, working with the Garment Tech & Buyer and at times mentoring the junior designer to ensure all styles are reviewed in accordance with the brand DNA, cost and quality. Always considering - flattering, functional, forever and fair.
• Aware of company and competitor product and retail prices and is capable of working on design developments to achieve price targets.
• Understands and achieves company wide and individual style critical paths. Is decisive to avoid blockages to critical path and collaboratively works to resolve these. Has a grasp of wider implications when issues arise and escalates to the Head of Knit and Jersey where relevant.
• Working proactively with a junior designer, alongside the Head of Knit and Jersey, to ensure workload is managed, critical path deadlines are met and the range is balanced and cohesive.

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External awareness

• To ensure that new trends are identified and included in the range as appropriate.
• To build own trend awareness through inspiration shopping, personal research and other mediums; constantly looking for new sources of inspiration.
• Continually seeks to keep abreast of new technologies, trends, suppliers and techniques
• Seasonal store visits – with Design & Technical to ensure brand KPI’s are consistently achieved
• Sourcing yarn & trims that meet the Me+Em customer expectations (washable where relevant, non crease, luxurious, a point of difference)
• Meeting suppliers/ travel where appropriate to develop new styles/ fabric/ trims
• Attendance at Yarn Fairs

About you:

• Commercial and Aspirational Knitwear design experience.
• Highly creative, trend driven with a high-end taste level and a true connection to Knitwear design.
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced fashion environment.
• Good technical knowledge and understanding of garment construction.
• Able to work on their own- take initiative and work as part of a team.

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Employee Benefits:

• 33 days annual leave for full time employees (25 days holiday + 8 bank holidays)
• ​A day off to celebrate your birthday.
• ​Pension Scheme
• ​Group Life Insurance
• ​Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• ​Length of Service Award
• ​Refer a Friend Scheme
• ​Staff uniform for retail employees
• ​Generous Staff and Friends and Family Discount
• ​Annual Volunteer Day
• ​Cycle to Work Scheme
• ​Tech Scheme
• ​Eye Care Vouchers
• ​Real Living Wage Employer
• ​Employee led committees
• Social events and biannual parties
• Enhanced maternity and paternity package after 2 years of service.

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​ME+EM is an equal opportunities employer committed to fostering and preserving a culture of diversity, equality, and inclusion in our workforce. As an equal opportunities’ employer, we do not discriminate against applicants based on race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We believe that diversity enriches our workforce and strengthens our organisation. Therefore, we encourage minorities, LGBTQ+ candidates, and individuals with disabilities to apply for opportunities within our company.

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​​Please note, due to the large number of applications we receive, we can only reply to those that are successful to the next stage.