Knitwear Designer

The Retail Partnership Ltd; Leicester; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

The Retail Partnership Ltd in Leicester is seeking an experienced Knitwear Designer to develop commercial ladieswear knitwear ranges for leading UK high street retailers. You will work with a passionate, creative team in a fast-paced environment and travel for customer meetings and factory visits.

You should bring at least 4 years in knitwear design, a strong ladieswear knitwear background, and proven CAD and Adobe Illustrator skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 years' experience in Knitwear Designer role within the fashion industry.
• Strong ladieswear knitwear background with ability to adapt across menswear and childrenswear when required.
• Experience working with UK high street retailers is essential.
• Experience with Near East and Far East factories would be highly advantageous.
• Excellent technical knitwear knowledge, including yarn counts, gauge and number of ends.
• Highly organised and capable of managing accounts and communications independently.
• Advanced CAD and Adobe Illustrator skills with a strong eye for presentation and detail.
• Confident communicator with excellent presentation and relationship-building skills.
• Passionate about knitwear, product development and delivering commercially successful ranges.
• Flexible and willing to travel for customer meetings, shopping trips and factory visits.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a car is essential due to the office location.

Responsibilities

• Designing and developing a commercial ladieswear knitwear ranges for leading high street retailers.
• Creating innovative and trend-led knitwear concepts from initial research through to final production.
• Managing customer accounts independently, building strong relationships and acting as the key point of contact throughout the development process.
• Producing high-quality CADs and presentations using Adobe Illustrator and related design software.
• Working closely with UK customers and overseas factories to ensure products are developed to the highest standards.
• Collaborating with sourcing, technical and production teams to deliver ranges on time and within customer expectations.
• Attending customer meetings, shopping trips, trend research visits and factory visits as required.
• Monitoring market trends, competitor activity and new developments within the knitwear sector.
• Presenting seasonal concepts, yarn developments and product proposals to customers and internal teams.

Skills

Knitwear design

CAD software

Adobe Illustrator

Account management

Trend research

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

CAD software

Job description

An exciting opportunity to join a highly respected ,and successful knitwear supplier with an outstanding reputation supplying major retailers , based in Leicester .

You will have the opportunity to join a passionate and creative team in a fast paced environment

Main Responsibilities Will Include

• Designing and developing a commercial ladieswear knitwear ranges for leading high street retailers.
• Creating innovative and trend-led knitwear concepts from initial research through to final production.
• Managing customer accounts independently, building strong relationships and acting as the key point of contact throughout the development process.
• Producing high-quality CADs and presentations using Adobe Illustrator and related design software.
• Working closely with UK customers and overseas factories to ensure products are developed to the highest standards.
• Collaborating with sourcing, technical and production teams to deliver ranges on time and within customer expectations.
• Attending customer meetings, shopping trips, trend research visits and factory visits as required.
• Monitoring market trends, competitor activity and new developments within the knitwear sector.
• Presenting seasonal concepts, yarn developments and product proposals to customers and internal teams.

Person Specification

• Minimum 4 years' experience in a Knitwear Designer role within the fashion industry.
• Strong ladieswear knitwear background, with the ability to adapt across menswear and childrenswear when required.
• Previous experience working with UK high street retailers is essential.
• Experience working with both Near East and Far East factories would be highly advantageous.
• Excellent technical knitwear knowledge, including yarn counts, gauge and number of ends.
• Highly organised and capable of managing accounts and communications independently.
• Advanced CAD and Adobe Illustrator skills with a strong eye for presentation and detail.
• Confident communicator with excellent presentation and relationship-building skills.
• Passionate about knitwear, product development and delivering commercially successful ranges.
• Flexible and willing to travel for customer meetings, shopping trips and factory visits.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a car is essential due to the office location.Thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment and enjoys being part of a busy and growing business