Role Objective:

To create, design, develop & deliver inspirational product ranges to further enhance Mywalit’s growing reputation and market share in order to exceed financial performance targets set for the next 3 -5 years and thus to enable exit opportunities for the current owners.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work in close collaboration with the founders to fully understand
  the current design & commercial strategy and agree priorities in the
  immediate term for the next season’s range and on-going refine and develop
  strategy for the future.

• Take a leading role to implement a formal design process

• Evaluate current range performance by SKU & by market to determine future range and design decisions (style, trend & colourway etc.)

• Research & produce seasonal trend predictions, colour shapes, material combinations to deliver exciting, directional, commercial and on-profile product ranges

• Visit factories in Thailand & China when required to understand future capacity as well as ensuring current range quality standards are being achieved. Evaluate other supply such as India

• Lead the sourcing & negotiation of leathers and other essential product components

• Lead the design process from concept to finished product for both existing ranges and those with high growth potential e.g. handbags, gloves, belts

• Work in close collaboration with Italian colleagues making regularvisits to Lucca to coordinate & align new design concepts to ensure buy-in

• Manage & develop the existing product designer and build a small team of additional
  designers as the business requires

• Continually measure and evaluate range performance and build a knowledge base to assist future decisions

• Build partnership relationships with key stakeholders in the business

• Undertake additional duties as required to grow the business

• Provide Quarterly reviews to the Group Managing Director

Ideal candidate Profile:

• • A minimum of 10 years’ experience designing leather fashion goods/accessories including responsibility for range & colourway
  • Excellent knowledge of the design process and its implementation
  • Experience in sourcing and negotiating price/quality for materials
  • Experience of and exposure to the manufacturing process re: quality and timescales
  • Experience of leading, managing & developing a team would be advantageous
  • Experience of working in international markets would be advantageous

Key Competencies & behaviours

• • Excellent technical drawing & design capability
  • Strong creative thinking with natural intuition for fashion trends
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills – adaptable to different audiences
  • Strong relationship builder
  • International mind set
  • Pragmatic – demonstrates realistic down to earth approach
  • A passion for fashion brand and retail