We are looking for a Head Fashion Designer to join Team OB in our Support Office.

As a Head Fashion Designer at OB you will be responsible for leading and driving the product and design vision across the Fashion department.

You will develop the themes and vision for the brand each season to reflect the mood and top line strategy and business KPI’s. Creating designs that are feminine and authentic, pushing OB forward as a design-led retailer.

You will work as part of the wider Design team collaborating with the Creative Art Director, Head of Buying and Head of Merchandising to deliver an authentic and inspirational offer that is in-line with our Brand Brief. The role will lead and inspire a team of highly creative Designers, ensuring the top line strategy and design values are met.

Our Support Office is based in Tolworth, near Chessington, only a 30-minute journey from London Waterloo. We offer hybrid working with a split of 3 days in the office and 2 days home working per week, and are open to having conversations about working flexibly.

A bit about us …

At Oliver Bonas (OB), our values of Work Hard, Play Hard & Be Kind are integral to everything we do. Collaboration, imagination, curiosity, and teamwork are key to our success, and everyone has their part to play in making OB a special place to work.

Having fun is key, and a playful and positive approach creates an optimistic environment. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we are serious about what we do.

Our team knows their stuff. They’re confident and creative and unafraid to challenge convention to find solutions, taking accountability for their actions, but always with kindness and humility.

More about the role …

An OB Head Fashion Designer will:

Drive the product and vision across the Fashion department
Translate themes and trends into ideas and concepts for each season’s collections, including colour palette, prints, fabrics, materials and product
Work with the wider Design team to develop and decide on colour themes for each season
Collaborate with the Managing Director to ensure the Brand Brief for design is translated into design concepts
Work in partnership with the Head of Buying to ensure delivery of a commercial offer that maximises sales whilst maintaining an exciting inspirational collection
Create and maintain the OB design handwriting across all product categories
Lead a team to develop and design products with a unique point of difference to ensure we are the world’s pre-eminent British design-led lifestyle retailer
Lead a design team to develop a multi-product collection across fashion including clothing, jewelry, Footwear, Accessories and Bags.
Direction and create seasonal themes boards, colour palettes and trends
Develop a key understanding and affinity with the OB Brand
Research and forecast trends following on from the research product and print design direction for each season
Review and react to the market and social trends to identify emerging product opportunities
Give overall direction of how our fits should be with the Design, Buying and Garment Technologist’s. Communicating technical knowledge to the team where relevant
Coordinate and communicate seasonal design themes and trends with the Fashion Buying team and the wider Design team
Carry out sourcing and attending inspirational trips
Ensuring the ranges developed and designed are balanced and commercial, while maintaining excitement within the collection at all store grades
Attend and present key trends at sign off with the Managing Director, Design, Buying and Merchandising teams
Manage the critical path management for Clothing
Develop new concepts and product categories to support growth and expansion of the business, as well as adhering to the Top line and the Clothing department strategy
Ensure the OB brand values are reflected in all areas of work from design development to production
Inspire and work collaboratively with Creative Art Director, PR and Web team to ensure a clear and authentic design message and vision are translated and communicated
Manage the Buying and Designing relationship to ensure the balance between creativity and commerciality
Collaborate with the Buying team to focus research on specific categories for seasonal needs
Lead, manage and develop the Fashion Design team
Build a strong team and motivate them to collaborate and support each other to ensure effective communication

Bonas Benefits:

Generous employee discount up to 50% off all OB products
Free access to our 24 hour employee assistance programme with Optima Health – offering financial, emotional and vocational support
Flexible holiday – 33 days (including bank holidays) – increasing to 35 days with length of service
Annual discretionary profit related bonus scheme
Free membership for our Westfield Health Cash Plan or Private Medical
Auto-enrolment into our pension plan
Free access to our onsite gym
Cycle to work scheme
Refer a Friend incentive
Quarterly free lunch
Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Voice network and EDI team
Mental Health First Aider support
Education and support through 360L eLearning platform

What we look for:

A proven track record in Fashion design is essential
Strong team management experience within a creative environment is essential
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability to manage multiple tasks and deliver on deadlines
IT literate with intermediate levels of Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and CAD
Strong eye for both colour and print
BIG ideas and strong conceptual imagination
Ability to execute all designs whilst keeping the department vision in mind
Positive, vibrant and assertive, ready to take on anything!
Kind, helpful and considerate towards your co-workers

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at OB

At Oliver Bonas, our promise is to do our bit to make living a joyful experience and give cause for optimism. This promise is central to our work in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). To bring joy to others, we must first ensure everyone at OB feels valued, included and most importantly, can be themselves at work.

It is important to us that our brand reflects wider society and the communities in which we operate. As a result, we welcome all eligible applicants for this role however we are particularly interested in speaking to eligible candidates from the Black, Asian & Mixed Heritage communities.

Oliver Bonas is a Disability Confident Committed employer under the Disability Confident employer scheme.

To read more about our ED&I commitments, head over to the EDI page on our website: https://www.oliverbonas.com/meet-the-team/diversity