We are looking for a Soft Wovens Designer to join Team OB in our Support Office.

As a Soft Wovens Designer at OB you will bring our concepts to life using your expertise to develop a soft separates and dress collection.

Reporting to the Senior Wovens Designer, you will work on projects from initial concept through to completion using your practical skills to support both your imagination and visualization. You will work collaboratively with the Head of Design, Print, Knitwear and Jersey Designers as well as the Clothing Buyer and Merchandiser, in delivering an authentic and inspirational collection.

Our Support Office is based in Tolworth, near Chessington, only a 30-minute journey from London Waterloo. We offer hybrid working with a mix of office and home working, 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 Soft Wovens Designer will:

Design and create soft wovens clothing collection from concept through to production that compliment the Oliver Bonas design ethos, developing the range collaboratively alongside the Design and Buying teams.
Design a collection that is sympathetic and reactive to sales performance while still driving excitement and newness to the range.
Assist the Head Fashion Designer, Senior Woven designer and Design team, creating seasonal department concepts and themes, colour palettes and trend research that are in line with the brands handwriting and vision
Research and assist the Head Fashion Designer with seasonal colour palettes ensuring the colour palettes work specific for product categories.
Develop and design product with a unique point of difference to ensure we are the world’s pre-eminent British design-led lifestyle retailer.
Source and research yarns and fabrics that are in line with the concept and Oliver Bonas handwriting, and correct for seasonality and timing and with sustainable attributes.
Collaborate with the Print Designer and Buying and Merchandising teams to ensure the collection is cohesive.
Suggest and find tones, that work in a cohesive way that are correct for material timing and silhouette.
Conduct trend research and market analysis resulting in recommendations and new areas of potential business across all fashion departments.
Collaborate with the Buying and Merchandising teams analysing and creating new seasonal strategy plans for the department that are in line with the top line strategy plan and company vision
Review and react to the market and social trends to identify emerging product opportunities.
Ensure the OB brand values are reflected in all areas of work from design development to production.
Review and approve all product specification, final designs, colourways and final samples at sign off meetings
Work closely with our supplier base to understand and develop capability.
Carry out sourcing and attending inspirational trips, feeding back to teams and business to inspire others.
Build ranges and developing collections collaboratively with the Buying team, ensuring the range is balanced and commercial while maintaining excitement within the collection.
Lead fit sessions with the Garment Technologists, communicating technical knowledge to the team where relevant.
Manage supplier communications with product development knowledge across the categories.
Work and collaborate closely with the Senior Woven designer, with daily communication supporting them to deliver a collection in line with the brand brief, Sustainable goals and other clothing categories.
Co-ordinate and communicate seasonal design themes with the Buying team and fellow design team members.

Bonas Benefits:

Generous employee discount up to 50% off all OB products
Free access to our 24 hour employee assistance programme with Care First – 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 throughout Looop eLearning platform

What we look for:

The ability to connect with OB brand identity and an understanding of the OB handwriting
Previous clothing design experience with a technical knowledge of clothing
Excellent drawing skills and technical drawing ability
Good eye for colour, pattern and detail
Knowledge of construction and manufacturing processes
Desire to continually learn and develop knowledge and skills
Expert computer skills including CAD, Adobe Suite, Photoshop, and Illustrator
Big ideas and a strong conceptual imagination
Confident communicator with the ability to influence and persuade
An energetic, fun and flexible approach to how you work
Ambition to be part of a dynamic design team and create a market defining brand

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