Poeticgem Limited
Junior Designer
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Junior Designer
We are seeking a highly accomplished and strategically minded Junior Designer to join our creative team. This is a pivotal role for an individual who brings deep expertise in brand-led design within the sport/street and lifestyle sectors. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving the design and development of collections and Special Make-Ups (SMUs) that are commercially compelling, brand-authentic, and market-relevant, specifically within the UK market.
The Junior Designer will work in close collaboration with the Creative Director, cross-functional teams, and key retail partners to translate global brand collections into coherent, on-brand range offerings. This role demands an individual who is highly self-sufficient, commercially aware, and possesses an innate understanding of the processes, rhythms, and disciplines that define brand-led design as distinct from high street or fast fashion retail environments.
Key Responsibilities:
Brand & Creative Direction
- Champion and safeguard brand DNA across all design output, ensuring full adherence to established brand guidelines and creative vision.
- Interpret and translate global brand collections for the UK market, adapting product ranges to meet local commercial and consumer requirements without compromising brand integrity.
- Develop original in-house collections where required, demonstrating a strong design perspective informed by brand ethos, market insight, and consumer demand.
- Maintain an authoritative understanding of brand positioning, seasonal aesthetics, and creative territories across relevant sport and lifestyle brands.
Collection & SMU Development
- Lead the end-to-end design and development of collections and SMUs, from initial concept through to final sign-off.
- Collaborate closely with multiple retail partners to curate and build ranges drawn from global brand collections, ensuring product selection is commercially viable and brand-appropriate.
- Apply a thorough and critical understanding of fabric, construction, and fit to all design decisions, maintaining the highest standards of product quality and wearability.
- Ensure all designed collections and SMUs are commercially positioned to achieve strong sell-through performance.
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Planning, Process & Timeline Management
- Own and manage personal design timelines with a high degree of autonomy, proactively identifying risks and resolving bottlenecks without requiring external oversight.
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of brand calendars, sales cycles, and launch windows, ensuring all deliverables are planned and executed in alignment with key milestones.
- Apply a rigorous understanding of brand-side processes — including range planning, range review, sales launch, and market go-live cycles — to structure and sequence design activity appropriately.
- Maintain meticulous records of design decisions, revisions, and approvals throughout the development process.
Stakeholder Communication & Collaboration
- Clearly articulate and present design rationale, concepts, and creative direction to internal stakeholders including the Senior Creative Director and wider leadership team.
- Proactively engage with sales teams to refine design output in response to commercial feedback, customer insight, and sell-through data.
- Build and maintain strong, productive working relationships with brand partners, retail buyers, and product development teams.
- Demonstrate confident and professional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to align diverse stakeholders around a shared creative vision.
Skills, Experience & Qualifications:
- A minimum of 5 to 10 years of professional design experience, with a demonstrable track record in brand-led design within sport, lifestyle, or adjacent consumer sectors.
- Proven experience working with globally recognised brands, with a strong understanding of how major brand organisations operate, plan, and go to market.
- Demonstrable experience working within or alongside the UK market, with a clear understanding of UK retail dynamics, consumer preferences, and commercial considerations.
- Deep and applied knowledge of brand DNA, brand guidelines, and the discipline required to design consistently within a defined creative framework.
- Expert understanding of garment construction, fabric selection, and fit across relevant product categories.
- Proven ability to manage personal workload, timelines, and deliverables with a high degree of independence and self-direction.
- Significant experience working directly with or reporting into a Senior Creative Director or equivalent senior creative leader.
- Strong experience engaging with sales teams and using commercial feedback to inform and improve design output.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the confidence to define and defend design decisions at a senior level.
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Desirable:
- Experience working across both sport and lifestyle brand categories.
- Exposure to SMU design processes within a wholesale or licensed brand environment.
- Familiarity with range planning tools and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems.
- An established network of brand, retail, and supplier contacts within the UK market.
- Highly self-motivated and capable of working autonomously without close supervision.
- Commercially astute, with an ability to balance creative ambition with business requirements.
- Collaborative and communicative, with a natural ability to build trust across diverse teams.
- Detail-oriented and process-driven, with a strong commitment to consistency and quality.
- Passionate about brand, product, and the design disciplines that underpin exceptional collections.
- Adaptable and resilient, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced brand environment.
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