Senior Fashion Designer

Coco & Lola is a multi-brand womenswear fashion retailer representing a premium curation of Australian designer brands. Over the past 15 years Coco & Lola has built an internationally recognised brand that celebrates Australian designers and has become an influential eventwear destination. As the brand evolves and grows we are seeking an experienced Senior Fashion Designer to join the Coco & Lola design team and work alongside the Creative director to establish a new brand within the current mix.   About the Role This…

Coco & Lola is a multi-brand womenswear fashion retailer representing a premium curation of Australian designer brands. Over the past 15 years Coco & Lola has built an internationally recognised brand that celebrates Australian designers and has become an influential eventwear destination.

As the brand evolves and grows we are seeking an experienced Senior Fashion Designer to join the Coco & Lola design team and work alongside the Creative director to establish a new brand within the current mix.

About the Role

This role has the exciting opportunity to work with the Creative Director to develop and grow a new brand within the event wear and bride-to-be category.  Think engagement party, bridal showers,  rehearsal dinner, hens, wedding recovery and all the different events leading up to the bride’s special day (not the wedding dress). This role will lead the entire design process, from range planning, sketching, and fabric sourcing  to creating CAD’s, tech packs, product development, costing negotiations and fittings. All fundamental elements that will be instrumental in the success and growth of the brand. You must love and be passionate about design and ideally want to work within the dress category space.

The Head office is located in Rosebery, Sydney NSW and the Creative Director resides in WA so because of this we are open to pursuing the right person from any location within Australia. We feel very passionate about this new brand at a pivotal time of exciting change within our business.

Overview of Role and Responsibilities

• Ultimately we want you to create and be creative whilst working towards the brand’s end goal. We want you to be able to excite the customer by bringing to life your designs with originality, fabric choice, design and construction within the special occasion space.
• Create collection mood boards including sketches, fabrics,  trims and any other resources to present overall design to Creative Director
• Develop original designs that can be translated from sketches into tech packs.
• Researching the market across both local and international while also working with the store team and customer care for constant feedback.
• Work closely with our manufacturers to ensure construction, fit and timelines are met
• Prepare all tech packs for sample and production processes.
• Attend sourcing fairs and travel where necessary to continually grow and develop the best fabric sourcing available. Continually sourcing and researching new and innovative fabrics, trims and accessories.
• Oversee the sampling and production process directly with suppliers.
• Work with suppliers to achieve target cost prices and negotiate where necessary.
• Manage the fitting process and supplier feedback on product development.
• Oversee the PPS and bulk to make sure product aligns with sample and measurements are within brands tolerance
• Constant and ongoing design development ensuring progression and newness is achieved in line with the customers needs and fit feedback
• Work closely with cross functioning teams within the Coco & Lola business
• You will be a big  part of the brand being the brand’s biggest ambassador and creator and be willing to at times be part of BTS footage for purposes of brand building stories across digital platforms

Requirements

• You will have 4+ years of experience in a similar role within the mid to high end clothing space
• A degree in fashion design, Textile design or related
• Knowledge of premium fashion design principles, pattern making and garment construction techniques
• Advanced skills in illustrator/indesign/photoshop/adobe
• Passionate about design and creating a premium product
• Extensive knowledge of garment construction
• Ability to manage and prioritise workload to meet deadlines within the design process
• Experience in communicating/negotiating with local and international suppliers
• Proven ability to successfully operate in an environment of change and growth
• Enjoy working in a collaborative environment
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

Please email a copy of your CV, Cover letter and current portfolio to careers@cocoandlola.com.au