Senior Designer - Womens Knitwear
1 day ago
Havant
Role Title: Senior Designer Womens - Knitwear Department: Design Reports To: Head of Design Womenswear Contract Type: Permanent Working Arrangements/Pattern: Full Time, 35 hours Working Location: FatFace HQ, Havant Who are we? For over 30 years, we’ve travelled, we’ve laughed, we’ve grown. We believe life is for living and more fun with those we love. We are Made for Life. Our mission statement: Crafting clothes for life’s everyday adventures. Today, tomorrow and always. Our Product formula: Considered style. Trusted Quality. B Corp certified. We are proud to have featured in the Sunday Times top 10 best places to work 2025 and best places to work for women 2025. Equality and inclusion isn’t an aspiration but the standard. We promote and drive equality within our workforce to ignite an inclusive foundation for us all to build from and truly connect with our customers, colleagues, and communities alike. You play a key part in creating an environment free from prejudice, racism, sexism, harassment, bullying and any other form of marginalisation in our workplaces. We’re looking for a Senior Women’s Knitwear Designer to shape one of our most exciting categories. Bring creativity, technical skill and a passion for yarn, stitch and silhouette to craft thoughtful, modern knitwear. Collaborate with our product teams to drive newness, sustainable yarn stories and create pieces that look great, feel great and truly delight our customers. Role Summary We’re looking for a creative, technically skilled, and commercially minded Knitwear Designer to shape and develop our knitted collections across womenswear. Working collaboratively with our Design, Buying, and Technical teams, you’ll create innovative, high‑quality knitwear that reflects the FatFace brand ethos—considered style, trusted quality, and crafted for life’s everyday adventures. You’ll be responsible for driving newness through yarn selection, stitch development, and thoughtful construction while ensuring every piece delivers great fit, durability, and aligned to our preferred materials targets. With a strong eye for trends and an ability to translate concepts into beautifully executed knitted garments, you’ll play a key part in building ranges that excite our customers and exceed their expectations. Role Responsibilities • Design knitwear garments for all phases and seasons for womenswear., • Own category design while supporting other areas as needed., • Create CAD range plans to ensure choice and key looks., • Produce design packs, CADs, and artworks for high-quality first samples within critical path timelines., • Ensure designs are fit for purpose and meet quality standards., • Organise supplier kick-off meetings/trips and build strong supplier relationships., • Review ranges with buyers to ensure choice, newness, and maximise best sellers., • Work with garment technologists and buyers to deliver fit, silhouette, and details aligned with our FatFace product formula., • Present seasonal ranges and product vision to teams, directors & CEO., • Research themes and trends to support design direction presentations., • Drive newness by staying ahead of current and future trends., • Travel for inspiration and sourcing trips (UK and overseas)., • Create seasonal yarn boards focusing on sustainability and cost., • Collaborate with technical team to test new yarns for performance and quality., • Develop and present trend packs, mood boards, and forecasts for strategy sign-off., • Mentor and support category assistants., • Align self to companies social and environmental mission and champion any actions that you can directly impact. Skills and Experience • Fashion degree or equivalent., • Designer/Junior Designer experience in womenswear essential., • Experience in supplier development trips (China, Europe)., • Strong presentation and communication skills., • Excellent research, organisation, and prioritisation abilities., • Creative with a passion for fashion and detail., • Team player, adaptable across categories. Role Competencies • Knowledge of yarns, knitwear construction, fabrics, and sustainable choices., • Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator)., • Ability to create accurate garment drawings and translate designs to 3D., • Understanding of colour stories and trend forecasting., • Knowledge of factory processes and garment production., • Strong commercial awareness and competitor understanding., • Ability to articulate current and future trends confidently. Collaboration and Deliverables: Collaboration ☐ External Agency or Consultant ☒ External Supplier ☐ NEXT Business Partners ☒ FatFace Directors ☐ Store Teams ☒ Internal Product Teams (Design, Buying, Merchandising) ☒ Internal Support Teams (Finance, IT, Retail Operations, People, Compliance, Property) ☒ Internal Creative Teams (Marketing, Creative, Studio) ☒ Industry Networking Deliverables ☒ Department Spend vs Budget ☒ Team Performance and Development ☐ Compliance and Governance Requirements ☐ Commercial Reporting ☒ Project Delivery ☒ Timelines and Deadlines ☒ Resource Planning FatFace Benefits: Financial & Protection Benefits • Sick pay allowances, • Critical Illness Income protection/ Death in service (for salaried colleagues), • Pension scheme – with net deduction and salary sacrifice options, • Dental insurance (colleague funded) Discounts & Perks • 60% off FatFace products, • 25% discount at Next stores (across full price products), • O2 phone discount, • Discounted gym membership, • Cycle to Work scheme (for salaried colleagues), • EV vehicle scheme (for salaried colleagues), • Perkbox – our online platform offering:, • Day-one access, • Exclusive brand discounts, • Wellbeing content, • Home workouts and more Health & Wellbeing • Specsavers eye care scheme, • Eye tests and contributions to glasses, • Free period products, • EAP support 24/7 via UNUM, Retail Trust, and Fashion & Textiles Support Learning & Development • THRIVE – our learning management system:, • Day-one access, • 1,000s of learning resources Time Off & Leave • 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, • Sabbatical leave (in line with service), • Enhanced family-friendly policies – including enhanced maternity leave, • Flexible Working Opportunities – flexible working requests can be made from day one of employment and are considered on an individual basis. Additional Perks • Refer a Friend scheme We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply — you might be just the right fit.