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Footwear Designer Developer.
Nationality: Scottish
DOB: 27/08/1983
Footwear Designer Developer.
PROFILE
I am a very creative and versatile footwear designer with a fantastic eye for product design and development. My passion lies equally across Mens Performance, street and casual footwear. I am resourceful, passionate and hard working young designer with the ability to design from a blank sheet of paper. I am very self motivated and enthusiastic, with an eye for innovative lifestyle and street casual footwear design, and a natural ability to interpret commercially viable footwear. I possess strong sketching, computer illustration, presentation, and good organizational skills.
EMPLOYMENT
Fred Perry - Currently
Wilson Imports
Ellesse - Pentland
First Brands - August 2007 through to present day
My role and responsibilities include the following;
Independently designing ranges for Clarks, JJB, Millets, Next, Slazenger ranges
Working as a team with a designated accountant manager to over see all of the customers listed.
Designing for all genders.
Meeting deadlines & designing to a target price point spec.
Liaising directly with customers and suppliers, taking briefs and instructing amendments.
Developing product from sketch through to final sample. Overseeing amendments of shell patterns, prototype samples, blue prints, and wooden moulds
Selecting materials to achieve the target price spec, along with creating a range of commercial colourways for every range.
Regularly presenting season ranges to and receiving briefs from customers such as Clarks and Blacks Leisure Group.
llustrating all designs in CADs and providing details specs to suppliers.
Completing an average of 9 to 12 styles and two sole units per seasons for Clarks and The Blacks Leisure Group.
Traveling to the Far East to review production for each customer range with suppliers and visit factories.
FRED PERRY: January July 2007
Technical product developer with Fred Perry, working with the AW07 footwear lines. In constant contact with factories and suppliers on the development of the new seasons footwear lines.
In constant contact with four different suppliers and factories from China to Thailand.
Re-coloring & specing existing ranges for SMU projects for clients like Office and Littlewoods Direct.
Checking samples for fit, wear and size, then relaying any issues back to factories.
Sorting and sealing Red & Gold seal footwear for AW07 & SS08. Also sending samples out to relevant photo & press events.
Market research against other brands online and out photographing in and around London.
Style and color research of coming SS08 using websites like WGSN and Coroflot.
Updating critical path on sealing/shipping status using excel.
Completed updating projects for the vulcanized & cupsole ranges, also designed a new Andy Murray range of tennis shoes for a presentation to the design director.
FIRETRAP: 2006
After university I began working freelance designer at Firetrap under the license of Fresh Footwear located in north London.
I was involved in a number of new projects that the company has recently taken on. On my first day I was involved with a new collaboration with GOLDDIGGA a youth clothing brand.
On meeting with the companies creative Director I was asked to design and develop the trainer and sports wedge lines for 2007.
I have also been involved in designing new concepts for SPX a Licensed sports footwear brand held by Fresh Footwear. Creating a complete new look, to bring the brand back to the level of other Hip-Hop street brands.
I have also worked their own FEUD brand developing conceptual new looks for the mens AW 07/08 footwear ranges.
Since I have started at Fresh Footwear I was involved in filling out specification sheets and designing and developing new technical drawings of outsoles for the factories to follow.
On a day to day basis I was required to fill out spec forms, sample requests, drafting new designs, checking and confirming samples and relaying changes to factories based in China and Portugal.
EDUCATION
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UNIVERSITY
BA (Hons) Footwear Design
1st Level Honors Degree
De Montfort University, Leicester
Graduate in May 2006
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SKILLS
Ability to work independently or as part of a team.
Competent and communicative drawing style.
Experience constructing mock ups and prototype by hand.
Experience working to a varied array of market levels and consumers.
Good knowledge of leathers, materials and fabrics in regards to footwear construction.
Good understanding of pattern cutting with a lot of first hand experience. Practical and technical knowledge of footwear construction.
Skilled in industry related CAD packages Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and on going development with Excel.
