Assistant Footwear Designer

We are partnering with a leading British fashion retailer to recruit an Assistant Footwear Designer. This is an exciting opportunity to join a fast-paced, creative design team, supporting the development of trend-led footwear collections across multiple product categories.

The ideal candidate will have a strong eye for fashion, excellent technical skills, and a passion for creating commercial, innovative footwear.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the design team in developing seasonal footwear collections.
• Research global fashion trends, catwalks, street style, vintage references and competitor activity.
• Create mood boards, colour palettes and trend presentations.
• Produce CADs, technical drawings and detailed design packs.
• Assist with material, trim and colour selection.
• Work closely with Product Development and Buying teams throughout the development process.
• Review samples, providing design comments and amendments where required.
• Help prepare for range reviews and seasonal sign-off meetings.
• Ensure collections are delivered on time and in line with the critical path.
• Maintain organised design files, specifications and sample libraries.

About You

• Previous experience within a footwear design role or internship.
• Degree in Footwear Design, Fashion Design or a related discipline.
• Strong Adobe Creative Suite skills, particularly Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Excellent hand sketching and CAD abilities.
• Strong understanding of footwear construction, materials and manufacturing processes.
• Highly trend aware with a commercial mindset.
• Organised with excellent attention to detail.
• Able to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• A collaborative team player with strong communication skills.
• Passionate about fashion, footwear and emerging trends.

Desired Skills

• Experience creating technical specifications and design packs.
• Knowledge of leather, synthetic materials and footwear components.
• Understanding of the product development process from concept through to production.
• Ability to balance creativity with commercial awareness.
• Confident presenting ideas to internal stakeholders.

What’s on Offer

• Opportunity to work with an established fashion retailer.
• Collaborative and creative design environment.
• Exposure to the full footwear design and development process.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Excellent opportunities for career progression within a growing design team.

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