Freelance Senior Womenswear Designer - Dresses & Soft Separates at JO MAYGER DESIGN

✶ SPECIALISM ✶ I specialise in supporting womenswear brands through all stages of designing and developing their collections of dresses & soft separates (blouses, jumpsuits, playsuits, skirts, trousers & co-ords). ✶ EXPERIENCE ✶ With 16 years' commercial industry experience, I have a proven track record of delivering bestselling garment, print & embellishment designs, from concept through to production. ✶ CLIENTS ✶ Throughout my career, I've designed for leading high street retailers, mid-market brands, designer diffusion lines, celebrity collections & independent startups, as well as working directly with suppliers & manufacturers. ✶ GET IN TOUCH ✶ If you’re looking for a designer who delivers creativity, commerciality & production-ready design, on time and on brief - I'd love to discuss how I can help bring your vision to life! ✶ SERVICES INCLUDE ✶ trend forecasting & mood boards ✶ garment design & range building ✶ hand sketched & Illustrator fashion flats/CADs ✶ print & embellishment design ✶ tech packs & toile/3D fit comments ✶ design consulting ✶ MY EXPERIENCE CAN HELP YOUR BRAND ✶ speed up the design process & meet deadlines ✶ save time & money throughout development ✶ avoid costly mistakes & wasteful oversampling ✶ create cohesive & desirable trend-led collections ✶ target your specific customer & strengthen brand loyalty ✶ increase sales & reduce returns ✶ attract media coverage & raise your brand's profile ✶ reduce your workload & stress levels ✶ STANDARDS ✶ I pride myself on my clear communication and reliable service, and ensuring I am responsive, flexible & efficient. ✶ LETS CHAT ✶ I'd be delighted to propose a suitable package and timescale to deliver your brief to a professional standard. ✶ Please get in contact to discuss your needs, or to request my full CV and portfolio! ✶

Senior Softs Designer & Design Manager at SPIRIT CLOTHING

Led all softs and tailoring accounts, covering woven and jersey dresses, soft separates and tailoring with a focus on natural and eco fabrics. Trained and supervised a design assistant; managed a busy internal sample room and external factory partners to ensure high-quality samples met deadlines. Opened and grew Nobody’s Child account, driving substantial business and delivering strong hit rates.

Senior Softs Designer at REPEAT CLOTHING

Designed woven and jersey dresses and soft separates for key accounts (ASOS, Dorothy Perkins, Lipsy, Miss Selfridge, etc.), including celebrity ranges. Established company processes, nurtured new accounts, and consistently delivered bestsellers and repeat orders, contributing to rapid growth during the pandemic period.

Junior Softs Designer at COVER UP CLOTHING

Designed dresses and soft separates for multiple accounts (Debenhams, Evans, John Rocha, Julien Macdonald, Laura Ashley, Preen, Principles, Roman Originals, Todd Lynn & Wallis). Key contributor within a small team, prepared sketch packs, sourced prints and embellishments, and managed showroom setup and fittings.

Assistant Dress Designer at COURTAULD

Designed woven and jersey dresses for M&S main range (M&S Collection) and international lines, supporting senior designers to expand into new areas, improve style hit rate, secure larger orders and maintain top-performing ranges. Participated in M&S design briefings and developed elaborate embellishment designs with overseas factories.

Design Assistant at RETRO APPARELS

Sketched woven casualwear and denim, produced design packs for Chinese factories, including wash treatments and embellishment specs, and supported multiple brand accounts.

Assistant Dress Designer at GINO CERRUTI

Sole designer for the collection of woven and jersey occasion/party dresses for wholesale. Worked with factories in China to set target production prices, manage manufacturing, and perform QC checks while supporting promotional activities.

Freelance Print Designer at SAHARA

Guided print direction, developed new print designs and recolours for multiple clients, working remotely.

Backstage Dresser at LONDON FASHION WEEK

Dressed models for catwalk shows and assisted with VIP seating at exclusive collection launches.

Design Assistant at MISS SELFRIDGE

Produced CAD prints and hand-drawn embroidery artworks; compiled catwalk research and mood boards for seasonal guidance.

Assistant Print Designer at WHITE STUFF

Produced prints and spec packs with full Pantone references, repeats, placements and embellishment directions.

Design Assistant at EVANS

Designed plus-size garments and embellishments for main range and early Beth Ditto collection.

Design Assistant at WHITE STUFF

Designed multi-product casualwear garments and prints; created range build boards and supported meetings.

Design Assistant at GEORGE @ ASDA

Hand sketched soft separates, developed prints and compiled trend research and colour palettes.

Freelance Designer at Jo Mayger Design

Designing womenswear garments, prints & embellishments from concept through to production. Specialising in dresses and soft separates, with trend forecasting, mood boards, CAD flats, print & embellishment design, tech packs, toiles and 3D fit notes, plus showroom preparation and production support. Services include trend forecasting, range building, hand sketching and Illustrator flats, and advisory support to speed development and ensure production-ready results.

Senior Designer & Design Manager (Dresses/Softs) at Spirit Clothing

Led design across woven and jersey dresses, soft separates and tailoring for desirable mid-market brands; managed a design assistant, coordinated pattern room activity with internal and external teams (including Vietnam), and opened the Nobody’s Child account. Drove fabric sourcing, trend direction, and range development, contributing to significant account growth and strong supplier relationships. Implemented processes to streamline development and maintain high-quality samples ahead of deadlines.

Senior Designer / Designer (Dresses/Softs & Prints) at Repeat Clothing

Designed woven and jersey dresses and soft separates for major accounts including ASOS, Dorothy Perkins, Hobbs, Lipsy, Miss Selfridge, NA-KD, Nasty Gal, Oasis, River Island, Silk Fred, Sosandar, Stitch Fix, Topshop, Warehouse, Urban Outfitters, Very, and others. Established the company’s reputation, led key accounts, delivered bestsellers, and created in-house range, mood boards, range samples and catwalk-inspired prints. Led design meetings, improved margins through cost awareness and fabric lay plans, and managed senior responsibilities in the absence of a Design Manager.

Junior Designer (Dresses/Softs & Embellishments) at Cover Up Clothing

Designed dresses and soft separates for Debenhams, Evans, John Rocha, Julien Macdonald, Laura Ashley, Preen, Principles, Roman Originals, Todd Lynn & Wallis. Key contributor in a small team, prepared sketch packs, sourced new prints, designed embellishments and hotfix motifs, set up showroom, and coordinated range garments; managed weekly sample scheduling and ensured alignment with factory capabilities.

Assistant Designer (Dresses & Embellishments) at Courtaulds

Designed woven and jersey dresses for M&S Collection and Twiggy for M&S; supported senior designer to expand into new areas, secure larger orders, and maintain top-selling ranges. Attended M&S design briefings, developed elaborate embellishment designs with overseas factories, and produced technical spec sheets and cost-conscious designs across multiple price points.

Design Assistant (Multi-Product & Embellishments) at Retro Apparels

Sketched woven casualwear and denim for multiple brands; prepared design packs for Chinese factories with wash treatment and embellishment specs to support production.

Assistant Designer (Dresses & Embellishments) at Gino Cerruti

Sole designer for entire collection of woven and jersey occasion/party dresses for wholesale; collaborated with China-based factories on target production prices, managed manufacturing, QC checks, and supported marketing and showroom activities.

Freelance Designer (Prints) at Sahara

Guided print direction, developed new print designs and recolours; remote collaboration to align with customer briefs and production needs.

Design Assistant (Dresses/Softs & Prints/Embellishments) at Miss Selfridge

Produced CAD prints and hand-drawn embroidery artworks; compiled catwalk research and mood boards; supported senior designers with briefs and development.

Assistant Designer (Prints/Embellishments) at White Stuff

Produced prints and embellishment directions with full Pantone, repeat, scale and motif guidance; supported multi-product designs.

Design Assistant (Multi-Product & Embellishments) at White Stuff

Designed multi-product casualwear and prints; created range build boards; participated in design meetings to drive product directions.