Fashion Design
Before moving into UX, I built a 20+ year career as a Garment Design Manager for leading UK retailers, including Debenhams.
I led design teams, delivered trend-focused collections, and drove commercial success across a wide range of womenswear categories.
My work combines creative direction with strategic thinking from spotting new market opportunities to managing end-to-end product development.
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I continue to take on select freelance fashion projects, offering design support across:
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Womenswear design & development
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Trend and colour forecasting
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Technical packs and supplier liaison
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Range building aligned with brand strategy
Interested in working together get in touch.
Client: Softs supplier to TU and Primark
Role: Freelance Designer (July 2025)
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Brief: Develop SS26 womenswear softs and jersey sketches that can be adaptable for use across various fabric bases.
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Timeline: 1 day
Client: BAM - Sustainable Activewear and Lifestyle Brand
Role: Freelance Designer (Jan 2022)
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Brief: Develop three seasonal drops for BAM’s e-commerce range, focusing on phased colour palettes and trend direction. Designed key silhouettes and garment details across both men's and women's activewear collections for Spring/Summer 2023.
Client: China-based Womenswear Supplier
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Role: Freelance Designer (Aug 2021)
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Brief: Researched and delivered Autumn/Winter 2022 mid-market womenswear trend direction. The project included creating fashion illustrations to communicate key looks, color palettes, and fabric inspiration for future range development.
Company: Debenhams Ltd
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Brand: Maine womenswear.
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Role: Design Manager (2018 - 2020)
Overview: Led the design direction for Debenhams’ best-performing womenswear brand, delivering a fully coordinated casualwear range including jersey, casual wovens, denim, knitwear, and outerwear. Developed seasonal colour palettes, print and trend direction, and digital specification packs. Briefed print designers and liaised directly with suppliers on product development. Attended fit sessions and played a key role in mentoring and developing assistant and mid-level designers.
Maine co ordinated and branded casual range
Maine specs and end product on Debenhams website
Maine outerwear technical specification pack
Maine print direction and artworks provided in-house to suppliers.
Company: Debenhams PLC
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Brand: Principles by Ben de Lisi (2010 - 2018)
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Role: Senior Designer/Design Manager
Overview: Led the successful relaunch of the Principles brand in 2010, setting the creative direction across colour, print handwriting, and branding. Oversaw the brand’s expansion into a full womenswear offer, including formalwear, casualwear, outerwear, knitwear, and occasionwear. Played a key role in building a cohesive brand identity that drove significant category growth, delivering £26M in first-year sales.
Working sketches and swatches with final product featured.
Product in winter advertising campaign featuring Principles
Print and spec sketches
Mood board SS 2015
Winter advertising campaign featuring Principles in Debenhams windows
Winter advertising campaign featuring Principles in Debenhams windows
Mood board AW 2015
Principles Casualwear launch Sophie Dahl campaign and windows SS15
Principles Softs SS16 Mood board
Principles Softs SS16 Helena Christianson Press shots
Company: Debenhams PLC
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Range: Occasionwear, Designers at Debenhams and Debut (2004 - 2009)
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Role: Occasionwear Designer
Overview: Specialised in occasionwear design with a focus on fabric, construction, and embellishment. Contributed to Debenhams’ position as market leader in this category during my tenure. Worked across both Debut and Designers at Debenhams ranges, delivering high-impact collections for key seasonal events and special occasions.
Designers at Debenhams Press Limited Edition with original sketch
Designers at Debenhams Occasionwear sketch with embroidery artwork
Designers at Debenhams Press Limited Edition Occasionwear
Designers at original sketch and embellishment artwork
CAD sketches for range plans
Debut Occasionwear Debenhams Christmas campaign and original sketch
Download Garment Design CV