Junior Fashion Designer

About this role

Impact HR is recruiting a Junior Fashion Designer for a retail brand in the Johannesburg South area. You will work in the creative team and help turn new ideas into finished clothing collections that suit the market.

What you’ll do

• Create original designs that fit the brand’s identity and appeal to its target customers.
• Keep up with fashion trends, shopper preferences and what competitors are doing, so designs stay current and sell.
• Turn design ideas into detailed sketches and technical drawings.
• Oversee prototype making and work with production teams so the final product matches the design.
• Present your ideas clearly, both in meetings and in written documents.
• Set and keep quality standards, and inspect prototypes and finished products against them.
• Run ongoing market research and use the findings to guide design choices and the brand’s direction.

What you need

• National Senior Certificate (Grade 12).
• 2 to 3 years of related work experience.
• Hands-on experience in pattern making and garment construction, including working with different fabrics and materials.
• Experience in researching fashion trends and building them into designs.
• A good understanding of the target market, consumer preferences and the competition.
• Prior experience in brand development and marketing strategy.
• Sketching and illustration skills for detailed fashion drawings.
• Working knowledge of design software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Knowledge of fabrics, textiles and how their properties affect use.
• Ability to produce detailed technical drawings and specification sheets.
• Knowledge of care labels, care instructions and garment labelling standards.
• Understanding of costing and budgeting for design decisions.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Knowledge of fashion history and current trends.
• Advantageous: a formal qualification in design.

Is this job for you?

This role suits a creative person who already has some hands-on garment experience and knows the retail fashion market. You should enjoy sketching, working with fabrics and talking about your ideas with others.

Tips before you apply

• Build a portfolio with your best sketches, technical drawings and finished garments, and keep it ready to share.
• On your CV, list your pattern making and garment construction work, with the types of fabrics and products you have handled.
• Show your 2 to 3 years of experience with specific projects, your role in each and any trends or sales results you helped shape.