Assistant Menswear Designer - Next Sourcing

Working Pattern: Typically 5 days in the office, with core hours flexible between 8am-6pm.

The Role
As an Assistant Menswear Designer, you will be the creative engine behind collections that define the modern wardrobe. Your mission is to translate global catwalk influences and emerging street-style trends into wearable, "must-have" menswear pieces that resonate with the Next customer. You'll work closely with senior designers, buyers, and technical teams, receiving hands-on mentorship and support to help you develop your design style and grow your career within a fast-paced retail leader.

Next Sourcing
We’re so much more than just a British retailer. From Istanbul to Shanghai, our Sourcing teams live and work in some of the most iconic cities in the world.

They're at the heart of finding, developing and delivering the products our customers love, wear and use every day. Located across the globe, our Next Sourcing teams specialise in all different parts of the sourcing operation, from design and technology to product development.

What You’ll Take On

• Support the Design Vision: Assist in identifying key trends in colour, fabric, and silhouette for the menswear market, helping to build cohesive and commercial collections that keep Next ahead of the competition.
• Design with Agility: Respond rapidly to design briefs, turning fresh concepts into "production-ready" designs at high-street speed. You’ll thrive in a fast-turnaround environment where agility is key to winning the buy.
• Technical CAD Work: Create highly detailed 2D and 3D CADs and tech packs daily, ensuring every specification is precise for our global manufacturing partners to minimise lead times.
• Inspirational & Development Travel: Join the team on trend-scouting trips to global fashion hubs. Crucially, you will travel overseas for factory visits to work directly with our suppliers, gaining hands-on experience in the production process and ensuring our designs are realised to the highest standard.
• Sample Management & Refinement: Take ownership of the sample lifecycle, reviewing prototypes for aesthetic accuracy and fit, ensuring every garment is refined and ready for successful range reviews.

What You’ll Bring

• A Passion for Menswear: A genuine interest in menswear construction and a sharp eye for detail, from selecting the right fabric finishes to understanding the nuances of technical trims.
• Creative Agility: A natural talent for spotting street-style trends and quickly translating a "big idea" into a practical, wearable garment that fits the modern Next aesthetic.
• The Ability to Juggle: Highly organised with the ability to stay calm under pressure, comfortably managing multiple briefs and tight deadlines across various menswear categories.
• A Collaborative Spirit: A proactive communicator who enjoys working alongside cross-functional teams and global suppliers to solve construction or cost challenges.
• Commercial Savvy: An understanding of the balance between aspirational design and high-street price points, keeping a close eye on garment complexity and production costs without losing the "wow" factor.
• Technical Foundations: Relevant design experience (or a specialist degree) and proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for creating professional-grade CADs.

Portfolios

To help us get a feel for your style, please attach a digital portfolio to your application. To help you put your best foot forward, we’ve put together a few top tips on what makes a portfolio stand out to our team.

Applications without a portfolio will not be considered.

Sponsorship

Candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship for this role will be required to meet the Home Office sponsorship requirements. For further information please see: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

We encourage early applications for our roles, as our recruitment process begins as soon as the role is advertised. If we successfully fill the position, this advert may close earlier than planned.

At NEXT, we believe the best work happens when there are no barriers to collaboration. That’s why we are a Google-powered workspace. From your very first day, you’ll be using the full Google Workspace suite; Docs, Drive, and Meet, to stay connected and move fast.

If your previous experience is rooted in other software suites, don’t worry! We’ll point you to a digital Google toolkit the moment you join, packed with handy guides and insider tips to help you transition smoothly and hit the ground running.

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