BA (Hons) Contour Fashion
MA (Distinction) Costume Making
Fashion/Design Work Experience
OpenHouse Products: Designer, August 2022 - Present
Working at OpenHouse has been a very educational position. Whilst here I have been given a lot of responsibility within the design process and the production of products. The designs for the products where constructed using Modaris and cut using the Modaris cutting table. In this position I would daily use programs/software such as: Modaris, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, ClickUp (similar to Trello), Business Central and Microsoft Office.
I was responsible for the introduction of the ClickUp app as a way to better manage the time of the Research and Design department to streamline production. I also introduced other useful tools for the department such as the "Product Data" spreadsheet which made designs quicker to produce as we no longer had to re-measure existing medical equipment. I also introduced the CAD library for the generation of concept drawings.
My contributions to OpenHouse where not only restricted to my own department. I have contributed ideas to the social media and web department as they would like to create a more authentic feel to the company. Some of the products I have designed have been received very positively by clients which resulted in further, positive social media exposure.
I have been in meetings with clients to discuss their needs for the potential products we provide. I have headed up one of these meetings during my time with OpenHouse. This particular meeting and product resulted in major sales increase (30 units to 410 units) after the first prototype.
I have also worked in logo enhancement for production. The logos we receive from clients are sometimes of an insufficient quality and need to be corrected before production.
For production to run smoothly, various paperwork needs to be completed to ensure successful production. I have had experience in the development of "bill of materials", "production timing estimates", "print layouts" and "trim lists".
Club L London: Assistant Garment Technician Role, March 2022 - June 2022
After graduation, I secured a job in the company Club L London. I was hired as an assistant garment technician however the role was temporary and therefore resulted in a short duration. Whilst I was there I learnt about the importance of accuracy within a large brand. The garment tech team was responsible for the overall fit of the garments and making sure they are true to size.
Our department also ran the fittings for new samples that arrived in the company and we would collaborate with the design team, marketing team and buying team.
Whilst I was there, we also looked at fit for footwear and footwear legalities.
I was responsible for maintaining the data, measuring the garments accurately, analysing social media feedback on products, helping out various departments, keeping garment specification documents up to date, organising rails and helping with fit.
IGG (International Garment Group): Industry Given Project, Designer Role, January 2022
The project for IGG was part of an interview process with the company. They asked me to design a range for their summer collection, taking in to account modern trends and developments. I used various different resources, such as Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar UK, Missguided, PLT, ASOS, cape clique and also catwalk imagery and current events.
The project consists of Design Brief (given from IGG), Digital Sketchbook, Tech Pack for one of the garments, Mood-board, Video-logs and Time Log of the entire project.
All information and elements to the project can be found by clicking the image.
Tutti Rouge Lingerie: Industry Given Project, Junior Designer Role, August 2018
I had the privilege of working with Tutti Rouge (a fuller bust lingerie company) for a placement during the summer of 2018. I learnt a lot during my short time there.
I was unable to extend my placement with the company due to financial restrictions and personal circumstances.
Whilst on this placement, I did my first CAD illustration line up and I was taught how to implement the different tools that I was introduced to, through studying my degree. I also learnt: the running of the lingerie business and the different stages involved from the start to the finish of the garment manufacturing. I also sat in on the weekly agenda meetings.
The main project I focused on whilst completing this placement was that of a design nature. I was told to research in to up and coming trends and brands and create two collections based on my findings and inspirations.
As a result, I produced two illustrated collections, called "Plum Perfection" and "Geometric Lace". Further information can be found by clicking the image.
Gymshark: Industry Given Project, Junior Designer, 2019
Gymshark is a well known gym brand that has become famous for it's squat proof leggings with high waist features that doesn't roll.
It was an honour to have Gymshark come in to our university whilst studying Contour Fashion and as part of our final year, the first project was to produce a garment for either client: Gymshark or Coco De Mer.
I chose Gymshark as I had never produced a garment within the gym apparel industry and I thought this would be a good opportunity to expand my skills into different areas within the contour fashion industry. I also felt I had more creative freedom when it came to creating gym-wear as it allowed me to experiment with print design.
I had a very specific idea of what I wanted to create, which was an all-in-one jumpsuit (without fastenings), that offered support but also ease of wear.
I received very positive feedback from the client for the design and it sparked my passion for print design. If you would like to view this project further, please click the image.
Costume/Making Work Experience
Vanessa Coupe Costumes, Costume Work Placement, August 2021
As part of my Master's in Costume making, we needed to take part in a placement within the costume industry. Therefore, I had the pleasure of completing my placement with Vanessa Coupe, who is a local costume maker who has worked on a variety of costumes, most recently the West End stage production "Six" and the award winning series "Poldark".
My placement with Vanessa Coupe was mainly focused on the reconstruction of a past costume for the Lapland UK production, that takes place in London.
I also helped with preparation work for the West End performance "Six". For further information, click the image.
Zoe Hybrid Car Advertisement, University Collaboration, 2018
Whilst studying at DeMontfort University, I started to see my creativity veer towards the free and unrestrictive: Costume.
I made friends with a media production student and as part of her course, she wanted to shoot a car advertisement for the Zoe Hybrid car. She wanted to create a woodland theme and create an out of place character, caught up in the rush of modern life.
The character was described as something of a fairy/pixie nature and Karolina wanted something free-flowing, mesmerising, whilst also keeping in with the woodland colour palette.
The video is the finished piece (I do not own the copyright to the video, just the costume construction).
For further information regarding Costume Construction, Please visit my portfolio for costume by clicking the button to the right.
Adobe CC Skills
Illustrator 2016-Present
Used Illustrator for tech drawing of a variety of garments, made a variety of prints, ability to create repeat swatch prints and placement prints, exporting to a high quality output to ensure high quality of print, colour up illustrations, variety of free-hand and image tracing techniques, ability to digitise from a hand drawn illustration or adapt given templates, creating colour palettes and mood-boards and ability to produce a variety of graphics.
Photoshop 2016-Present
Have used Photoshop for picture re-touching, enhancing resolution and colour, creating mood boards, generating colour palettes, use of Pantones to assure accuracy in design, importing in Illustrator files for print development and generating presentation boards.
InDesign 2018-Present
Have used InDesign for all professional documentation, use of the software in portfolio, digital sketchbooks, client profiling, tech files, have also used the "Publish Online" feature to generate HTML coding that can be integrated into websites/online portfolios.
Premiere Pro/Premiere Rush 2020-Present
Whilst studying my Master's at LIPA (Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts), I used a blog to document my work and also created a video log (vlog) of the progression of the project/garments, have experience editing videos: including adding graphics, transitions and enhancing audio.
Lightroom 2021-Present
Use of Lightroom to store images and organise them to be embedded on to portfolio albums.
Other Skills
Modaris:
Used Modaris 2D in university for development and grading of garments. Strong use of mathematics and calculations to ensure accuracy and fit.
Microsoft Office:
Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, Publisher & Access. Microsoft Office software used in everyday use. Microsoft Access was introduced to me recently when working for Energy Project Plus as we used it for logging of information and records.
Interpersonal Skills
Excellent Telephone Manner
Motivated and ambitious
Hard-working
Organised
Experience working with a variety of customers, colleagues and leadership teams
Trustworthy
Education
Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts
MA Costume Making (Distinction)
DeMontfort University
BA Contour Fashion (Hons)
Liverpool Community College
AS Level - English Literature (Grade C)
Upton Hall Grammar School
3 A-Level Qualifications: Graded C
13 GCSE Qualifications: Graded A-C
Other Qualifications
One to One Professional Corsetry
Basic Fascinator Making
Advanced Fascinator Making
British Sign Language (BSL) (Part 1) Level 1
Other Employment
Call Agent for Energy Project Plus
(October 2021 - March 2022)
Energy Project Plus is a charity that is based on the Wirral to help support people in need who are in need of fuel debt support or help with heating their home.
I dealt with applications for the Warm Home Discount which is the payment of £140 that can be claimed from energy suppliers to help support people in need.
During this role, I was the first person that people interact with upon dealing with the charity and therefore dealt with all incoming enquiries and ensured they where passed to the appropriate team or dealt with through first call resolution.
Through this job, I have learnt to multi-task, deal with difficult clients, offer support and sympathy to people in financial need, use various databases and referral forms to ensure a smooth transition through the relevant departments, dealing with fraudulent claims, voicemail downloads, call backs and organisation/administration of client information.
Call Agent for John Lewis, The Contact Company
(October 2019 - January 2022)
The Contact Company is a company that specialises in outsourcing customer service for companies such as John Lewis etc. They provide a call centre for companies who need to expand their customer service.During my time working here, I worked on the John Lewis campaign. By the time I left the Contact Company, I was one of the longest employed staff on the campaign. I have learnt about business structure, various software to assist with customer enquiries, complaints procedures, customer service, collaborating with various departments to ensure the smoothest customer journey.
I won various staff incentives during my time there for excellent performance and interpersonal skill. I was one of the highest performing in "First Call Resolution" which focuses on resolving the query for the client upon first contact.
Before I was set up with working from home, I was promoted to a senior advisor that was referred to as a "Floor-walker", that walks the live floors and offers assistance to call agents.
I left this job due to being employed full time and also working within this vocation part time.