Oliver Bonas - London, UK
Senior Home & Gift Designer - FTC June 2022 - Present
White Stuff Homeware - London, UK
Homeware & Lifestyle Designer - June 2021 - May 2022
- Designing the Kitchen + Dine, Gifting, Fragrance, and Home Textiles assortment
- Creating the artwork and print stories for seasonal homeware range
- Designing packaging and graphics for product
- Creating the design led critical path
- Briefing and technical spec’s across the entire product range
- Collaborating with UK businesses the Archvisit Gallery and Fikkerts to support giftable developments
- Working with UK and international suppliers based in India, China, and Europe
- Introducing new products within the home assortment, and working with international suppliers to generate unique brand-driven designs
- Balancing multi-seasonal workload
- Working on amendments alongside new developments
- Managing sample strike off’s
- Presenting designs and development to wider teams and departments
UK Greetings - London, UK
Freelance Artist and Textile Designer - November 2020 - Present
- Generating original hand painted Artwork and Textile Developments for Paperchase and Sainsbury's seasonal greetings team
- Creating hand-painted designs, using a range of mediums including gouache, watercolour and acrylic paints
- Creating bespoke hand embroidered collections, focusing on floral motifs and a refined colour pallet
- Designing mixed media product to use within the gifting product
- Generating placement prints in addition to repeat layouts from hand painted artworks
- Adapting hand painted designs into CAD layouts, through use of the Adobe Suite to create industry-standard designs
Marks & Spencer Home - London, UK
Home Textiles Freelance Artist and Textile Print Designer - May 2021
Creating a hand painted artwork story for a repeating toile design. Creating a hand painted artwork used within a placement print for the home textile assortment
Anna Howlett Textile Consultancy
Freelance Artist and Textile Print Designer - Feb 2021
Creating bespoke artwork through traditional silk screen open mesh print process. Artworks are evolved, adapted, and developed into repeat prints through the use of CAD design, suitable for industry standard suppliers and fabric by the meter printing
John Lewis & Partners - London, UK
Assistant Textiles Designer - FTC Maternity Cover - March 2020 - December 2020
My experience on the Home Textile Design team enabled me to generate original hand-painted artworks and textile developments for SS21, AW21 + SS22 home product, specialising in Wallpaper, Ready Made Curtains, Furnishing Fabrics, and Upholstery. In addition to the textile developments, I worked on the artwork stories used across Cook and Dine, Bedding, Pillows, and Rugs.
Working through CAD, using Photoshop, Illustrator and being trained in NED Graphics, I was able to create industry-standard repeats and placement prints as well as separations for print and textile execution. Working on the SS22 archive collection was a great opportunity to work closely with the heritage designs of the brand dating back to 1799.
My experience on the textile team led to my AW21 seasonal artwork story being adopted across the entire textile and cook and dine product assortment, which was a highlight upon working with the brand.
Preparing and managing the buying and design critical path for my product category ownership presented a great responsibility within my role. Preparing as well as managing industry-standard briefs across three seasons, approving sample strike-offs, and working with UK/ EU and international suppliers.Working with the brand during COVID 19, led to presenting and delivering ideas successfully over VC to wider design team and buyers.
Anthropologie Home - Philadelphia PA, USA
Assistant Textile Designer - November 2017 - December 2019
Generating original hand painted artworks and CAD designs used in products across the textile department. This includes, bedding, pillows, rugs, throws, bath, upholstery, kids, holiday and outdoors. My artwork stories have been used across the home department, including hard goods, table top, stationary and gifting product.
Alongside generating artwork, I incorporate manipulated surfaces, including knitted, woven, embroidered and embellished techniques into product to maintain the unique brand aesthetic.
Working closely with senior designers, my responsibilities include consistent trend and market research, presenting product and concept ideas to co-workers and the CCO. Concept ideas that I developed have been adopted by the concept team and contributed to drive seasonal trends.
I manage my own briefs and workload, from sketch designs to final product across four seasons of design. This includes preparation of briefs for factories and approving sample strike offs.
Royal College of Art
Masters in Textiles September 2015 - June 2017
I continued to specialise in hand print and dye process throughout my two years at the Royal College of Art, creating an entirely hand crafted collection inspired from a trip to Iceland. The unpredictable landscapes and surroundings inspired me to focus on open mesh print techniques which resulted in organic mark making. Through the combination of print and mixed media application, each piece was entirely unique.
Haberdashers Award
The Royal College of Art - May 2016
Awarded third prize for presentation and display of my first year concept and textile outcomes
Dyer's Company Colour Award
The Royal College of Art - May 2016
Selected as a finalist for the dyers award. An opportunity to display the best use of colour experimentation and dye skills.
University of Essex
BA (Hons) Fashion and Textiles- September 2012 - June 2015
A bachelor degree in Fashion and Textile Design, working on projects throughout the three years of study that challenged pattern cutting skills and hand print as well as dye processes. The final major project, Yanagi, combined both skills to execute an entirely hand printed and dyed fashion collection. The coat featured in this had 20 hand printed and hand sewn panels to construct, as well as a hand knitted sweater. My work was exhibited in the final shows including New Designers and Graduate Fashion Week 2015.