V I R G I N IA W I L L IA M S E: vac.williams@gmail.com
(UK) : 07800989224
A: Flat 10 Old School Court, Drapers Road, London N17 6LY
E D U CAT I O N Sept 2007 - July 2011 PDDFI: Footwear BA (Hons) - London College of Fashion Graduated with First Class Honours Degree
Sept 2005 - June 2007 BTEC National Diploma - Fashion and Clothing - Oxford and Cherwell Valley College Grade - Distinction Distinction Merit
E M P L OY M E NT November 2012 - Current Dune Black and Pied a Terre (The Dune Group) Women’s Junior Footwear Designer
Working closely with the buying director to launch the new brand Dune Black, a more premium, edgy, European sourced collection, with leather uppers/linings and soles, following on from the more classic Pied a Terre. Main responsibilities: Creating relevant and commercial design work, carrying out thorough research using a variety of different sources to compile brand appropriate trend analysis and presentations. Creating detailed spec. sheets, regular visits to the stores and reviews of sales figures to increase understanding of the consumer. Visiting trade shows to work with suppliers and build relationships. Also have versatitilty to be able to work on all different brands within The Dune Group and work closely with the whole design team in all different aspects of the role as a designer. August 2011 - November 2012 Zara (Tempe, Inditex Group) Women’s Footwear and Accessories Designer
Working in both the accessory design team, and the shoe design team for Zara Basic. Main responsibilities: Women's footwear, accessories, print, hardware and component design, research, trend analysis, communicating with factories in China, India and Spain, sourcing and organising leather and PU, meeting with suppliers, producing detailed spec. sheets for manufacture, modifying initial samples, and visual merchandising products for presentations. August 2010 - June 2011 P/T Michael Lewis London Footwear Design Assistant
Worked closely alongside Michael on his own footwear collection and on the footwear collections of clients below: Versace Tom Ford Jaeger London L.K. Bennett Loewe Luella
Main responsibilities: Design, drawing up sketches, colourups, product development, research, creating spec. sheets, liaising with buyers and clients, creating line sheets, organising shipping, making press books, presenting collections at London and Paris Fashion weeks.
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E M P L OY M E NT C O NT I N U E D March 2009 - July 2010 Office - Shoe shop Sales Assistant
March 2008 - Sept 2008 Lulu Smith - Independent Shoe Shop Sales Assistant
EXPERIENCE July 2009 - July 2010 Michael Lewis London Design Internship October 2008 - May 2009 Kitty Cooper Footwear Design Assistant July 2006 Christian Louboutin Internship
SKILLS Design
Adept hand drawing skills, Illustrator based work, spec. sheets, range plans, colour-ups and renderings. Ability to interpret trends into commercial products.
Research
Proficient researcher, utilising wide range of blogs, books, journals, magazines, and trend analysis websites. Able to create effective concept, colour and consumer boards.
CAD
Experienced using Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, and Powerpoint to enhance research and designs. Also have basic training using 3D footwear design software.
Construction
Confident making skills in hand and machine sewing, pattern cutting, fabric & leather enhancement, prototype & detail construction.
Sales & Communication
Confident liaising with factories, suppliers and sales teams, taking orders and engaging with prospective clients and factories in a professional and knowledgeable manner.
A C H I EV E M E NT S - Completed the course ‘Introduction to International Trade’ - HM Revenue & Customs - Course representative for final year - jointly organised independent end of year exhibition for all graduating students. - Volunteer at RE: Fashion Ethical Awards 2009
LA N G UA G E S English (Fluent) Spanish (Intermediate) REFERENCES UPON REQUEST
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