Louise Perkins-Chapman
Trainee Fashion Designer and
Design Admin Assistant
Phone:
07460893628
Email:
Location:
About Me
Passionate Trainee Designer and Design Admin Assistant based in Greater London. Proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite, Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, with a strong grasp of assisting design development, trend and market research, competitor analysis, customer research, technical specification drawings, print design and hand painting/drawing skills. I am a very organised person and detail-oriented designer. I bring valuable unique skills in creating QC reports, assisting sample development and fit sessions, participating in production meetings, consulting with clients and analysing marketing and sales statistics for design development.
I've accumulated four years of diverse creative experience throughout my roles and recently graduating in Fashion Design from Nottingham Trent University. I am eager to learn and contribute, I have a mind for problem-solving and introducing fresh ideas, recognised by previous managers as a key team member. I'm on a continuous journey of improvement, I love to explore and learn, always looking to ameliorate my design skills. I deeply appreciate the detailed touches and identities that make commercial designs successful. My design approach involves infusing personal narratives into my designs, drawing inspiration from my background, identity and experiences. Through bold prints, textures, fabrics, and vibrant colours the heart of my design style.
Work Experience
NK Group UK
Flight Athleisure
Worle High St
Weston - super -Mare
July 2022 - November 2023
B&Q
Serval UK Stores
Weston-super-mare
Nottingham Riverside
Bristol Cribbs Causeway
February 2020 - June 2022
Joules
Headoffice
Market Harborough
March 2020
Gino Cerruti London
Wembley
London
November 2023 - Present
Make Do And Mend
Worle High St
Weston-super-Mare
March 2018 - August 2018
Trainee Fashion Designer & Design Admin Assistant
I am currently a trainee fashion designer and design admin assistant at one of the leading formalwear suppliers in the UK, specialising in designing exclusive special occasion wear and manufacturing. I assist the design team on prom and evening dresses, bridesmaid dresses and mother-of-the-bride outfits. Creating mood boards, competitor research, customer profiles and trend research. I support design admin such as planning and participating in meetings, organising spec sheets and spreadsheets with design details, size charts, fabric specifications, Pantones and hex codes. Creating quality control reports, sample reviewing, sample management and fit sessions. I also assist with clients through telephone calls, showroom appointments and general assistance.
Design & Marketing Assistant
I worked as a design and marketing assistant at the biggest supplier, wholesaler and manufacturer in the South West of England, The NK Group, for school uniforms, workwear and sportswear. I started at the business as an industrial embroidery technician, operating the machines, and digitizing typography designs. I evolved to a remote hybrid position working alongside my final year studies assisting in design and social media content creation for their start-up sportswear brand Flight Athleisure. The business is a locally commended supplier of Teamwear for many local sports clubs, now expanding into their own brand of athleisure. After graduating I joined the team full-time and assisted in the design of the A/W range for 22/23 and the S/S 23 Collection. Creating colour palettes, design details, CAD specs, design ideas, mood boards and customer profiles. I also assisted with 1:1 uniform fitting appointments for schoolwear so I have a strong understanding of childrenswear fits and sizing.
Paint Mixer & Decorative Advisor
At B&Q I worked as an advisor within the decorative department, the role had a range of requirements including paint mixing to customer briefs, servicing paint machines and assisting customers with their interior design projects. During this role, I gained an influential amount of experience in colour, including colour theory, colour matching and colour psychology. I assisted in designing displays creating them accordingly to interior design trends, with prints, colours, lighting, and soft furnishings. This was a role I thoroughly enjoyed, I received several commendations and awards for colleague of the month, customer service and creativity. I worked at three of the most influential and largest UK stores while I was at the company.
Student Intern - A Weeks Work Experience
A week in the womenswear design and buying department. This really gave me a new insight into the industry. I learned the importance of communication, ensuring factories understand designs through adequate technical specifications. The processes behind this, the teams and the importance of their roles. This was shortly before the UK entered national lockdown for the pandemic, therefore the team began implementing precautions to ensure the brand was prepared for this. I learnt a lot from this week due to the complications of the coronavirus pandemic, such as contacting overseas factories, factoring in shipping lead times and planning company targets to reflect the crisis, prioritising and problem-solving.
Seamstress at Local Alterations shop
I gained practical work experience in pattern cutting, manufacture and alterations when I had the opportunity to work in a sewing and alterations shop, allowing me to work on customer design briefs and specifications. I acquired first-hand experience measuring customers, altering garments to a professional standard assisting customers with their design requirements in bridal and formal wear. I quickly learnt how to work under pressure whilst keeping to tight deadlines ensuring the customer is satisfied with the finished product.
Education
BA (Hons) Fashion Design
2:1 Graduate
Nottingham Trent University
2020-2023
During my studies, I learnt the importance of excellent organisational and time management skills as these are fundamental to meeting project deadlines. I recognise the need to be flexible in my approach to projects to adapt to changing environments and different consumer demands. Developing my research, presentation and writing skills to effectively build concepts, designs and projects. My design skills became more refined and resilient working with new techniques including 3D pattern-cutting and manufacturing, machinery and materials, developing adaptive design solutions and inclusive sizes. Whilst researching a wide range of markets, trend forecasting, and consumer understanding. With the opportunity to ameliorate my digital design and CAD skills through professional training in Illustrator, Photoshop, and Indesign creating technical specification drawings, manufacturing technical packs, layouts, graphics and prints.
A Level
2018-2020
Weston College Sixth Form
Weston-super-Mare
Art, Craft & Design: A
Fashion and Textiles: A*
Media Studies: A
Three creative A levels gave me the freedom to explore the possibilities of design and fashion. Within Art, craft, and design I had the chance to experiment with playful mediums and materials giving me a chance to refine my skills in drawing, painting and print. Within Media Studies I investigated the media industry, its structure, history, and links to the fashion industry. Expanding my theoretical knowledge of CAD and digital design skills such as layout, typography and editing. Fashion and textile design opened the door to a huge range of processes, techniques, practices, and history that make up the fashion industry today. Including pattern cutting, textile surface design, print and fabric manipulation. This mixture of subjects allowed me to expand and evolve as a creative, informing my current practice.
GCSE
2013-2018
Worle Community School Academy
Weston-super-Mare
Maths: 5
English Language: 5
English Literature: 6
Science: 4 - 5
Fine Art: 7
Design & Technology Textiles: A
French: 5
In my secondary education, my optional subjects were Fine Art, Design and Technology Textiles, and French, I always knew I wanted to be a designer so this was the start of my journey.