Throughout my career, I have worked on a diverse range of collections, from light jerseys to heavyweight tweeds. My experience includes working on both men's and women's collections, with a focus on modern body shapes and fit. I have had the opportunity to work with renowned brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Carhartt, building style and garment archives for them. In addition to my design skills, I have also developed new cutting/design/cloth processes and researched vintage patterns to create heritage-based cloths. I have a strong understanding of fabric development and sourcing, having worked with suppliers in the EU, USA, and Japan. Furthermore, I have managed design teams both in Japan and the USA, showcasing my leadership abilities)
ARN Mercantile is a design/tailoring lead agency/brand, developing ‘own brands’ for outside clients. The focus is on sustainability, reduced waste, 3D design and cutting, fit, and developing a product aimed towards a mid-range/High-end fashion buyer, both men’s and women’s. ARN is a continuation of the ‘Tool Project’ we originally started at Kato, the wearing being part of the process, fit and movement are key elements, we reworked all our co-labs and production to improve fit. As well as our label, we worked with large companies designing/developing products, cutting patterns and garments for Levi's (main line and heritage), Ships, JS Homestead, Nigel Cabourn, Massimo Osti (Bonneville and archive), Kato, Outer limits. The business is mainly aimed at the Asia markets with America and Europe as a secondary market. Duties included: Built the business from the ground up, one of the first total Sustainable eco brands in the Japanese market I took sketches of finished garments and made toile pieces and body adjustments. Working with sample production and full-scale wholesale production (local and offshore) Direct production method, to decrease time loss in production, thus increasing the profit margin Developing and matching the fabrics and trims to the process/garments Working with weavers and mills to build new processes to enable ‘eco’ standards to be exceeded. Cutting/designing a range of 80+ garments per season, cutting by hand the patterns, and developing grades both by hand and with Gerber systems.
Kato’ is a cross-gender denim company based in Kyoto, as well as its label. We worked with RRL, Polo, Denimes, 45RPM…etc., building denim and cotton collections with their in-house teams. Based in London and Kyoto, split with time between the Kyoto Office and London Showroom, my company (B&A) was bought by Kato EU Ltd in December 2001. Kato’s main business was denim with its label and developing and building ranges for main stores ( Beams, Jet Blue, Ships, JS, Isatan, F&E, RRL) as well as fabric development, at Kato we’re VERY hands-on I’ve been working closely with the weavers in developing new fabrics and processes. Duties included Designed Export collections and Production/Development, including fabric, trims & styling, and sales samples and the finished product runs. Re-blocked for fit-focused shapes, across the ranges (US, Japan, and EU) Rebuilding lightweight woven cloths, cotton, and fabric supply templates to reduce time and costs Thorough understanding of the pre-production and in-line production cycles, including time & action calendars, drop dead dates, and factory scheduling, allocation & costings. Pattern development and sample cutting (working on Gerber and Japanese systems)
Set up an agency to work with Japanese and American businesses within the niche denim and sportswear markets in the EU. Worked with Nike and Levi on short-run products and garments for the same market. Opened the US showroom and showcase on Savile Row.