Bonnie Bowley

Reporting to the Senior Head of Design. • I have lead the design and development across Blouses (woven), Skirts (woven and jersey), Dresses & One Pieces (woven and jersey), aligning with Urban Outfitters’ innovative, youthful, trend led handwriting. Ensuring all sensibilities are covered within the department. • Confidently identify and present seasonal garment, colour, and print direction trends to Head of Design and upper management, ensuring we are first to market with emerging trends, and well established in core commercial messages. • Collaborate cross-functionally with Design and Buying teams, to ensure cohesive product offerings, limiting cross over between other departments, and reacting swiftly to positive trade figures to seize potential opportunities. • Work closely with our suppliers based in; the UK, India, Turkey, East Asia, and Mauritius. Tasking them to source fabrics, manage sampling timelines, sending clear tech packs and sample garments to ensure correct design interpretation is achieved. • Oversee fittings, ensuring the correct, fit, proportion, and functionalities are met, sealing all designs in their best iteration for commercial success. • Lead and motivate the Assistant Softs Designer, developing their skills by setting research, sketching, sourcing, and tech packing tasks, giving direction at each stage. • Initiate travel within London and across Europe for inspiration shopping, sharing my findings with the wider company. • Organise face to face meetings with UK suppliers at regular intervals throughout the year.

• Reporting to the Creative Director, I lead the design development of RTW across multiple categories; blouses, jersey, dresses, bottoms, outerwear and knitwear. • Delivering designs which are in keeping with the brand’s DNA, whilst taking the opportunity to develop new products. • Thoroughly researching concept and garment inspirations, based on the Creative Director’s theme, via online sources, print archives, and vintage references, to develop fresh and innovative sketches and CADs • Collaborating with the CD to decide the seasonal colourways and print designs, and subsequently instructing the Print Designer • Working with the Product Development team to oversee launch of trials, fabric sourcing, and delivering to the critical path deadlines • Participate in all design meetings, fittings, and production reviews, to ensure harmonious design and fit across the collection

• Working with the Creative Directors at Charlotte Knowles, I was responsible for sourcing new materials, delivering tech packs, and dealing with manufacturers. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS • Using my network, I introduced Charlotte to a new agent in Portugal to expand their factory base for their jersey garments, and potential future accessories and footwear.

• Working directly under Ashley Williams, I lead the development of each new season, contributing to design within print and jewellery • Responsible for researching and developing concepts within accessories and jewellery, such as Ashley’s AW20 sheepskin handbag, where I; presented different shapes, submitted design proposals, developed the mock ups, and sourced the hardware to conclude the final design. • Assisting Ashley with finalising print designs, making them repeatable, sizing up/down, and retouching. • Building strong relationships with suppliers and manufacturers based in the UK, Europe, and Asia to source the required materials, and deliver the samples with tight deadlines. • Proactive in navigating supplier issues and delays to avoid negative impacts on sampling deadlines. • Hiring and managing a team of interns, who learn about design, product development, and production with relevant tasks. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS • I have streamlined the process from sampling to production, by introducing thorough tech packs, finalised technical drawings for sales and production, and oversee a complete handover to the production manager of all relevant information per season. • I sourced a new bag manufacturer within Europe, which facilitated better cost pricing and wider range of handbag styles.

• Working with stylists to design, pattern cut, and sew custom looks for their musician clients, including Fred Again, Anna Calvi, and Sampha.

• A personal project where I develop womenswear and jewellery pieces, and sell directly to customers. • I utilise my pattern cutting, sewing, and sourcing skills to develop capsule collections based on themes of modern and antiquated femininity. I recently expanded my skill set taking part in a short course to learn about Lost Wax Casting, to create silver jewellery, which led to my pieces being worn by Celeste.

Assisting Claire in producing her first Xtreme Sports collection in house, with responsibilities including; sourcing materials, working with external teams to produce the garments, assisting on photoshoot and set up of the launch event.

• Reporting to the Creative Directors, understanding their creative vision to develop each collection and exclusive projects • Presented developed designs through sketching, draping, mock ups across multi product categories; wovens, jersey, knitwear • Provided strong research via libraries, magazines, online archives, market research, vintage garments • Working closely with pattern cutters and garment techs to ensure the fit, silhouette, and finishings were accurate to the designs • Attended all design and fit meetings with Design & Development teams, ensuring all styles were accurately made from toile through to SMS. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS • Through my 3D development work on the stand, I designed a best selling t-shirt, which continues to be sold today, and other garments which were continued into future seasons, also featured on celebrities like Rihanna.

NEW YORK, USA Assisting the Womenswear RTW Design team in the development of the Resort and Pre-Fall collections. Sourcing colour references, visiting libraries to source visual inspiration, and drawing the CADs for the full collection to be used across company wide documents.