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Open to Permanent
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Karisma Nanavati

Footwear Designer
Portfolio website
About

As a product designer specialising in Footwear and Accessory Design, I have gained extensive skills in high street retail footwear design, product development, and trend forecasting. My academic achievements include graduating in MA Design Innovation from De Montfort University with a Distinction and being a finalist for the Drapers Awards 23. I am currently seeking junior positions in design, buying and product development. At present, I have a Graduate Route visa which entitles me to work in the UK until 2025.

Previous Brands
Global Licensing
De Montfort University
LOVE RED LABEL LIMITED
Trent Ltd
Gush Shoes and Accessories
Tiesta Shoes
Work Experience
Footwear and Accessories Designer
Jan ‘25 -
Global Licensing

- Designing kids' footwear & accessories for UK retailers - Working on briefs, CADs, technical packs and trend boards - Attending design meetings and presenting concept pitches - Developing samples and liaising with overseas factories - Working on Critical Path

Junior Designer
Nov ‘23 -
Global Licensing

Public Enagagement and Creative Assistant
Feb ‘23 - Dec ‘23
De Montfort University

Fashion Office Assistant
Aug ‘22 - Dec ‘22
LOVE RED LABEL LIMITED

- A part time role in assisting the Design, Merchandising and Accounting teams in day-to-day activities for a smooth workflow - Sketching garments for design department's pattern marking - Sample checking, packing and mailing to different clients - Creating bills and invoices using Quickbooks - Giving fabric orders to factories in the East for production - Keeping track of incoming orders and pending shipments

Student Leader - Engagement Associate
Mar ‘22 - Jul ‘22
De Montfort University

- Working with a team of passionate leaders to help co-create and enhance the student experience at DMU. - Designing communication strategies and events for current and prospective students

Junior Footwear Designer
Aug ‘21 - Jan ‘22
Trent Ltd

- Range building with buyers to design footwear for men, women, and kids' brands and ensure that the brand's value was kept - Spearheaded the 'Artisanal Collection' for Women's range with detailed market research, trend forecasting, embroidery, and color study - Re-designing Artisanal Collection Product tags with sustainable materials that reduce costs - Designed graphics for Men's various open and closed footwear categories - Formulating Trend and Colour forecasting with leading tools like WGSN and Pantone books - Worked on detailed technical packs to communicate product concept, final sketch, colorways and material choices - Building and maintaining vendor relations while overseeing sampling for the department - Working with buying team to understand best and worst seller analysis, conduct market research and competitor analysis

Footwear Design Trainee
Aug ‘19 - Aug ‘21
Trent Ltd

- Initially started working with Trent Ltd. as an Intern for my final year of Graduation studies - Promoted to the full-time role of the team's first Design Trainee for Men's, Women's and Kid's categories - Learnt the basics of Footwear Designing for the Indian Retail market, including understanding commercial trends, best/worst seller analysis, re-inventing repeats and more. - Designed Trend, Mood, Colour and Material boards for a SS19, AW19 and SS20 - Worked on hand-illustrated sketches, doodles, and graphics for open and closed footwear for all brands - Designed tech packs for vendors in India and China - Working closely with Indian vendors and artisans to build a new sub-brand under the women's footwear category - Artisanal Collection.

Footwear Design Intern
Jan ‘18 - Feb ‘18
Gush Shoes and Accessories

- Designing graphics, and GIFs as a part of the social media activity - Designed Gush Lookbook 2018

Graphic Designing Intern
Jun ‘17 - Jul ‘17
Tiesta Shoes

- Designing customized shoes for clients - Creating graphics posters for social media - Working on set design and photoshoots of new collections

Languages
English
Education & Training
De Montfort University
‘22 - ‘23
Master of Arts
National Institute of Fashion Technology
‘15 - ‘19
Bachelor of Design
London, UK