Assistant Design Manager

Purpose of this Role: Own design concepts and seasonal direction, translating market trends and buyer requirements into commercially viable collections aligned with brand and export-customer expectations.

Responsibility

• Develop seasonal design direction, themes, colour stories, and silhouettes.
• Lead creation of buyer-focused collections aligned to target markets.
• Balance trend relevance, commerciality, and manufacturability.
• Collaborate with merchandising, sourcing, and production to ensure feasibility and margin alignment.
• Present collections internally and to buyers, and brief junior team members.
• Interpret global fashion trends for export markets and track consumer, competitor, and buyer feedback.
• Guide fabric, trim, and vendor selection with sourcing.

Personal Attributes

• Conceptual and creative, with a strong business orientation.
• A confident presenter and storyteller.
• Ownership-minded over the collection brief.
• Decisive, designing with a clear point of view.
• A supportive mentor to juniors.

Competencies

• Concept Development
• Commercial Acumen
• Design Leadership
• Buyer Presentation
• Trend Interpretation
• Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or diploma in Fashion or Textile Design from a recognised institute.
• 5-8 years of apparel design experience, preferably in export houses or high-volume manufacturing.

Technical Skills

• Advanced design visualisation and concept development.
• Deep understanding of fabrics, fits, and manufacturing constraints.
• Buyer presentation and range planning.