As part of our ‘In Conversations with:’ series this season, we sat down with our in-house Junior Womenswear Designer, Georgia, to learn more about her role, inspirations and the best bits about her job.
So, grab a cup of tea and get scrolling to read more...
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your position here at French Connection...
I’m Georgia, the Junior Womenswear Designer here at French Connection, working on the softs category. I graduated from Northumbria University back in 2021 and then started my first role at French Connection as a Design Assistant. Whilst I was studying at university, I did an internship at French Connection, so I was so happy to come back and join the team officially.
What does a typical day look like for you at French Connection?
Each day can be different, but I always start with a cup of tea and reading through emails, setting goals for the day, and checking to see if there’s any new samples that have arrived from suppliers. I also mentor the design interns, so my morning can be taken up delegating and setting tasks for the week ahead.
Designing is such a collaborative experience, and it takes a village of people to make sure everything turns out perfect. We always have constant communication with our Pattern Room, Production Team and Buyers to ensure the season runs as smoothly as possible.
At the moment we are working on AW24, meaning every moment can be different from researching emerging trends, looking at new fabrics and working with the rest of the design team to plan the range – it's all go go go!
What's the best part of your working day?
The best part of my day is putting pen to paper, or iPad in my case, and making my ideas real. Working with the pattern room is an absolute dream, seeing my designs in real format before we send them out to the factories. This is when it really all starts to feel as if a season is coming together.
What is your biggest inspiration as a designer?
My biggest inspiration as a designer are the women who wear our clothes. I want to design styles that people love to wear, that they want to wear and feel great in when they do so. Our wardrobes have such a power to change the way we feel, and I think as designers the most important thing we can do is think about how someone feels when they wear our styles - is it comfortable, does it sit right, do you feel confident? We want to make sense of it for the customer, so she doesn’t have to think.
What do you love most about working at French Connection?
The people I work with! The design team is such a family here and we really support each other, and this really shows it products we create. Having a great support system makes the work so much easier and so much fun to do. The knowledge of the people around me motivates me to keep pushing myself to learn more and become a better designer.
Any advice for anyone looking to start a career in fashion, production or design.
My advice for someone wanting to start a career in fashion is work hard and show how much you love it. Having a natural enthusiasm for what you are doing every day and wanting to learn more and be better makes you stand out from the rest. Working in fashion means you are always on the go and busy, but if you love it and find the good even in the moments when it’s hard, it can be so rewarding.
