Lead Designer - Footwear (3 days per week, 9 month FTC)

Vivienne Westwood is one of the most iconic British fashion brands, renowned for its heritage, innovative design, and commitment to culture and activism. We care deeply about our people and the environment, and our core values — Gaia, Quality not Quantity, Activism, Culture & Heritage — guide us daily. If you share our passion for creativity, sustainability, and innovation, we’d love to hear from you.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

We are excited to offer an opportunity for a Lead Designer - Footwear to join our Design team as maternity cover on a 9-month fixed-term contract, starting in October. This role will be based in our Elcho Street office and will be a three-day-per-week position.

The role takes ownership of footwear design delivery from initial concept through to final product, ensuring alignment with creative direction, commercial objectives and brand standards.
Working closely with the Head of Design and Design Director, the role plays a key part in shaping and translating seasonal creative direction into cohesive, innovative and commercially successful footwear collections.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Design & Creative Execution:

• Lead the design and development of Footwear collections across Men's and Women's categories, taking ownership from initial concept through to final product, in line with seasonal creative direction as communicated by the Design Director.

• Develop and deliver strong design concepts, sketches, mock-ups and technical specifications suitable for sampling and production, maintaining high standards of creativity, technical accuracy and brand consistency.

• Ensure all designs meet required creative, technical, quality and brand standards prior to submission.

• Drive consistency and cohesion across all Footwear categories, supporting clear seasonal storytelling and aligned collection output.

• Lead in-depth research for Footwear collections, drawing on the Vivienne Westwood archive, heritage, global trends, materials and competitor analysis.

• Develop seasonal concepts, mood boards and narratives to support footwear design direction.

• Contribute to range planning in collaboration with Merchandising, ensuring collections are balanced, commercially relevant and aligned with seasonal briefs.

• Prepare and present commercial and technical presentations (including Photoshop visuals, commentary, proto-retouching, layouts and technical documentation), communicating design concepts and final developments to Directors and internal teams.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Act as the lead point of contact for Footwear within the Accessories Design team, providing expertise, feedback and support throughout the design and development process.

• Support and lead prioritisation and workflow across the team, contributing to the effective delivery of seasonal deadlines and evolving business needs.

• Play an active role in improving design processes, templates and ways of working to drive efficiency, clarity and consistency across the team.

• Lead special projects, collaborations and show-related footwear design projects as required.

• Undertake any other ad hoc tasks as required.

Please note this is not an exhaustive list of duties and you may be required to perform additional duties to fulfil the requirements of the role.

PROFILE & KEY SKILLS:

• Advanced design skills including hand sketching, CAD, CLO 3D, Adobe Creative Suite and technical specification development, particularly in relation to footwear.

• Strong technical knowledge of footwear construction, materials and production processes.

• High levels of attention to detail and accuracy across all stages of the design process.

• Strong understanding of the full design and development lifecycle, from concept through to final delivery.

• Proven ability to contribute to and shape creative direction, delivering innovative, brand-aligned and commercially successful products.

• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, priorities and deadlines within fast-paced seasonal timelines.

• Confident communicator, able to present design concepts and developments to internal stakeholders.

• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and international teams, supporting alignment, problem-solving and efficient delivery.

BENEFITS:

• Staff discounts

• Health & Wellbeing support (includes Private Medical Health Insurance, EAP, Gym Discounts, Access to Financial Planning Service, etc.)

• Perkbox Discounts and Wellness Hub

• Cycle to work scheme

• Generous annual leave allowance

• Pension Scheme

• Training and hands-on experience

• Opportunities to build new skills and gain valuable industry knowledge

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis, so we recommend applying early to avoid missing out.

Vivienne Westwood is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by local government laws.