Junior Accessories Designer

River Island is looking for a Junior Accessories Designer to join the team in London.

Our Design Team deliver stand-out, affordable fashion with the unique style and touches that underpin the River Island handwriting. As a Junior Designer, you’ll start to influence the direction for your categories, and will be accountable for full development cycle of products for inclusion in the final ranges, that represent key trends and drive commercial results.

Key Accountabilities of the Junior Accessories Designer:

• Develop product from concept to completion that represents key trends and commercial opportunities
• Through sound understanding of fabric, engineering, fit and quality, produce designs to a high technical standard, and high first sample hit rate, for the level of the market
• Through broad market and customer awareness and research, and a thorough understanding of the River Island brand, input ideas to influence Product Development discussions that address key trends and opportunities
• Start to show an understanding of sales history, sales and margin targets and range plans for your own area of accountability to ensure designs are aligned to deliver on commercial opportunities
• Starting to develop relationships and collaborate with Buying counterparts, suppliers and fabric mills, identifying opportunities for newness

What River Island is looking for:

• Experience as an Assistant Designer or equivalent
• Qualifications or studies relevant to Design
• Able to provide a portfolio of Design work
• Advanced Illustrator and Photoshop skills
• Advanced Product Development skills
• Strong technical and creative design skills
• Strong organisational skills
• Strong verbal communication skills
• Foundational commercial awareness
• Strong interpersonal effectiveness and self-awareness
• Foundational network in the market and industry
• Self-starter, curious and continuous learning mindset
• Action-oriented
• Adaptable
• Resilient
• Passion for RI brand and customer

About Us

We’re a much-loved brand with an exciting future. Our Islanders are a diverse bunch of bright, talented people who love working together – and are proud of the work they do. Progression here can take you in all kinds of directions. This is what a career at River Island is like. And this is where yours starts.

This role is based at our Head Office in West London.

What River Island offers:

• Generous 50% staff discount so you can treat yourself to the latest products, and a bargain staff shop on site!
• Reducing Islanders everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more through Reward Gateway!
• A free onsite gym, subsidised restaurant & café to fill you needs. Various social events to socialise throughout the year.
• Every family is unique, we support Islanders with all different family setups enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption & fertility treatment. We also work closely with the Retail Trust to create dedicated support for all our Islanders!
• Flexible working is a given, on top of payday and summer early finish Fridays.
• Give as you earn scheme, a ‘Giver Island’ day each year and receive matched funding.
• Support with upskilling through on the job training and qualifications. A succession plan if you want to progress.
• A generous bonus scheme & private pension plan.
• The choice to opt in for healthcare through our provider AXA.
• 25 days paid holiday, exclusive of Bank Holidays. With the added option to purchase additional holiday twice a year for whatever the need!

Keeping You Safe

At River Island we are committed to the safeguarding of all of our employees regardless of age or job role. We will fulfil our obligation under the Prevent duty which seeks to stop extremism and extremist views from materialising in our business. We promote and encourage the belief in British Values- including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

Our Island is made up of a diverse community, where we all belong and feel part of something bigger. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles unless operational requirements prevent otherwise. To find out more about this interview process, check out our hiring process below.