Marks and Spencer's Head designer for womenswear Nabina Legan and Head of Trends and Business Francessca Zedda entered the stage looking very stylish and elegant, ready to speak to an eager audience to discuss the process from concept to collection.
“We’re looking for passion. We’re living in a world that’s so driven by social media, but we still need creatives”.
Nabina Legan explains that the behind the brand is a team of strong creative minds that come together to produce an overall trend, and ultimately a seasonal collection. They use a process called DPS (Design Project Strategy), “It's like our Bible” says Legan. They source a vast amount of research from inspiration, catwalk trends, street style and exhibitions which all feeds their imagination and gets developed into the collections shape, colour and print.
The two went on to discuss the communication of their designs, “You need to have communication skills, be able to deliver it and believe in it!”.
All media platforms that cover the marketing for the collection need to flow as one, trends need to be carried through from store visual merchandising to editorial lookbooks and press packages. Francessca Zedda’s job is to create an identity for each new season's line up “Those images are there to inspire” she says, so it’s very important that they understand their clientele “What she’s looking for and how we can make that appealing for her”
“Fit and flatter, clothes that make you feel good. It's an intense job fitting the garments, and how to fit onto the body, were not just for size six model’s”.
Great inspiration for our young designers, giving them some top tips in making it into the commercial fashion world!
Words by Isabel Woodrow-Young