Welcome back to People who do things and today we have a very exciting interview with Yasmin, a Junior Menswear Designer at Noose and Monkey, who secured her sought after job by using her initiative and asking for what she wanted, keep reading to find out more....
Did you study to get this job? If so where? Yes, straight from school I attended The Fashion Retail Academy for 3 years and studied a BTEC in Fashion Design. I then went onto study BA(hons) in Fashion Design at Nottingham Trent University, although at both of these places I studied womenswear.
What's been your career path so far to get to this role? After graduating I became a personal shopper in Topman, Oxford Circus, which is where I was introduced to menswear. A brand that I often chose for my clients whilst working there was a tailoring brand called Noose & Monkey as I loved their style, so much so that I emailed them my portfolio and CV in hope of a job. I didn't actually expect to hear back from them as they weren't even advertising a job, but I just thought I'd give it a shot! But they did get back to me and offered me an internship and then they gave me the job as a Junior Designer!
Wow, that's fantastic! Do you have any advice for any other 20 something year olds if they want to follow in your footsteps and gain a designer role? Don't wait for companies to advertise jobs, just send them your work because you never know when they need an extra hand, it paid off for me! Also, try and work for a brand that you have an understanding of as you'll be spending more time at work than at home, so you have to be passionate about what you're doing and who you're working for.
What does your day to day life at work look like? I think people assume that being a designer means you purely sit and draw designs, however that's not the case. You're involved in all areas of the production line. There's a lot of CAD work (Photoshop and Illustrator), talking to factories and mills to ensure that samples and collections in production are running smoothly, a copious amount of meetings, regular visits to your suppliers and you'll always do all of this with a messy desk covered in fabric swatches!
Is there anything about your job that you don't enjoy or struggle with? Sometimes the workload can get too much and the next thing you know you're working 70 hours a week. It's very tough and incredible demanding but you just have to remember there's only so much you can do.
Is there a brand you'd like to design for? Or a designer you aspire to? There's a brand called I.AM.GIA which I am obsessed with. It's exactly the things I would design if I opened my own brand. I also love the idea of being a personal designer for a singer or group eg like Little Mix as I love their stage wardrobe, it's provocative but edgy.
That would be amazing to work as a designer or stylist for a band, however, if you weren't a Fashion Designer what do you think you'd be doing? Well, as someone with a fair few tattoos it's only right to say a tattoo artist! I do also draw a lot of tattoo designs in my spare time as it's a huge passion of mine.
What's your side hustle? In my (very rare) spare time I like to unwind in the calmest environment possible. I'm a member of the National Trust so I regularly visit stately homes and gardens outside of London. I also really enjoy going to galleries, exhibitions and drawing.
That sounds like an ideal way to unwind! And the question we all want to know the answer of, what are the perks of the job?! I often get coats and trousers samples and my brothers get suited and booted every season! Travelling abroad is also a great perk. I love that everything I personally design is actually sold in the shops, I am given free reign to design and I love that the company has so much trust in me, that is the best reward.
A massive thank you to Yasmin for taking the time to share her role as a designer, I hope you found this interesting as I definitely did! Keep tuned for lots more interviews, I shall be posting a new 'people who do things' every other Sunday, so the next one will be posted on Sunday July 29th.
If you're in a job that you love make sure to DM me on Instagram @greatestformofflatteryblog and I can feature you!
KEEP SMILING
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