I am available to work on freelance brand consulting, creative direction, design, technical packs and pattern cutting projects. Experience in tailoring, soft separates,nightwear,lingerie,...Read moreI am available to work on freelance brand consulting, creative direction, design, technical packs and pattern cutting projects. Experience in tailoring, soft separates,nightwear,lingerie, eveningwear and special ocassion wear and costumes i.e stagewear, dancewear, wedding dresses. I work with any fabrics including: Silks,Wovens,jerseys and leather.
With an excellent attention to detail and available within a short notice I can also work from my fully equipped studio atelier where I can produce designs, patterns, toiles and samples for clients.
Area Covered: Brand Consultancy, Creative Direction i.e campaign,lookbooks,shows, Fashion design and product development. Pattern cutting,specs,moodboards,fittings,supplier & manufacturing liaison.
Work Experience
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Summary: I am an experienced multi -product designer and pattern cutter with an excellent attention to detail. Available for freelance jobs within a short notice I can also work from my London based fully equipped studio where I can produce samples and small runs for clients. Both tailoring, day wear and evening wear projects welcome as well as accessories. Apart from creating concepts and developing design ideas I can drape as well as flat cut and can provide technical spec packs for production if required.
Founder / Director
myfashioncircle
March 2013 – Present London, United Kingdom
Fashion Brand Building & Development
Services include:
-market research
-customer profiling
-trend forecasting
-mood boards
-creative direction & design development
-fabric & trim sourcing
-CAD specs, design packs for production
-pattern cutting
-toiling
-fittings
-sampling
-costings
-production
-photoshoot creative direction & production (including e-commerce, lookbook and campaign)
-marketing & promotion
Clientele includes premium womenswear brands, start-up designers as well as private commissions for special occasion wear and costumes for international performing artists.
Fashion Guest Lecturer
Architectural Association
February 2011 – Present (2 years 3 months)London, United Kingdom
I have been guest lecturing history of fashion & costume and garment construction for 2 academic years on the Foundation programme's project IT'S A WRAP which challenges the students to observe existing garments, document, analyse the human body, experiment and speculate with fabric and translate their research into wearable bespoke pieces while using all of their resources to visually communicate the qualities of their work from drawing, photography to film and performance.
Freelance Fashion Consultant
Freelance Fashion Consultant
September 2011 – February 2013 (1 year 6 months)London, United Kingdom
My services included customer profiling, moodboards, design, pattern cutting, fitting and sampling co-ordination.
Creative & Production Director
Oshun
March 2012 – September 2012 (7 months)London
Set to launch for Spring Summer 2013, Oshun is a new contemporary British womenswear fashion brand that encompasses style and quality for the discerning fashion-forward woman.
My role in the company included: define the customer profile along with all directors, prepare seasonal mood boards, design & develop a 55 piece collection including both daywear and evening wear (woven and jersey) and liaise with suppliers and manufacturers in order to produce the brand's showroom samples.
Fashion Lecturer, Art & Design Department
Morley College
September 2011 – August 2012 (1 year)London, United Kingdom
My role included planning, delivering, assessing and evaluating teaching and learning.Working with and teaching adults in an educational environment. I was committed to and able to demonstrate knowledge of health and safety and equality and diversity. I provided succinct explanations of design and clothes making and to initiate discussion with large groups of learners with the use and sustainability of appropriate teaching and learning methods, to communicate the subject and encourage learners from a range of backgrounds and communicate to progress in this subject area.
Job Title: Creative Director
Company: Romina Karamanea
Description: The Designer
After graduating from the prestigious Central Saint Martin’s College of
Art & Design with a post graduate degree in innovative pattern cutting,
Athens-born Romina Karamanea worked with leading designers such as
Clements Ribeiro, Robert Cary-Williams, and Preen before launching her
signature brand.
Romina Karamanea has been sponsored to exhibit her work at
On|Off London Fashion Week and the White show in Milan. During London
Fashion Week in September 2006, Romina's designs impressed style icons
like Isabella Blow (British Tatler, Vogue), Franca Sozanni (Italian
Vogue) and Cameron Silver (Decades, Dover Street Market) who
commissioned her work and gave great praise for her unique and
experimental approach. The entire first capsule collection was bought
by the Mecca for discovering new talent - Savile Row’s designer
boutique, B-store.
The Collection
Structure and texture are central in Romina's work and she is known for
her innovative cutting techniques, inspired by her love of architecture
and human anatomy. Her garments are highly seductive with an inspired
mix of sensual fabrics and strict lines, redefining geometry and shape.
The silhouettes are partly fluid, partly structured with fine detail and
it is imperative that the garments aspire to versatility and function.
News
Romina Karamanea was recently chosen to be included in three
international design books that cover contemporary design such as 100
NEW DESIGNERS by Lawrence King, sponsored by Diesel. Romina and her team have produced a short film, requested by the ground - breaking fashion photographer Nick Knight, (www.SHOWSTUDIO.com) which
encapsulates the brand’s aesthetic.
The brand has been featured in several prestigious publications
including Vogue,Marie Claire, Financial Times, LA Times, WWD, Surface and L’Officiel.
Creative Set Design & Installation
Victoria and Albert Museum
April 2010 – May 2010 (2 months)London, United Kingdom
I was commissioned to come up with a concept and realisation of the visual window display inspired by the paper folding art of origami, for Victoria & Albert's collaboration with Liberty's fabrics as part of the successful exhibition and book launch: Quilts 1710 - 2010
From:01/Jan/2006
Job Title: Creative Director
Company: Styleshake.com
Description: I was the Creative Director of StyleShake, the pioneering fashion creative platform that allows the user to create their own garment online and in essence become their own "fashion designer". I was head-hunted by Iris Ben-David, an online advertising executive with the concept and strategy. The objective was to make this innovative project tactical and set about bringing the idea to life. Within two years the company has grown into a big business with a huge community and has recently been voted as a top 20 trend (the only UK company featured) by the world"s largest cool hunting community Trendhunter. StyleShake has recently joined forces with one of the largest French e-tailers 3Suisses and has set about challenging the psychology of the way the mass-market consumes fashion and apparel.
From:01/Feb/2007 To:01/Jul/2009
Job Title: Freelance Pattern Cutter
Company: Preen
Description: I worked alongside the design team with the aim to translate the brands proposition of being modern, deconstructive whilst retaining a classic and fresh element to the product portfolio. Highlights included revisiting and re-modernising the classic Trench coat. I mainly specialised in tailoring and how best to inject modern elements into iconic shapes to encapsulate the brands signature aesthetic being classic juxtaposed with a modern twist.
From:01/Jan/2003 To:01/Feb/2003
Job Title: Assistant Designer
Company: Robert Cary-Williams
Description: I had more of a macro approach to creativity and design at Robert Cary Williams, as his right-hand design assistant I was involved in all aspects of making a collection from it"s embryonic conception to it"s completion. I developed and created show-pieces that included, shoes, knitted capes, dresses and leather moulded accessories that are currently archived at the V & A museum.
The brand has cult status and is often romanticised in the industry as being one of the most exciting and legendary brands of its day. It attracted the attention of elite press and celebrities, making pieces for rock icons such as Marianne Faithful and Anita Pallenberg.
My role was multi-faceted and I was encouraged to explore innovation at all levels as the brand was targeted to the true avant-garde customer.
From:01/Aug/2001 To:01/Feb/2003
Job Title: Designer
Company: Warnaco
Description: I developed an expert knowledge of the high-street and mid-market as I was designing lingerie, nightwear and loungewear for clients such as Designers at Debenhams including Jasper Conran, Abe Hamilton, John Rocha and Janet Reger. Also developed ranges for Topshop, River Island, New Look, Dorothy Perkins, BHS and La Senza.
I was responsible for presenting, selling and developing ideas to buyers and this experience proved invaluable in terms of objectifying the needs and wants of the client and customer.
From:01/Jun/2001 To:01/Jul/2002
Job Title: Design/Cutting Room intern
Company: Marcus Lupfer
Description: I developed a confident approach to design whilst a Marcus Lupfer and worked on whimsical tailoring and got much experience working with innovating textiles. I developed a new approach to pattern cutting and was responsible for overseeing and organising the design room.
From:01/May/2000 To:01/Jun/2000
Job Title: Design/Cutting Room assistant
Company: Clements Ribeiro
Description: I specialised in creating wearable lines of whimsical separates that included knitwear and woven separates that celebrated inventive graphics, colour and print.
Embroidery was signature to the brand and I developed sound sewing, embellishment and interesting applique skills. I liased with manufacturers, show producers and the marketing team.
Highlights including designing and making 120 luxury, embroided embellished tees.They were a sensation and a sell-out at Harvey Nichols. Also designing shoes for an exlusive collaboration namely Manolo Blahnik for Clements Ribeiro.
From:01/Jun/1999 To:01/Jun/2000
Job Title: Freelance Art Worker
Company: Emap
Description: I was responsible for illustrations and captioning for international magazines such as FHM, Q and Empire for online media. I developed a good working knowledge of photoshop and developed a sound knowledge of the consumer press and publishing.
From:01/Dec/1998 To:01/Sep/1999
Job Title: Fashion Lecturer
Company: Morley College
Description: Fashion Lecturer, Art &Design Department, Adult learning short specialist courses.
Topics: Design, Pattern cutting, clothes making, Dance wear, Tailoring, Marketing, Customisation.
Planning, delivering, assessing and evaluating teaching and learning.
Working with and teaching adults in an educational environment.
Commitment to and able to demonstrate knowledge of health and safety and equality and diversity.
Provide succinct explanations of design and clothes making and to initiate discussion with large groups of learners.
Use and sustainability of appropriate teaching and learning methods, to communicate the subject and encourage learners from a range of backgrounds and communicate to progress in this subject area.
From:19/Sep/2011
Job Title: Brand Consultant
Company: Shallow
Description: Design & Technical consultancy including fabric sourcing, pattern cutting, toiling and sampling for the brand's Premium High Street A/W 2012-13 collection.
From:05/Oct/2011
Job Title: Brand Consultant
Company: Nahaara
Description: Design & Technical consultancy including mood-boards, design development, CAD drawings, spec sheets, fabric sourcing, pattern cutting, toiling and sampling for the brand's Premium High Street A/W 2012-13 collection.
From:06/Dec/2011
Job Title: Pattern cutter & Toilist
Company: SENERA
Description: I worked on translating the brand's beautiful eveningwear maxi dresses with long sleeves, cuffs, pockets, button stand, collar and lots of pleating, gathering and draping details. Created full patterns ready for production including facings etc, sourced materials for toiling, stitched the toiles, took 360 deegree photos for the client to approve before handing the work.
From:15/Sep/2011 To:20/Jan/2012
Job Title: Guest Fashion Lecturer
Company: Architectural Association
Description: Fashion lecturer to the Architectural Association School Foundation course.
Topics: The parallel practices of fashion & architecture. Body shapes, clothing construction, PR & communication in visual Arts.
Working with and teaching adults in an educational environment.
Commitment to and able to demonstrate knowledge of design and clothes making and to initiate discussion with large groups of learners.
Use and sustainability of appropriate teaching and learning methods, to communicate the subject and encourage learners from a range of backgrounds and communicate to progress in this subject area.
From:20/Jan/2011
Job Title: Guest Fashion Lecturer
Company: ATEI University
Description: Fashion lecturer to the BA degree students.
Topics: Building a collection, Manufacturing, Promotion & Communication. Innovation & Sustainability.
Working with and teaching adults in an educational environment.
Commitment to and able to demonstrate knowledge of design and clothes making and to initiate discussion with large groups of learners.
Use and sustainability of appropriate teaching and learning methods, to communicate the subject and encourage learners from a range of backgrounds and communicate to progress in this subject area.
From:31/May/2011 To:01/Jun/2012
Education
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Degree: Post Graduate Cert
Field of Study: Innovative Pattern Cutting
University / College: University of the Arts London
From:01/Jun/2001 To:01/Dec/2002
Degree: BA(Hons)
Field of Study: Fashion Design & Product Development
University / College: Southampton Solent University
From:15/Sep/1996 To:15/Jul/1999
Degree: BTEC National Diploma
Field of Study: Art & Design
University / College: University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester
From:15/Sep/1995 To:15/Jul/1996
Field of Study: Post-Graduate in Innovative Pattern Cutting
University / College: Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design