Cover Letter
I have been working as a successful Fashion designer / Design director for over 20 years, 15 years in Stockholm at Tiger of Sweden and H&M, and the last five years in Denmark at Bestseller as a freelance Creative design manager.
Due to Covid, I was paid off from my latest position in Denmark, both because of travel restrictions and because Covid hit the fashion industry really hard.
Waiting for the fashion industry to get back to normal and missing being busy and the creative excitement I gained from my team and my job, I got back to my passion for reading. I started to read about UX Design, books like “Designing for emotion” by Aarron Walker and “The element of User experience” by James
Garrett. I realized I wanted to learn more about the topic and started to study UX Design gaining a professional diploma in UX Design at Glasgow Caledonian University and the UX Design Institute.
The course was project-based with a focus on an end-to-end UX journey. I really enjoyed the mix of research and psychology to make great products, solve Users’ problems and generate positive emotions. For me UX Design is fundamentally a problem-solving discipline, giving the software a more human approach and smoother flow.
I am a humble, hardworking, and driven person, always eager to learn. I want to work with UX design because I know it will inspire me every day and I can inspire others and create great products/services. I think a lot of the skills I have gained within fashion design can be transferred into my work in UX design. I have built up a good eye for design, colour coordination, storytelling, and people negotiation skills.
I have also gained a lot of soft skills from being the leader of projects, a team leader, holding presentations and interviews, also collaborating with colleagues and partners which is essential in a UX project.
As a person, I am focused, organized, detail-oriented, and heard from other people fun and inspiring to work with. I constantly notice and think about small details and have ideas in my head, which I think helps me to make smart and fast decisions to always keep the project moving forward.
I enjoy working in a team environment where we can help and push each other to be better. An inspiring part for me in leadership was advising and inspiring my designers, pushing them when needed and protecting them when needed, and watching them grow into great people, designers, and team players.
I am direct and confident as a person but in a relaxed and polite way. I hope this quick introduction of my previous work and my new studies in UX, makes you interested in knowing more about me.
I have enclosed my UX Cv and Portfolio Pdf, I am working together with my wife to design a website to showcase my UX and fashion work and would love the opportunity to come by and present myself further.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
UX Design Institute / Glasgow Caledonian University. May 2021 – Nov 2021.
Professional Diploma in UX Design.
London College of Fashion. Sept 1997 – June 1998.
- 1st year BA (H) Costume Design and Make-up.
North Glasgow College. Sept 1995 – June 1997.
- Fashion Design Technology with Production and Retail.
- National certificate.
- Higher national certificate.
- Higher national diploma.
Curriculum Vitae
Work history
Premium Black (Jack & Jones) Denmark, June 2016 – Aug 2020.
Design Director (Consultant) – Premium black label (Tailored semi dressed) segment high street).
- Product Responsible for all woven styles and jerseys and knits (all product groups).
- Work close with buyers for all product groups to build the collection by designing styles and choosing fabrics and colours.
- Coordinate with merchandisers for style, design, and colour look in retail stores.
- Hand-draw sketches for an assistant (who would make technical sketches and overviews).
- Continuously research Men’s fashion, innovative fabrics, and silhouettes.
- Draw technical sketches with details on freehand/Illustrator for production.
- Collaborate with print designs for placement prints and allover prints.
Tiger of Sweden – Stockholm, Aug 2007- April 2016.
Head of Menswear (Fashion Design Director) – Tiger of Sweden Black label (Tailored fashion premium segment).
- Responsible for the design direction of the Menswear department (Black label, tailored fashion).
- Constantly communicate with country managers to get constant info to design the perfect collection.
- Design responsible for the Suits, Blazers, Outerwear, Trousers, and shirts, creative control of Jersey and Knitwear.
- Collaborate with advertising dept and stylist for fashion shows and campaigns.
- Travel to Milan and Paris to meet suppliers to choose/develop material for all woven styles.
- Work closely with the CEO to make sure the company is going in the right direction.
- Responsible for the design direction of all materials for collection.
- Create seasonal trends and colour boards for the concept.
- Presentation of collection silhouette and trend to the company.
- Hand over technical sketches to pattern drafter and production.
- Create seasonal fashion trends and colour cards.
- Communicate the trends to the press.
- Design sketches in illustrator.
- Delegate design work to my assistant and other designers.
Hennes & Mauritz – Stockholm, Sept 2001 – Aug 2007.
Product Concept designer, Senior design assistant , Design assistant H&M Man (biggest Menswear department).
Product/Concept designer.
- Product Responsible for all woven styles and jerseys and knits (all product groups).
- Work close with buyers for all product groups to build the collection by designing styles and choosing fabrics and colours.
- Coordinate with merchandisers for style, design and colour look in retail stores.
- Hand-drawn sketches for an assistant (who makes technical sketches and overviews).
- Continuously research Men’s fashion, innovative fabrics, and silhouettes.
- Draw technical sketches with details on freehand/Illustrator for production.
- Collaborate with print designs for placement prints and allover prints.
Angels the Costumiers – London, Jan 1999 – Sept 2001.
Men´s Military and Tailoring Alterations.
- Involved in fitting men’s costumes for actors.
- Altered men’s costumes to fit actors’ measurements using industrial sewing machines.
- Specialized in military hand sewing epaulets and medals to uniforms.
- Repaired garments for film and theatre.
- Sometimes on the set of movies fix costumes for the actors.
Robert Dick, Bespoke Tailor – Glasgow, Duke street. Sept 1996 – July 1997.
Assistant bespoke tailor, placement fashion college.
- Taught basic tailoring techniques.
- Learned how to Baste stitch, amf, and general hand sewing skills.
- Assisted customers in choosing materials and styles of suits.
- Worked with Jack Huston to make a bespoke suit from scratch for my final year with traditional canvas.
Curriculum Vitae
Achievements
- From a design perspective the journey with Tiger of Sweden from a successful Scandinavian brand to an international player.
- Best Menswear designer award from Cafe Magazine 2014.
- Best Menswear designer award from WGSN 2015.
- Working together with The Hives, Mando Diao, and Håkan Hellström, styling the bands for concerts within the collection or designing custom-made clothing for the band’s concerts.
- Designing for the Swedish royal family for both H.RH Prince Carl Philip and H.R.H Prince Daniel.
- Collaborating with London Cloth to design a Tartan inspired my family name tartan from Skye influenced by Scandinavian wildflowers, handwoven by London Cloth. The tartan I designed is now officially registered as a Tartan designed by me for Tiger of Sweden.
Skills
- Story telling
- Trend analysis
- Design and colour
- Problem Solving
- Creative Direction
- Managment
- Big picture thinking
- Thinking outside the box
- Textiles (innovative and luxury)
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
References
I have references that can be provided if required.
“The real interaction designer’s decisions are based on what the user is trying to achieve.” (Alan Cooper, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum.)