KIMBERLEY ANN
MATERIAL DESIGNER
Placement at John Smedley
As part of my degree, I had to complete a Professional Practice module which allowed me to take up a 50-hour work placement. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work in the design studio of prestigious knitwear brand John Smedley!
I had recently discovered my love for so I was super excited to see behind the scenes and what a typical week is like for a knitwear designer. I was given a tour around the factory and shown all the different stages each garment goes through. I went into the knitting area where all the industrial knitting machines were knitting the garments, seeing the rows of the machines knitting was definitely a 'wow' moment especially in comparison to my little domestic machine! It was really satisfying watching them all knitting in sync.
I went to the other side of the factory where other processes are carried out such as linking, labelling, cutting and pressing. Before visiting John Smedley I really didn't realise just how much work goes into one garment, and all the processes it goes through. It really makes you admire and appreciate the brand, craftsmanship, and the history behind the company.
During my week in the design studio I was involved in choosing and creating colourways for some jacquard knit patterns for their Autumn/Winter 2019 collection, it was quite a surreal moment sat around the table with the head and senior designer discussing what colours work best, I also got to use their knit design program called Apex. I also got to sit in a production meeting, this was a really good insight into what goes on behind the designing and what responsibilities of a head designer are.
I was given the task of going through boxes of past samples and organising them into a file to keep a record of colourways and designs for the design team. It was really interesting seeing all the different designs and colourways, I also gained some inspiration for future knit projects. The design studio also got all the garments back ready for the photoshoot which was the week after, so I was given the task of measuring them to make sure they were the right size. I couldn't take any pictures of the garments as they won't be released until spring/summer next year. After I measured the garments I unpackaged them and organised them on the rail in order, I also steamed them all to get any creases out ready for the photoshoot.
I thoroughly enjoyed my week at John Smedley, I learnt a lot more about the knitwear industry and knitting in general, and I got a real feel to what it's like to be a knitwear designer. The experience is definitely going to inform the rest of my degree and practice.
A big Thank You to all of the Design team at John Smedley.
