Year Lead and Lecturer in MA Fashion Design
Chris is a dynamic and creative designer with over twenty years experience and knowledge within the fashion industry, encompassing luxury and market leading brands. His experience includes the brands DAKS, Hackett & M&S. Chris’s industry skills, experience and knowledge support the students learning in designing, directing, managing, planning, range building, sourcing, analysing, delivering & presenting.
Bio
As a design manager at DAKS, Chris oversaw and designed all product categories across menswear, womenswear and accessories. Designing for international markets on mainline collections and direction on sub-brand collections, he ensured that brand integrity and handwriting was evident throughout. During his time at DAKS, Chris showcased many collections on the Milan catwalk. While at Hackett, he designed all the formal and tailored product, and was able to experience new ways of working and brand building, whilst launching product with prestigious factories and luxury fabric mills throughout Italy.
At M&S, Chris was brand champion for multiple brands and collections, and directed the total look for the formalwear design direction with continuous market share growth. He travelled internationally for global inspiration, as well as multiple collection launches with international sourcing hubs, presenting ranges to directors and at critical seasonal product sign-off meetings to the leadership team. Chris was also responsible for establishing and maintaining the Best of British collection, a highlight of which was coordinating a suit being made for King Charles within a week, from brief to delivery.
Chris’s ongoing professional practice includes being a director of a textile agency and design consultancy, which supports student learning, with ongoing current industry knowledge, trends, and contacts.