I am an accomplished fashion designer, specialising in women’s handbags and accessories, who brings an extensive level of experience having had a very successful career with Woolworths for the last 10 years. In my current role at Woolworths I am responsible for analysing and interpreting trends and presenting these trends to our key stakeholders, advising them on the key themes, items and colours that should be capitalised on for upcoming seasons. Utilising my skills in trend analysis and my amassed wealth of local customer and market knowledge I assist in building a fashion strategy ahead of the season, in commercial translations, that are suitable for our market and brand. I deliver high quality work consistently, designing and developing beautiful product ranges that are both trend relevant, and suited for the South African customer while meeting deadlines and maintaining brand values. I work across accessories product categories but am extremely passionate about handbag and footwear design in particular and work closely with suppliers, developing products both locally and internationally with our vendors in China. I travel to China twice a year, ahead of each season, to source materials and trims and to design and develop into our product strategy. Ahead of this I also travel on international shopping trips to identify trends, gain inspiration and source new and trending materials and silhouettes. In the absence of a design head, I have gained extensive abilities in managing design teams effectively, having been the most senior designer in my team for the past 6 years, leading them through successful design briefs and trade. Through this I have built a sound skill in people and relationship management and know how to get the best from my team. This role has given me a great amount of confidence in designing a wide range of product and I look forward to further developing those skills and sharing the knowledge I’ve gained. Sincerely, SHEENA AUGUSTINE