Cath Kidston - Bags and Accessories Designer

Year: 2014 - 2017

Type: Designing all Bag and Accessories ranges and one day spent designing kids/baby bags

Season: AW16 - SS18

Contract: Full-time 4 days a week.

Travel Goods

Case Study 1

Cabin suitcase, Vanity case and Travel holdall.

Travel was an area of great growth for the business as they had tried before, but didn't see the sales. Here we developed a fabric that was much harder wearing than the mat laminated, so was better suited for the travel sector. With this, we created a range of travel goods that suited for for cabin items.

Research & Development sketches

Researching different bag shapes and constructions from vintage references to online to suit the customer group and seasonal strategy.

Spec sheets

Fast hand-drawing spec sheets with supplier on trips or via email using Illustrator or Excel to communicate designs for 1st sample/prototype.

Amendments

Once 1st sample/prototypes have been received and reviewed, amendments are made for a 2nd sample or ready for SMS (salesman sample).

Final Product shots

Leather Goods

Case Study 2

Duo crossbody, Small grab handbag and Slim tote.

Leather goods previously at Cath Kidston never did very well, so this was a great opportunity to build a range of bag styles and try and make the collection truely unique to the brand. Here we experimented with print on the leather, and how we could introduce plain/solid coloured bags, at a dominated print business. We created print on the inside and it's solid colour on the out side which was a great success.

Research & Development sketches

Researching different bag shapes and constructions to suit the customer group and seasonal strategy.

Spec sheets

Creating hand sketches with measurements for quick technical sheets for the supplier. In some cases, an illustrator spec was required for full scale sizes.

Amendments

From receiving 1st samples/protoypes, they are then reviewed with team and make sure that styles fit within the range still, and that there are no duplicates of styles, that might be in competition with each other. At this stage, the supplier may make a new sample for us to accept or wait until the SMS.

Final Product shots

Matt & Shiny Laminated ranges

Case Study 3

Backpack, Shoulder bag, Grab crossbody shopper & Crossbody bag

Matt & shiny laminated ranges were a big businesses at Cath Kitson and made lots of money, so it was important to develop this to suit the customer and the ranges within. When you stars could be added, and out stars be removed. At Cath Kidston, it was always about making the bags as functional as possible, and to suit a purpose. The fun part was how we could communicate the print for each range differently and uniquely.

Research & Development sketches

Researching different bag shapes and constructions to suit the customer group and seasonal strategy.

Spec sheets

Quick hand-sketches to communicate designs with supplier, either face-to-face or via email.

Amendments

1st and 2nd product amendments ready for final salesman sample.

Final Product shots

Embossed-coated cotton ranges

Case Study 4

Should tote bag, Grab crossbody tote & Crossbody bag

A new fabric was developed that incorporated the popular laminated cotton that was embossed into a more structured fabric. This was first launched into a shoulder tote that was not as successful as expected. Throughout the seasons at my time at Cath Kitson, I developed a range of more suitable constructions/bag shapes that suited a slightly smarter customer and had a more luxurious feel for the range.

Research & Development sketches

Researching different bag shapes, trends and constructions to suit the customer group and seasonal strategy.

Spec sheets

Hand sketches with measurements and material placements, as seen in the below technical design sheets. Trying to add as much detail as possible to communicate the desired outcome for the 1st sample.