Maria Dagostino

Accessories Designer @Apparel Brands Group

Manchester, GB

Designing and developing multi-category product ranges across men’s, women’s and children’s nightwear, loungewear, underwear and socks. Working across both in-house brands (Bench, Nicce, Hype) and licensed brands (Farah, Ed Hardy, Smith & Jones), taking ownership of core product categories and ensuring strong brand identity, consistency and commerciality throughout each collection.Key Responsibilities:Takes ownership of key product categories, centralizing socks, underwear and loungewear to streamline workflow and improve design consistencyConduct trend research using WGSN and comp shopping to build seasonal colour palettes and moodboardsDevelop all-over prints and placement graphics aligned to each brand’s handwriting and market positionAnalyse sales data to identify bestsellers and ensure the right balance between newness and continuitySource new fabrics and work closely with merchandising to ensure materials align with cost targetsDevelop new shapes for nightwear and underwear, collaborating with fit technicians to refine block specs and final fitPresent collections to the sales team, ensuring designs are cohesive, on-trend and customer-focusedCreate detailed tech packs outlining design specs, packaging requirements and print artworkLiaise with merchandising on product development and sample approval to meet the critical pathAttend weekly fit sessions to assess fit, quality and ensure all design details are correctly executedCommunicate daily with suppliers in the Far East, Asia and Europe, providing feedback on lab dips, strike-offs, PPS and gold seal samplesCreate, maintain and develop packaging for underwear, socks and nightwear; including flat lay artworks, 3D mock ups and approving final samples for bulk production Support new business development by designing and presenting ranges to potential licensorsTrained and onboarded new accessories designer, providing design processes, brand guidelines, and category knowledge

Philadelphia University

Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Fashion/Apparel Design