Julia Cook

• Collaborate on license and non-license apparel ranges for major UK retailers including George at Asda, Tesco F&F, and TU at Sainsbury's, contributing to diverse product offerings.
• Designing across multiple product categories including Men's jersey, Men's nightwear, Ladies' nightwear, Toddler boys', Toddler girls' and Children's wear, with a strong focus on licensed product.
• Focused on designing men's licensed jersey and toddler boys' wear for brands including Disney, Marvel, Paramount, Warner Bros, Sanrio, Harry Potter, and Nickelodeon, enhancing brand alignment and market appeal.
• Trend research & graphics
• Garment design
• Tech pack/specification development
• Presentation work
• Working closely with buying & technical teams
• Developing licensed and non-licensed commercial collections
• Developed toddler girlswear ranges for Tesco F&F on behalf of Hela, aligning with current market trends and consumer preferences.

• Owned and managed a successful independent bricks-and-mortar children's retail store in Chipping Norton, specialising in children's clothing, footwear, toys and gifts.
• Oversaw the buying and curation of diverse children's brands while also handling visual merchandising, customer experience, and daily commercial management.
• Built and managed a team while overseeing all creative and operational aspects of the business during an increasingly challenging retail climate.
• Created and implemented social media and marketing strategies to effectively promote the store.
• Improved customer experience and drove community engagement through targeted initiatives.
• Designed and implemented visual merchandising strategies to enhance store displays.
• Managed diverse responsibilities to improve business performance across operations.
• Conducted retail buying and selected brands for product offerings.
• Facilitated recruitment and mentored team members for professional growth.
• Managed payroll processes, bookkeeping tasks, and daily operational activities.
• Continually evolving the business concept to remain commercially relevant on the modern high street.
• Originally launched as Tickittyboo before rebranding to Bloom & Alfie in 2025.
• Closed the business in March 2026 to refocus on family priorities and freelance design consultancy.

• Founded and developed an award-winning independent milkshake and smoothie bar hospitality business in the Cotswolds, winning the West Oxfordshire Business Awards New Business Award in 2018.
• Created cohesive brand identity and concept to enhance customer engagement.
• Implemented marketing strategies and managed social media presence effectively.
• Built and managed a team of 8 employees while overseeing all creative and commercial aspects of the business.
• Oversaw recruitment and mentoring to develop cohesive teams.
• Outlined responsibilities to enhance team performance.
• Managed retail buying strategies to improve customer service quality.
• Handled payroll and bookkeeping to maintain financial accuracy.
• Adapted business concept to stay competitive in a challenging market.

• Created newborn and girlswear non-licensed ranges, partnering with buying and technical teams from trend concept through to final product development.
• Executed responsibilities including garment design, trend research, colour direction, detailed tech packs/specification sheets, and seasonal concept presentations to enhance product development.
• Collaborated with newborn boys designer to ensure cohesive collection development, aligning design vision across departments.
• Present seasonal concepts and ranges to the wider business
• Supervised assistant's activities to ensure timely completion of projects.

• Led design projects from concept through to completion, overseeing all stages of the creative process.
• Collaborated with Global Product Creation team to design direct-to-retail collections for Primark, Marks & Spencer, George and Tesco F&F, aligning product offerings with market trends.
• Designed collections across ladieswear, childrenswear, accessories, intimates and nightwear, ensuring cohesive brand identity and customer appeal.
• Managed multiple design projects, prioritising tasks to meet tight deadlines while maintaining high-quality standards.

• Designed baby girlswear and licensed character ranges across 0-3 years.
• Collaborated with buyer and technologist on trend analysis, graphic design, garment design, and tech pack creation.
• Travelled to Far East to develop and refine product ranges with suppliers, ensuring alignment with design vision.
• Managed multiple design projects, prioritising tasks to consistently meet tight deadlines.
• Understood functional requirements and adapted design work accordingly.

• Collaborated with buying teams from trend analysis to briefing and development, ensuring alignment with market demands.
• Created and presented design drafts, sketches and layouts to effectively communicate design progress and concepts.
• Designed nightwear, accessories, newborn and licensed character products, enhancing seasonal collections.
• Provided additional information to support production of designs.
• Consulted with clients to understand project limitations and constraints.

• Led design projects from concept to completion, ensuring alignment with client vision and market needs.
• Conducted market research on design trends, integrating insights into projects to enhance competitive positioning.
• Designed baby girlswear, baby boys' wear, and licensed toddler products on a freelance basis, contributing to brand identity.

Directed management and design of six designer ranges for John Rocha, Jasper Conran, Matthew Williamson, Julien Macdonald, Red Herring, and Mantaray.
Collaborated closely with designers to establish comprehensive specifications.
Managed biannual trips to the Far East, fostering supplier relationships.
Led trend research initiatives across key international fashion capitals including Amsterdam, Paris, Antwerp, New York, and Miami.
Mentored two assistants, enhancing their skills and professional growth.

• Understood functional requirements and adapted design work accordingly.
• Analysed client needs and objectives to propose customised design strategies.
• Designed visual images fit for brief, going above and beyond client expectations.

• Oversaw design lifecycle from conceptualisation to delivery, ensuring on-time project completion.
• Streamlined workflow by implementing efficient design processes and tools, enhancing team collaboration.
• Provided insights that refined design development process and improved overall outcomes.

• Founded and developed an internationally recognised childrenswear brand stocked across Europe, USA, Middle East and Asia, including Barneys New York and Le Bon Marché Paris.
• Brand development & creative direction
• Collection design
• Managed all aspects of product development, from design to overseeing development, quality assurance and deployment.
• Supplier sourcing & production
• International wholesale
• Trade shows & customer relations
• Led and developed a team of 3 employees while growing the business internationally within a highly competitive market.
• Team leadership and mentoring
• Oversaw daily operations, enhancing overall business efficiency and productivity.
• Winner of Fashion Exporter of the Year 2005 & 2006.
• Executed budgeting and bookkeeping processes to ensure financial accuracy.
• Managed expenses and allocated financial resources to meet budget goals effectively.
• Maintained active industry presence through regular networking and promotional activities, strengthening brand visibility.

• Supported design of product range through to tech pack development.
• Prepared design drafts, sketches and layouts to visually convey concepts and progress.
• Researched trends three days a week to inform design direction.
• Compiled production support documents to streamline workflow.

• Achieved successful launch of toddler range and new born collection for Kiekeboe, contributing to significant company growth.
  Drove product development process from concept to execution, enhancing brand visibility and market presence.
  Presented product range to agents, reinforcing strong relationships and expanding distribution channels.
• Designed creative visual concepts for clients, translating requirements into engaging graphics.
• Developed digital illustrations and logos, delivering graphic elements that met client specifications and enhanced project outcomes.
• Created printed brochures, banners and signs that aligned visual collateral with brand mission and values, strengthening brand identity.

Led a team of 8 designers from trend development to collection presentation for agents, coordinating sampling processes through biannual visits to India. Oversaw styling and presentation of Oilily Magazine while featuring personal designs multiple times in Vogue Bambini, including on the front cover.

Designed prints and prepared spec sheets for senior designer, supporting development of the first international collection for Oilily.