Art Director - Fashion

Package Description

There are lots of reasons to be excited about joining Team Selfridges – from our fantastic team member communities to volunteer days and behind-the-scenes Selfridges experiences throughout the year.

Other benefits and rewards include:

• Generous bonus and/or commission scheme
• Discounted gym memberships
• Pension contributions
• Annual travel pass and cycle to work schemes
• A volunteer day for all team members
• Access to a wide range of training programmes to help your career development

Job Introduction

Selfridges are looking for an exceptional and experienced Art Director to work within the Digital Fashion Direction team. Reporting into the Head of Art Direction, the Art Director will be responsible for delivering aspirational art direction and evolve a signature Selfridges Style aligned with the Selfridges creative vision across the photographic & film spectrum. Bringing to life briefs across Selfridges Editorial site content, Campaign, Brand partnerships, special projects, exclusive launches that speak to our domestic & international customer.

The Art Director will be producing inspiring and directional creative content, so previous experience with a luxury fashion/lifestyle brand or design agency is essential. Your creative skills and styles are extremely versatile and you are flexible and happy to work in a fast-changing environment with the ability to balance a number of projects at any one time.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, collaborative individual who thinks differently, pushes boundaries and can flex their creative executions per brief with solid understanding of how your visual communications/ shoot collateral adapt and flex for different audiences, brands and channels.

A bit about the role

• Reporting to the Head of Art Direction, work closely with Shoot Producers to diligently deliver Selfridges seasonal shoot calendar in a creative, timely, budget orientated and quality focussed manor.
• Develop creative and innovative campaign concepts that connect with our audience and brand
• Confident Art directing on large to small scale fashion & film shoots
• Ability to take initial direction from the Head of Art Direction and make it your own whilst possessing a collaborative approach working with the Styling team and Casting Director to continuously evolving and defining the ultimate look and feel of all Editorial & Campaign fashion imagery.
• Have a strong working knowledge of relevant talent / Photographers / Directors/ talent & creatives for potential campaigns
• Strong, in-depth end-to-end knowledge of shoot logistics, pre & post production and it’s channel appropriation, purpose and use.
• Lead and participate creative brainstorms, be a source of inspiration by bringing new ideas and concepts to Selfridges
• Custodian of imagery across the brand, reviewing & signing off image use in accordance to it’s quality and brand alignment. Ensuring the Selfridges creative vision is intact across all photographic outputs at Selfridges.
• Develop and cascade the Selfridges Womenswear and Menswear Style Guides seasonally in order to maintain visual quality, aspirational image composition and consistency across all imagery
• Deliver digital campaigns, by working collaboratively with our Creative, Editorial, Marketing teams to ensure your ideas come to life on brief, on brand and unified approach to create a holistic experience for our customer
• Expansive industry knowledge, thorough research is paramount to a sound creative response. 
• Collaborate with Senior Castings Manager for model scouting according to Creative Direction.
• Collaborate with Lead Stylists, Shoot producers & Editorial on fashion shoots
• Ability to flex photography & content that is able to traverse viably from mobile, desktop, print, social, online, Out of Home.
• Be a final gate keeper for any art direction queries, take initial direction from Head of Art Direction on consistent imaging standards across the brand, develop & maintain image style guides & ensure all imagery aligns with the photographic guidelines
• Develop cross departmental relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Lead and inspire, living the Selfridges values.
• Be a consumer of culture, a talent spotter and taste-maker.
• Attuned to both the Selfridges brand, and the wider world of fashion, actively aware of all areas of photography, film, design across fashion, beauty, trends, lifestyle and brands
• The ability to confidently develop and articulate your ideas and present them clearly.
• Ability to communicate ideas effectively with storyboards, mood-boards & mock-ups.
• Take on feedback & on-set direction from Director of Digital Fashion and Head of Art Direction
• A compelling & strong communicator and presenter, with the ability to create buy in on creative from key stakeholders across the business
• Ability for Art Direction can flex multi-category - Menswear, Womenswear, Kids, Beauty, still life, brand partnerships & Social.  

A bit about you

• This role requires a highly creative and conceptual person, with strong communication skills, excellent presentation skills and a very strong fashion aspirational visual focus.
• Experience in Art Direction/Creative Fashion Styling with luxury brands.
• Strong ability to articulate creative vision and conceptual ideas in a way that is easily understood and engaging, whilst evolving the fashion direction to be at the forefront of the luxury fashion industry.
• Ability to see the bigger picture beyond creative direction with a good understanding in production and model casting.
• Highly professional to manage senior stakeholder relationships.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Pro-active and flexible ‘can do’ attitude, maintaining a sense of calm in a fast-paced environment.
• Significant experience in art direction across campaign & Editorial photography, video, design, commissioning and casting
• An appetite to create work that occupies culture not ad space.
• Thorough understanding and experience of all digital photographic & video formats, content appropriation, channel sensitivity including marketing & campaign distribution plus usage
• Confident presenting to both internal and external stakeholders, storytelling to help others appreciate your approach. 
• Strong relationships with credible & high calibre Fashion/Film/Model/Stylists/Agents
• Creative, positive and logical thinker who can bring out the best in a brief.
• Enjoy a fast-paced working environment.
• Understanding of digital photography processes and related software - Capture One, Adobe Creative suite and understanding of digital asset management.
• Strong communication (both verbal & written) & interpersonal skills
• Outstanding portfolio of photographic art direction for (fashion, retail, Editorial, agency background
• Deliver a consistent Selfridges look through art direction that raises the bar on our competition.
• Be a positive team player, Self-motivated, detail-focussed
• You will have a BA/HND or equivalent in advertising/art direction/graphic/digital design and an outstanding portfolio. You’ll have great attention to detail, be forthcoming with ideas and initiatives, enthusiastic and a team player and able to collaborate with different people in a variety of departments.

A bit about us

We are a shop run on imagination: a place where the world’s most covetable brands combine with the most extraordinary spectacles, events and ideas for an experience like no other.

We have challenged the rules of retail from day one, whilst demonstrating our unwavering commitment to sustainability.  In 2016, we were the first to be awarded with recognition for the ‘World’s Best Sustainability Campaign by a Department Store’ at the IGDS Global Department Store Summit, in-line with its focus on buying better and inspiring change. We are also recognised as the Best Department Store in the World (2010, 2012, 2014 & 2018) underlining our place at the forefront of retail. In 2018 we were recognised as a LinkedIn Top Company to work for.

Our vision is to be the destination for the most extraordinary customer experience, and our people are central to us achieving this.  As an employer we are committed to making Selfridges an exciting, inspiring and fun place to work