Emma Green lives in London and runs her own freelance active-wear design consultancy working with international clothing companies that include Ten Thousand in New York City, Triumph in Germany, Vaara in London and several start-up brands.
Green’s international design career had its beginnings in Auckland when she started as a denim designer for Workshop just after graduating in 2004, and then a merino apparel design and product manager for Orca. Her move to London was to take up the position of lead womenswear designer for Rapha – creators of quality cycling clothing and accessories.
With her design consultancy firmly established, Green now leads the entire design process for her clients’ companies. “I work a lot remotely from my London base, but also travel to meet clients. My week can vary from flying to Germany to work on fittings for Triaction by Triumph, to fitting activewear in Lithuania for my main London client. It's full on,” Green said. “I basically lead the design for all these companies so instead of being a designer for just one brand I am now the designer for multiple brands.”
Her expertise extends beyond designing to encompass the entire manufacturing and marketing process. “My consultancy company advises my start-up clients on how to enter and understand the world of clothing manufacturing. I guide them through the product development process and in essence show them how to create an apparel brand and a collection to take to market.”
While at Whitecliffe, Green explained that she was able to develop as a designer. “I was taught amazing grounding across all disciplines. I thoroughly enjoyed the mix of academia and creative studies.”
