Assistant Trend Forecaster - Womenswear - 9 Months Fixed Term Contract

Working Pattern: Typically 5 days in the office, with core hours flexible between 8am-6pm.

Ideal Start Date: Early December 2026.

The Role
As our Trend Forecasting Assistant (Womenswear), you will be the eyes and ears of the future of fashion at NEXT. Supporting our Trend Forecaster, you will play a vital role in identifying emerging macro trends, analysing colour, and translating inspiration into commercially relevant insights specifically for our Womenswear design and buying teams.

This is a dynamic, fast-paced role where you will make a tangible difference by helping to shape and articulate the creative direction that defines each season, ensuring NEXT remains ahead of the curve. You will work closely with cross-functional design and buying teams, acting as a collaborative bridge between raw inspiration and high-street reality.

What You’ll Take On

• Provide support by conducting extensive trend research to help identify and deliver emerging trends, colour and key items. Key items should be a focal point for each story.
• Monitor global catwalks, street style, retail, and social media to spot early-stage emerging trends.
• Meticulously analyse seasonal catwalks and street style with a focus on key items.
• Collate and compile weekly updates highlighting key fashion shows, cultural moments, and industry news.
• Carry out competitive shop reports across in-store and online and report back findings.
• Focus on key items and in particular quick response items. Working closely with the teams that offer short lead time products.
• Attend industry talks and exhibitions, bringing back actionable insights to share with the wider team.
• Work with the fabric sourcing, be the link with buying teams to help deliver key trends quickly at a good price.
• Track and report on social media trends, including viral hashtags, key films, TV releases, and wider cultural influences.
• Maintain and update the fashion and cultural calendar, tracking upcoming trade shows, exhibitions, key events, and relevant cultural releases.
• Generate inspirational design boards and updating seasonal colour flow charts.
• Become the primary point of contact for all quick response and in-season trend information. Build strong relationships by working closely with design and buying teams to ensure trend recommendations align with the short lead critical path.

 

What You’ll Bring
You are highly trend-aware, creatively curious, and commercially minded. You have a natural ability to connect cultural shifts to real-world product opportunities, thriving in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift quickly.

Essential Experience & Skills

• A strong portfolio proving you have a sharp eye for the future of fashion.
• Proven Womenswear experience within a design or trend-focused environment.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator).
• Excellent visual research and sourcing skills, with sharp attention to detail and styling direction.
• Commercial awareness with a solid understanding of the high street and our competitive landscape.
• Strong organisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks, numerous deadlines and cross seasonal information, seamlessly.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to confidently share ideas with the buying teams.

Desirable (But Not Essential)

• Knowledge of, or curiosity about, generative AI tools and programs.

 

Portfolios
To help us get a feel for your style, please attach a digital portfolio to your application. To help you put your best foot forward, we’ve put together a few top tips on what makes a portfolio stand out to our team.

Applications without a portfolio will not be considered.

Sponsorship
Candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship for this role will be required to meet the Home Office sponsorship requirements. For further information please see: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

We encourage early applications for our roles, as our recruitment process begins as soon as the role is advertised. If we successfully fill the position, this advert may close earlier than planned.

#LI-Onsite 

You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 44,000 people across the Next group. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 450 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 80 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global!