about nicole
Nicole Chang is a fashion designer specialising in technical, performance-driven garments and research-led design. An award-winning designer, her work has been recognised by brands including Belstaff and Safariland for innovation, functionality, and advanced pattern cutting.
Her practice is shaped by a balance of conceptual research and practical industry experience. Through an internship at the performance running brand Ronhill / Hilly, she gained first-hand exposure to professional product development environments, developing an understanding of PLM systems and real-world performance wear processes. Alongside this, her academic projects have built strong proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Gerber AccuMark, and CLO3D, supporting a technically rigorous and digitally fluent design approach.
Nicole’s work explores themes of utility, protection, and psychology, with a strong emphasis on user comfort, mobility, and real-world application. Through research-led design and technical execution, her projects investigate how clothing can influence perception, behaviour, and safety within contemporary urban environments.
Alongside her design practice, Nicole has a strong interest in videography and visual storytelling, particularly documenting travel, lifestyle, and creative processes. This visual practice informs her design thinking, strengthening her eye for narrative, movement, and context across both physical and digital mediums.
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my experience
Ronhill / Hilly
Aug 2023 — Jul 2024
Junior Product developer / Garment Technician Intern
- Assisted in the development of core product lines, ensuring alignment between design and technical aspects.
- Efficiently multitasked across multiple seasons.
- Consistently been able to meet deadlines on time.
- Communicated effectively with external garment factories and cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and smooth product development.
- Verification of the measurements for the garment technician and factories.
- Incorporated the use of PLM System in my day to day tasks.
Manchester Metropolitan University
Sept 2021 — June 2025
BA (Hons) Fashion design & Technology : Sportswear
- Shortlisted for Belstaff's Cloudmaster 2.0 Prize Fund.
- Won the 2023 Safariland live brief competition.
- Developed advanced skills in Illustrator, Gerber Accumark, CLO3D for design and pattern creation.
- Applied innovative techniques in pattern making and garment construction to create high-quality, functional designs.
- Consistently met deadlines and demonstrated a strong work ethic, ensuring timely and high-quality completion of tasks.
Derby Theatre
May 2021 — Jul 2021
Costume Designer
- Leading the vision of the characters outfits.
- Proficiently budgeting the garment costs, ensuring financial efficiency
- Collaborated with young and aspiring creative designers.
- Prioritised the organisation for the individual outfits for the actors.