Sonia Watson

Garment Technologist

Location: London and Wales

Bio:

Descending from a long line of stitchers, knitters and milliners, fashion and crafting garments is in Sonia’s blood.  As well as making her own clothes from the age of 10, Sonia enjoyed visiting the factory her father managed, fascinated by the long production lines.  She has since built up more than 30 years’ experience of working in the fashion industry.

After completing a Fashion Technology diploma in Sydney in 1991, Sonia secured her dream job at a luxury Australian fashion label, spending the next 7 years learning the intricacies of pattern cutting, grading and fitting.  Sonia went on to design and manage production for numerous Australian apparel fashion and jewellery brands, as well as co-founding a bespoke women’s clothing and footwear brand.

In 2001 Sonia furthered her career and moved to the UK, where she worked for high street suppliers, settling at her last company, Alison Hayes, for 17 years. During her tenure there, Sonia progressed from Garment Technician to Studio manager, UK Technical Lead, and finally Systems and Project manager, collaborating with off-shore sample facilities and factories.

Rarely straying far from the technical side of fashion, Sonia currently works as a Garment Technologist at Fashion-Enter.  Coming back to her manufacturing roots, she is also responsible for quality at both the London and Welsh factories. 

In the future Sonia hopes to pursue her interest in fashion sustainability, as well as training future generations valuable skills currently at risk of being lost to fast fashion. She is looking forward to working on new projects and strategies, such as the Extended Producer Responsibility programme. This takes into consideration the end-of-life environmental impact of products and packaging.