Brand Director Resume Example Vida Shoes International

BRAND DIRECTOR

Professional Summary

Accomplished retail professional with 15+ years of experience in footwear, a keen eye for emerging trends coupled with exceptional analytical skills
Highly effective communicator, problem solver, with a drive for success and proven record of excellence
Strong organization skills and attention to detail, able to multitask, meet deadlines, and ensure efficiency in a fast paced environment
Strong negotiation skills, history of achieving all business metrics including sales & margin
Established strong working relationships with buyers, planners, & all levels of management

Work History

Vida Shoes International - Brand DirectorNew York, NY01/2015 - Current

Successfully launched new footwear brand Nanette Nanette Lepore, contemporary lifestyle brand aimed at mid-tier retailers.
Grew to a $10MM business in 2 years
Manage internal and external stakeholders globally.
Developed coordinated sales strategy & business plan to build a sustainable brand in the domestic marketplace & Canada to deliver sales & profitability in line with annual and long-term targets.
Analyze weekly sell through, manage open to buy, monitor markdowns, and provide replenishment suggestions based upon stock levels, manage deductions & givebacks.
Manage P&Ls, analyze margin, profitability and revenue results and projections.
Responsible for establishing and executing brand strategy including pricing, distribution and promotional aspects of the brand.
Manage all aspects of design including building the line plan & collections 4x a year, overseeing a design team as well as production & sourcing teams in China.
Work closely with licensor Bluestar Alliance to ensure the brand integrity across all product lines, packaging, and media vehicles.
Establish partnerships with key retailers including Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Amazon, Zappos, DSW, Belk.

Golden Pacific - Product DirectorNew York, NY06/2013 - 07/2014

Responsible for all creative aspects of launching footwear label including developing 6 collections a year for Men's & Women's, developing packaging, merchandising, and promotional/PR program.
Develop seasonal key strategies to drive business by identifying key volume drivers, key categories & trends.
Responsible for all phases of production from costing through delivery ensuring IMU objectives are achieved.
Managed sourcing process for all leathers, materials, and hardware with an eye on quality materials to help elevate the brand while achieving high margins, identified new sources partners for the brand.
Determine retail pricing & IMUs to maximize margins while delivering value to retail partners.
Build seasonal timelines which identify all the development milestones from inception to completion.
Provide recaps of competitive landscape for footwear & accessories including trends, pricing, key items.
Managed projections/buys seasonally by sku for men's and women's style to meet sales goal expectations.
Work closely with licensor & apparel licensees across the world to ensure brand integrity.

Little Black Bag - Accessories/Shoe BuyerNew York, NY10/2012 - 06/2013

Responsible for launch of shoe category including identifying potential brands, curating assortment & establishing pricing-signed on 50+ brands including Pour La Victoire, Dolce Vita & others.
Projected sales of shoe category $2MM or 60% penetration of total business.
Managed open to buy & markdown strategy to achieve sales, margin & turn targets.
Built strong partnerships with vendors while negotiating pricing on in season & closeout opportunities.
Responsible for execution of on-line user experience for the shoe category.

Macy's Merchandising Group - Product Manager, INC ShoesNew York, NY03/2010 - 10/2012

Grew sales by 400% from less than $5M brand to $20M in two seasons & to more than $40MM in 2 years.
Maximize sales & profitability through the development of trendright merchandise for INC brand shoes.
Won the Macy's Merchandising Group Results award in 2011 for exceeding plan and margin.
Present line to buyers during 6 shoe markets a year, work with buyer to place appropriate goods.
Partner with buyers to maximizing bestsellers & mark down slowsellers.
Manage all aspects of financials including developing seasonal plans, rolling monthly forecast.
Responsible for negotiating all first costs, setting retail pricing, maximizing markups & margins.
Partner with marketing on promotional & advertising strategies for the brand.

Skills

Education

06/2004Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PABachelor of Science: Business Administration

Additional Information

Computer Skills

Proficient in Mac and PC Operating Systems

Microsoft Excel, Word, Powerpoint

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