15 years plus of design and creative experience in sportswear, tops and bottoms focused on casual wear and denim. Learned and built experience with a diverse range of markets including Contemporary, Young Contemporary, Juniors and Kids. Blends innovation with practicality and an unswerving focus on business results. Approaches the creative process as by blending design, merchandising, marketing and product management. Extremely deadline and budget-oriented. Talent for analyzing and interpreting current and future fashion trends and translating them into the targeted market. Ability to build a supportive environment by implementing sound organizational principles extremely beneficial to the pre-production and production processes. Driven partner, eager for professional growth and increased responsibility along with an entrepreneurial spirit.
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Responsible for analyzing and reformatting the fit and construction of their new cut and sew premium denim line.
Responsible for creating and developing a new label of Juniors Denim Sportswear line from inception. Designed the whole packaging and details. Worked with creative director and development team to build strategic brand planning from concept through execution to ensure brand integrity and growth. Included market research and forecasting, fabric and fit development, wash development, new division development and sourcing.
Conceptualized and designed for all major divisions under the IT BRAND umbrella. Developed all lines both domestically and overseas. Deeply involved in the lines sales presentations. Major retail partners included Nordstrom B.P and POV, (IT Womens); Nordstrom Rail and Bloomingdales (Kasil Workshop); American Rag (ITEM).
• Played key hole in company reorganization, including revitalizing stale products, improving merchandising strategies and working closely with marketing department to deliver the correct product image.
• Successfully developed and efficiently executed collection concepts along with color palette, material finishes, trim, and fabric utilization strategies, relying upon local, national, and international sources.
• Fostered and maintained strong communications and business relations with all premium denim fabric suppliers.
• Personally developed and created washes, finishes and colors at local and overseas laundries
• Created new “home run” styles by researching and analyzing marketplace, identifying trends and creating fresh fits that were featured in several magazines and blogs.
• Produced seasonal trend presentations which content level was recognized and comparable to key trend reports service providers and subsequently requested by private label accounts every season.
• Built the style guide to serve as main product knowledge reference. Guide is now used at the retail level as a POP.
• Represented the company during market weeks by presenting and showcasing the designs.
• Managed and supervised the development team including assistant designers, sample coordinators, pattern makers, sewers, cutters, printers and graphic designers.
Designed and developed seasonal lines for Womens, Mens and Kids categories. Earned reputation for developing new creative approach when upgrading the target customer from young contemporary to current premium, while maintaining the same price point.
• Quickly learned the denim business often juggling many projects at once.
• Produced seasonal trend presentations which content level was recognized and comparable to key trend reports service providers and subsequently requested by private label accounts every season.
• Partnered with pattern makers in preparing and ensuring accuracy of specs from initial concept to final stages of fit.
• Worked closely with wash technicians on new developments and trained technicians in China to achieve natural looking dry processes.
Created a capsule knit collection for both Womens and Kids. Single handedly planned and executed the whole line.
• Generated all the sketches and tech packs
• Developed the first line in Portugal with a full package vendor
• Sourced fabrics and trims domestically and overseas.
• Created all the artwork for silk screens and fabric prints.
• Handled all the development from first fit all the way to bulk.
Played key role in the design and production of knit tops and sweaters for the contemporary market, having Anthropologie and Bloomingdales as major accounts.
• Owned the fabric sourcing and research and also drafted all the flat sketches for the collections
• Generated all the tech packs and created clear submit comments to the factories for lab dips, graphics and fabric qualities.
Worked directly with designer/owner in developing this contemporary sportswear line that had Bloomingdales and Sack's Fifth Ave. as major retail partners as well as private label for Victoria's Secret.
• Helped with fabric sourcing and sample making
• Managed production.
Successfully created a beachwear line that was designed, developed and produced in Bali, Indonesia, exported to Rio de Janeiro and sold on key Beachwear Stores throughout the state.
Digital Portfolio available at www.cargocollective.com/dkonotop
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