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Giorgia Biancato

Product & Merchandise Director
About

With over 20 years in fashion product management, I get all aspects of the job—design, product development, garment tech, planning, merchandising, buying and sourcing. I managed diverse product lines (apparel, leather goods, soft accessories, underwear) across wholesale, retail, digital - segments (Women's, Men’s, Kid’s) and Markets (EMEA; US; ASIA). I'm skilled in taking products from concept to production, ensuring they're high quality and market-ready. I'm committed to sustainability and ethical practices, keeping up with industry standards. I read the market, understand consumer behavior. I manage budgets and make decisions using KPIs. Skilled in Merchandise Planning, Retail buying and Allocation. Expert in defining processes and Go-to-Market (Global Master Calendar). In fast-paced settings, I juggle multiple projects and priorities effortlessly. I work well with teams, fostering good relationships and communication to inspire cross-functional collaboration.

Previous Brands
Benetton Group
Blufin S.p.A.
Cocosa
FILA
Gruppo Miroglio
Lotto Sport Italia Spa
Salvatore Ferragamo
Sixty Spa
STEFANEL
Trussardi
United Colors of Benetton
Original Marines
Work Experience
Product & Merchandising Director
Jan ‘24 - Now
Original Marines

Original Marines is a leading Italian brand specializing in high-quality, stylish children's clothing, combining comfort and durability with contemporary design. Renowned for its innovative collections, the company is distributed in Italy, Europe, Russia and LATAM. Reporting to General Manager, team of 30. Yearly turnover €190M. In charge of Design & Product development, Collection Merchandising, Retail buying, Merchandise Planning & Allocation. - Design &Product Development. Team of 15. Oversee collection development from Design Moodboards to SMS inbound, making sure timelines and target costs are respected. Fabric research and direct communication with factories. - Patter making and Protos. Team of 9. - Collection Merchandising. Team of 1. Define the collection grid per product flow, fashionability, lifecycle, target RRP, margin and forecasted volumes. Competitors benchmark supported by Reviews. - Merchandise Planning. Team of 1. Responsible for budget by store and OTB. In-season analysis. - Retail Buying. Team of 1. Cluster definition and update (500 stores), retail buying. In-season analysis and store check. - Allocation. Team of 3. Manage in-season stock levels through replenishments and stock transfers.

Head of Product & Design
Nov ‘20 - Dec ‘23
Gruppo Miroglio

Part of Miroglio Group (€550M turnover) Fiorella Rubino is an Italian fashion brand dedicated to offering stylish, contemporary clothing for curvy women, celebrating body positivity and inclusivity. Products are distributed in Italy and Europe. Reporting to Brand Director, team of 10. Yearly turnover €96M. Reporting to Brand Director, team of 10. Yearly turnover €96M. ● Product Strategy: Develop and communicate a clear product strategy aligned with the company's mission and vision. Stay up-to-date with industry trends, consumer preferences, and competitor activities to identify opportunities for product innovation. Lead the team to drive the development of new product lines, styles, and categories that resonate with our target market. Manage collection development in multiple sourcing areas (Far East, North Africa, Italy). Negotiate with suppliers and vendors to ensure favorable terms and pricing. ● Design and Garment Technology: Lead the team to create innovative and sustainable fashion products. Ensure product designs meet quality and sustainability standards, including ethical sourcing and manufacturing practices. ● Planning and Store Merchandising: collaborate with planning and store merchandising functions to optimize product placement (fortnightly deliveries), inventory levels, and in-store customer experience. Collaborate with retail operations to plan in-store displays and promotions to maximize sales. ● Team Leadership and Development: Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of design and product professionals. Set clear goals, expectations, and KPIs for team members. Provide regular feedback and performance evaluations. ● Use Google analytics and Retviews to target product placements and competition. ● Play a pivotal role in defining in-store display, windows, (social media) communication, and go-to-market activities. ACHIEVEMENTS: - 21% turnover increase in 2022 due to combined product and marketing activities. https://it.fashionnetwork.com/news/Fiorella-rubino-cresce-del-21-nei-primi-nove-mesi-e-rafforza-la-relazione-con-le-clienti-grazie-alla-community-le-amiche-di-fiorella-,1456484.html - Kick-off new PLM and digital product creation process. - Identified “style codes” to give greater identity to the brand, as core part of marketing BRAND BOOK. - Enhanced product coordinability, leading to +10% improved UPT.

Global Merchandising Director Blumarine
Feb ‘18 - Jun ‘20
Blufin S.p.A.

Blumarine is a prestigious Italian fashion house known for its romantic and elegant designs, blending luxurious fabrics with intricate detailing. Celebrated for its feminine aesthetic, the brand offers sophisticated apparel and accessories for women. Distributed in Europe, Russia, China,US. Reporting to CEO. Yearly turnover €40M. Experience concluded due to the sale of the company to Liu Jo. • Lead the Design & Product Development team on collections execution to ensure brand alignment, final costing matching financial objectives, and timely delivery execution. • Develop an overarching merchandising strategy across all Brands and product lines. • Elaborate merchandising budgets, plans and forecast including mix, margins and price architecture. • Own the retail and e-commerce buying. • Review total buys after market and place forward orders to production. • Partner with cross-functional peers in Marketing to ensure appropriate in-store and on-line presentation, ADV campaigns and overall go-to-market strategy and plans. • Collaborate with the online team in leveraging the site experience to drive guest engagement and conversion. ACHIEVEMENTS: - Improved collection efficiency: reduced cancellations from 25% to less than 10%, improved UPS (Units per Style) ratio by 30% resulting in easy-to achieve production minimums. - Improved GP from 58% to 62% uncompromising on product quality. - Created common cross-functional Seasonal Calendar with a Concept-to-Shelf approach.

Global Merchandise Planning Director (UCB, 012, Sisley Young, Undercolor)
Oct ‘15 - Feb ‘18
Benetton Group

Benetton is a global fashion brand known for its vibrant, colorful clothing and commitment to social causes. Renowned for its innovative marketing campaigns, Benetton promotes diversity and inclusivity through its distinctive style and messaging. Distributed worldwide. Reporting to CMO, team of 30. Yearly turnover €1,400M Collection size: 12000+ SKUs per season including RTW (7000SKUs), accessories (1500SKUs), underwear (4000SKUs) • Coordinate pre-season activities: global retail line-up, launch planning, allocation plan, pricing & range planning • Define target KPIs for collection size, turnover, price tag, margin, FPST, cost and allocation, channel (DOS, FOS, IOS, e-commerce), seasonality, on floor month, product lifecycle • Define assortment clusters based on store capacity and financial metrics; lead the directly owned retail buying team • Partner with Licensing Team to ensure licensed products are in line with the Brand positioning ACHIEVEMENTS: - Implementation of Oracle RPAS - Implementation of a new visual planning tool powered by CORTEXICA for cross-functional usage (merchandise planning, buying, VM) - Differentiated collection lead time per product lifecycle (12 - 6 months), and a shorter and simplified process for “Design Placeholders” (3 months) - New way of Line Planning, based on actual store size and fixtures capacity, rationalizing space to assortment. - Improved profitability through pricing, to offset COGS increase & drive profitability. For 2017 collections, recovered ~40M€ margin gap vs. budget Meno dettagli

Brand Manager - INDUSTRIES SPORTSWEAR COMPANY SRL
Sep ‘14 - Sep ‘15
Self employed

Project Manager - LIBERTY FABRICS LTD
Feb ‘14 - Mar ‘15
Self employed

Buying Director
Oct ‘12 - Jan ‘14
Cocosa

Cocosa, backed by Mohamed Al Fayed, was an exclusive online retailer offering luxury fashion and lifestyle brands at discounted prices through limited-time sales events. Reporting to CEO, team of 8. Yearly turnover £13M. Experience concluded when Mr Al Fayed decided to wind down the company. • Drive a Two Year Buying Strategy, including market segmentation, brand mix, buying T&C, roadmap, KPIs. • Partner with Merchandising to define and update OTB, mark down strategy, sales targets and margin. • P&L accountability across the buy: sales, stock, turn, margin and profit. • Be Cocosa ambassador: build up and maintain strong relationships with key brands worldwide. • Work with Marketing on the Commercial Calendar in building partnerships, affiliate programs, and other ways to increase customer database. Work with Editorial to promote sales. ACHIEVEMENTS: - 20+ new brands on board. - Exclusive agreement with Moda Operandi (worth $3,3 million at whls cost for SS13). - Increased first % sales margin by 11 points. - Increased turnover from £9M to £13M. Meno dettagli

General Merchandising Director
Jan ‘12 - Sep ‘12
Sixty Spa

Reporting to General Manager, team of 40. Yearly turnover €200M. Manage Design, Product Development, Merchandising and Buying. Experience concluded due to company being acquired by chinese Trendy International Group.

RTW Business Unit Director
Sep ‘07 - Dec ‘11
Trussardi

Trussardi is an Italian fashion house renowned for its traditional craftsmanship, specializing in luxury accessories and clothing for men’s and women’s. Distributed in Europe, Russia, Middle East, China and US. Reporting to CEO, team of 8. Total yearly turnover €23M. Experience concluded due to Tomaso Trussardi taking over the leadership of the company. • P&L responsibilities. • Business Plan development: vision/objectives, strategies/plans, financial goals. • In charge to set the Global Master Calendar for collection development • Set strategic guidelines in terms of distribution. Assign and discuss commercial budgets. • Directly manage the relationship with Key whls customers. • Define seasonal budget and OTB for DOS, drive and supervise buying and retail operations. • Coordinate with Communication Director to define activities to promote the brand/product. ACHIEVEMENTS: -Doubled Division Turnover from €5M to €10M. - Business Unit Restructuring and Re-organization, 20% costs reduction. - Reviewed and optimized the Supply Chain (100% made in Italy), negotiated new T&C with Suppliers. - Updated and repositioned Trussardi as a luxury brand by mean of Trussardi 1911. Meno dettagli

RTW Merchandising Manager
Jan ‘04 - Aug ‘07
Salvatore Ferragamo

Reporting to Business Unit Director, team of 2. Responsible for €120M turnover (Group yearly turnover €650M).

Merchandising & Licensing Manager
May ‘01 - Dec ‘03
STEFANEL

Reporting to Sales Director, team of 2. Asia & Middle East - 45 pos. Company yearly turnover €230M.

Apparel Product Line Manager
Jun ‘99 - May ‘01
FILA

Apparel Product Manager
Jan ‘98 - Dec ‘99
Lotto Sport Italia Spa

Export Area Manager Killer Loop
Jan ‘96 - Dec ‘98
United Colors of Benetton

Languages
English - Fluent
French - Work Proficiency
Italian - Native
Education & Training
MIT SLOANE
‘20 - ‘20
MASTER
PRICING
ISTUD
‘95 - ‘96
MASTER
MARKETING AND SALES
CA FOSCARI VENICE
‘88 - ‘94
BACHELOR DEGREE
ECONOMICS
Venezia, IT