I am an experienced Outerwear and Leather Apparel Designer with proven skills in successfully building and implementing commercial ranges for both men and women. Having spent over 8 years in the industry across full-time and freelance roles, I have extensive experience in orchestrating all aspects of design alongside trend forecast translation, analysing consumer behaviour, product strategy and development and vendor management. With an instinctive eye for identifying winning trends, colour palettes, silhouettes and innovative materials, I am adept at utilizing all the range building tools and translating the same into crowd pulling collections. I strongly believe that it takes a team to achieve a goal and thus strong communication holds prime importance. With my experience and skills , I started a design consultancy named Studio Zero Nine ( https://www.instagram.com/studio_zero_nine/ ) offering clothing startups end-to-end design and brand identity solutions as well as working with established brands on their outerwear categories. I am an avid reader and a travel enthusiast with a penchant for learning new cultures and exploring new things - helping me to give substance to each of my designs and keeping me thrilled for any challenge that comes my way. I love painting a picture with each of my collection and I like to think what I offer is an experience to the wearer.
- Collaborate effectively with clients to understand and refine project briefs, resulting in successful launches. - Offer expert guidance and valuable insights into the latest trends and comprehensive market research to elevate the appeal and competitiveness of their products. - Spearhead range planning in close collaboration with buyers, skillfully aligning product interventions to meet budgetary constraints while delivering compelling and market-responsive collections. - Drive and supervise sourcing and product development efforts directly with vendors, fostering productive partnerships and ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality merchandise. - Effectively manage design calendars and critical paths, streamlining workflow and meeting project milestones promptly and efficiently. - Demonstrate a keen awareness of fashion trends and consumer preferences, enabling informed and strategic product selections that resonated strongly with the target audience.
Buyer Portfolio included the following : 1. Germany : Esprit, Jean Paul, Breuninger, Peek and Cloppenburg, Glaw Berlin, Zalando, True Religion Europe 2. UK: Next, Bolongaro Trevor, House Of Fraser, Kenneth Cole, Preen, Hush, Asos, Joules, Debenhams, Superdry 3. Netherlands: Tommy Hilfiger Europe, Arma 4. South Korea: Shinsegae 5. India: Royal Enfield Job Description - Spearheaded design developments within the division, fostering team growth through extensive research and development (R&D). - Acted as a key liaison with buyers, facilitating range development through meticulous material and surface research, insightful trend and market reports and creative concept mock-ups. - Successfully created Hero Styles for renowned brands including Esprit, Next, Breuninger, Asos, Debenhams, Arma, Shinsagae, and House of Fraser, leading to notable re-orders and enhanced sales team performance. - Collaborated seamlessly with merchandising to drive product development, providing valuable product interventions informed by sales analyses, buyer feedback, contemporary brands' study, and visionary creativity. - Traveled extensively for inspiration trips and participated in buyer meetings across Europe, staying abreast of industry trends and establishing fruitful business relationships. - Consistently delivered compelling new product presentations to buyers, achieving an impressive 90% success rate in securing orders. - Prepared comprehensive trend bulletins, effectively communicating market insights to the entire customer base, in-house teams, and vendors. - Meticulously created detailed tech packs with precise specifications, ensuring seamless product development by vendors. - Led a dynamic team, including interns, in the development of a comprehensive product display for prestigious fairs like Magic Show Las Vegas 2015 and CIFF 2016, resulting in remarkable new business opportunities.
- Assisted the leather and outerwear team on design and other general day-to-day tasks.
- Assisted the leather accessories design team with day-to-day tasks.