More Information

Leslie Ann Pin
14 Grant Street, North Attleboro, MA 02760
Mobile – 314.497.5615
Home – 508.316.1690
Email - alohapin@earthlink.net

CASUAL MALE RETAIL GROUP Canton,MA
December 2005–April 2009

Director of Product Development Private Label Programs

Casual Male Stores – Synrgy, Synrgy Jeans, 626 Blues, Oak Hill, Harbor Bay, Island Passport, Gold Series and Platinum Collection

Casual Male Outlet Stores – Fuse, 555 Turnpike, Canyon Ridge, Island Outfitters and
Silver Edition

Rochester Stores – Castagne, Rochester, and Society of One

Lead the development of brands that met the needs of the customer while achieving the company’s financial objectives in partnership with the buying teams. Supported the Merchant teams in ensuring brand consistency and equity, defining and implementing the agreed to brand strategies and ensuring the merchandising and brand strategies were complementary.

Brand Development
•Worked with the GMM and VP of Global Sourcing to define strategy and vision for each brand.
•Organized required market, lifestyle, consumer and competitive shopping and research to ensure proper positioning of the brands.
•Worked with Merchants and Sourcing teams throughout process to share trend information, planning goals, style/fabric concepts, and market observations to support the success of the brands.
•Oversaw the development of private label merchandise from concept through hand-off ensuring adherence to the Development Calendar.

Merchandising and Line Building
•Traveled in the US and internationally to gather trend information and be the key provider of trend and brand direction.
•Provided direction to the Product Managers, Textile Designer and Graphic Designer that will ensured productive partnerships existed with the Buying Team and Sourcing Team to develop assortment strategies that maximized gross margin opportunities.
•Identified fabrics, finishes, details and styles from overseas markets and provide samples for the merchant teams to review.
•Ensured brand differentiation across labels, divisions, and store companies.
•Responsible for overseeing the development of labeling/packaging for each brand.

Primary Responsibilities:
•Worked with Product Managers to ensure trends were interpreted correctly in each brand; monitored development of designs to ensure correct translation of trend to product.
•Responsible for seasonal trend and color research; communicated big picture trend to Merchandising, Planning, Sourcing and Product Development teams.
•Using information derived from trend services and market research developed the seasonal corporate color palettes by brand.
•Presented overall trends at Seasonal Concept meetings.
•Developed and implemented seasonal Product Development Calendar and monitored to ensure all parties were adhering to their commitments.
•Developed skills and enhanced the productivity of Product Managers, Textile Designer and Graphic Designer by managing, coaching, providing feedback, instilling the importance of teamwork through performance reviews, training and development.

MAY MERCHANDISING COMPANY.
Saint Louis, MO.
(August 1994 – December 2005)

Head Designer – Men’s and Boys 8-20 Private Label Programs September 2001 – December 2005

Brands - Brandini, John Ashford, Emerge, Ashford Sport, and Exceed

•Directed the brand delineation between labels.
•Researched trend direction in Europe, New York, and Los Angeles.
•Chose quarterly color palettes and mapped out color flow by program.
•Set Trend Matrix and Big Ideas to be distorted each season.
•Led design development in silhouette, print, and pattern
•Collaborated with the Technical Dept., Trim Dept, Fabric Dept., and the Sweater Dept. from inception through production.
•Led design team of seven members - three designers, two assistant designers, and two textile designers, in the development process.
•Beginning in FA’05 development planned Brandini assortments for A+ to E doors ensuring even smallest doors received the correct percentage of fashion product.
•Created timing and action calendars and tracked progress to ensure deadlines were met.
•Presented the initial concepts to the SVP of Design and the merchant team, as line progressed, culminating in the final presentation to upper management.
•Monitored vendor, mill, and fabric/garment finishing capabilities as well as new development in Asia.

Designer - Woven Private Label Programs August 1998 – September 2001

Categories - Men’s Sportshirt, Outerwear, and Boy’s 8–20 Tops,
Young Mens and Boys 8-20 Shorts.

Brands - Brandini, John Ashford, Emerge, Ashford Sport, and Exceed

•Worked with design directors to create corporate color and trend direction.
•Worked closely with Market Rep. to promote corporate fashion direction within each program.
•Initiated fabric research with overseas offices to get the most innovative fabrications.
•Sketched the line on Style Manager system, and designed prints and patterns on U4ia.
•Oversaw the approval of handlooms, strike-offs and lab dips as well as bulk to ensure all programs coordinated.
•Traveled overseas to trouble shoot potential production problems and work directly with mills and vendors.
•Created concept and presentation boards.
•Supervised an assistant and oversaw professional development.

Textile Designer – Woven Private Label Programs
August 1994 – August 1998

Categories - Mens, Young Mens and Boy’s 8–20, Womens Sportswear

Brands - Brandini, John Ashford, Emerge, Exceed, Valerie Stevens, VS Sport, and Marsh Landing

•Named May Company Designer of the year for 1998
•Created and cleaned artwork in U4ia system.
•Merchandised patterns during development to achieve cohesive statement in the assortment.
•Initiated the development of new fabrications to keep programs on trend.
•Mentored Assistant Textile Designer resulting in her promotion to Textile Designer

DEV IMPORTS, LTD.
NY,NY
(July 1992 – August 1994)

Associate Designer – Young Men’s, and Boy’s 4-20
•Designed woven tops and shorts as a member of a 3-person design team.
•Co-designed and fabricated the line.
•Sketched and speced the line.
•Corresponded overseas with factories for sampling and corrections.
•Worked with free-lance print and pattern designers.

BERGEN COUNTY DAY TRAINING CENTER.
PARAMUS, NJ
(July 1988-July1992)

Teachers Technician
•Assisted teacher in care and instruction of severely and profoundly handicapped students.
•Worked in three classrooms with children and young adults ranging in age from four to twenty-one years old.
•Created and implemented adaptive equipment and devices.
•Served on the Curriculum Committee.

DESIGN CLEARING HOUSE INC.
NY, NY (
April 1984-July 1988)

Assistant Designer
•Designed multiple categories in this freelance design firm including textile designs for Sesame Street infants bedding, infant apparel for Kent Inc., and Disney umbrellas for Shaw Inc.
•Oversaw sample room.
•Created presentations for clients

Education
Pratt Institute
Bachelors in Fashion Design
Cum Laude

References
Available upon request