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CORE COMPETENCIES
- Responsible for developing Main Line and Off Price woven tops product culminating in $45 million in annual sales.
- Formulate seasonal vision and strategy.
- Hands on design execution within target costs and margin requirements.
- Lead design and technical teams effectively.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Partner with factories, mills, and Product Development teams domestically and overseas.
SKILLS
Web PDM, Kaledo Knit, Illustrator/Generation Digital, Photoshop, Enovia Web PLM, Excel, Word, Lotus Notes, PowerPoint, Micrographics, hand sketching, mood boards, hand knitting
WEBSITE
http://aerbydesign.wixsite.com/aerbydesign
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Hampshire Brands, New York, NY
Senior Designer Men’s Wovens – Full Time 1/2013 – Present
Designer / Dockers Men’s cut & sew knits and sweaters – Full Time 7/2010 – 4/2012
• Responsible for developing Fall/Holiday and Spring/Summer wovens, cut & sew, and fully fashioned sweater groups that reflect the seasonal design direction set forth by Dockers Corporate offices in San Francisco CA. and Private Label accounts.
• Responsible for creating a separate line of seasonal off price & premium woven off price groups for accounts such as Burlington, Marmaxx, and Ross Stores. Increased company off price business by 40% from Spring 2015 to Spring 2016. $15 million in annual sales.
• Have ownership of category from initial development of palette, styling, and construction all the way through to the production phase.
• Travel to corporate offices in San Francisco for seasonal kick-offs and line in progress meetings as required. Travel overseas and Far East for inspiration, line-in-progress development, and factory/mill visits.
• Shop the market for trend inspiration in yarn, color, print, silhouette, and fabrication.
• Ownership of all phases of tech pack development in Web PDM from construction details and images to color information as well as creating and sending CAD artwork to factories for strike offs, knit downs, and proto sample development.
• Manage design assistants as needed for various projects.
• Work with technical design on proto sample commenting to expedite sampling of full line of showroom garments.
Parigi Group Ltd., New York, NY 11/2012 – 9/2013
Head Designer / Lucky Brand Boyswear knits/wovens
Freelance Designer /DKNY & LRG Boyswear knits/wovens 11/2009 – 7/2010
• Work closely with Corporate Main offices and Design Director to develop monthly deliveries of boy’s knits, wovens, denim, and outerwear sizes 8-20. Designs adhere to the esthetic and integrity of the label while remaining conscious of factory capabilities within a required price point.
• Partner with graphic designer to create compelling branded artwork to achieve the desired impact and a visual cohesiveness within each delivery.
• Meet daily with Production Manager to review proto samples and strike offs for commenting to factories.
• Attend fittings and comment with technical designer on all samples to maintain the fit, construction, and esthetic guidelines of each label.
• Ownership of tech packs from initial development and follow up all the way through to production utilizing Illustrator and Web PDM systems.
ANDRE´ E. ROBERGE PAGE 2
Freelance Positions 2006 – 2010
Designer /Consultant – knits / wovens, men’s and women’s
Michael Kors U.S.A. – Men’s knits/wovens - January 2008 – November 2009
Global Wide Development/Magaschoni – Men’s knits/wovens - March 2009 – April 2009
Sport-Elle – Women’s knits/wovens - June 2008
Macy’s Inc. – Women’s knits/sweaters - August 2006 – April 2007
Polo Ralph Lauren - Women’s sweaters - April 2006 – August 2006
• Partner with Technical and Merchandising for seasonal line development.
• Flat sketching by hand and Illustrator programs.
• Print and embellishment layouts and development.
• Execute fittings of prototypes and production samples and comment to overseas offices.
• Participate in design concept and inspiration meetings for men’s & women’s.
Weston Wear, San Francisco, CA – Full Time 5/2007-11/2007
Designer / Merchandiser – cut & sew knits/wovens
• Partner with Design Director to develop 6 seasonal deliveries of dresses, skirts and tops.
• Meet with mills for selection of seasonal fabrics.
• Travel to Los Angeles to shop the market and attended fabric/print shows.
• Travel to New York City to sell the line at Coterie and Intermezzo shows.
• Work with the company’s public relations firm to market the Weston Wear label to various publications, celebrities, and fashion related events.
May Merchandising Company, New York, NY & St. Louis, MO – Full Time 2000 – 2006
Knitwear Designer – IDEOLOGY Label, NYC/2002 – 2006
Knitwear Design Assistant – IDEOLOGY Label NYC/2001 - 2002
Knitwear Design Assistant – Valerie Stevens, St. Louis 2000 – 2001
• Design cut & sew knits and sweaters that incorporate brand appropriate fashion and salability into a Contemporary line.
• Travel to Asia and Europe to shop the market and visit vendors and factories to track emerging trends and oversee seasonal development.
• Create Spec packages using Web PDM systems for publication to overseas offices and ensure development deadlines are met. Partner with Technical Designer during fit sessions.
• Supervise and developed Design Assistants in day-to-day processes of developing the line.
En Vie, San Francisco, CA 1997 – 1998
Designer / Owner
• Consult with clients on an individual basis to design and create special occasion dresses from sketch to muslin to completed style.
• Provide excellent customer service by personally making any alterations necessary to fit or design.
• Price styles depending on intricacy of design and construction resulting in improved customer satisfaction.
EDUCATION
Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY
Associates of Art in Fashion Design
Awards - Critic award winner for best knitwear design graduating class.
Southern Maine Technical College South Portland, ME
Associates of Science in Respiratory Care - Trauma and ICU specialization
INTERESTS/HOBBIES
Art: Sketching/Painting, Knitting, Movies, Reading, Astronomy, Metaphysics, Travel, Health & Fitness.
