More Information
CONTACT:
kthrn_douglas@yahoo.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY:
Womens accessories designer with extensive experience in handbags, luggage, footwear, belts, jewelry, cold weather, sleep and loungewear. Effective project manager with strong expertise in sourcing, product development, and overseas factory correspondence and travel. Highly trained eye for detail and forecasting emerging seasonal trends with proven success in branded accessory categories.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
LULULEMON ATHLETICA, Vancouver, BC 2009-present
Lead Designer, Accessories
Establish seasonal direction and lead team of designers in executing multiple categories including bags, athletic accessories, and equipment. Collaborate with cross-functional partners to deliver aspirational, best in world product. Extensive travel overseas to source, develop, and finalize lines.
Responsible for creating aesthetic and design principles for lululemon accessories. Established ethos that extended beyond logo-ed gym bag. Product has appeared in Runner\'s World, Australian Vogue, and Yoga Journal magazines.
Trained, developed and inspired team of assistant designers and designers to create best in class athletic accessories
Created aspirational, innovative product. Yoga mat was voted best mat in Outdoor Magazine\'s 2011 Buyer\'s Guide. Currently hold design patents on two other bags.
Extensive travel to lead design meetings with store educators, athletes and ambassadors. Extensive overseas travel to attend trade shows and research market trends
Partnered with merchant to create seasonal line assortment and establish target retails. Established foundational product in accessories assortment, including a core sock program, bag line, and yoga mat architecture.
Consistently beat weekly sales plans. Fall\'10 \'bon voyage duffel\' had highest APS of any lululemon gym bag
Sourced all raw materials, working with factories and mills directly to develop fabric, trim and hardware working within target margin
Managed and owned production timelines, calendar and margin. Designed 8 months to market, delivering high-quality product with awareness of seasonal HODs and target costs.
VICTORIAS SECRET PINK, New York, NY 2008-2009
Designer, Accessories
Lead design and development process of all accessory categories including leather goods, casual bags, luggage, footwear, and cold weather accessories. Managed team of full time freelancers while collaborating with cross-functional partners to design and produce aspirational product in line with the PINK aesthetic. Extensive travel to Asia to source, develop, and finalize seasonal lines.
Oversaw all aspects of the design process, from concept to final execution. Shopped vintage and retail markets while conducting trend and market research from industry resources.
Consulted with merchant partners to identify best selling products and chase into emerging seasonal trends.
Proven sales success. Fall09 travel set and charm EVA flip flop were highest selling store items. Fall accessories up 300K to plan while apparel and intimate categories were consecutively missing.
Communicated directly with overseas factories. Maintained current factory relationships while building new, including factories specializing in hardware, cold weather and leather manufacturing.
Presented at all seasonal sketch, design, and style reviews to merchants, senior VPs, and President.
ABERCROMBIE AND FITCH, Columbus, OH 2006-2008
Designer, Accessories
Oversaw design and development of all Hollister accessories before being promoted to lead designer of cold weather product across all brands, including ANF womens and girls, Hollister, Ruehl, and Gilly Hicks.
Managed team of designers and partnered with technical and graphic teams to produce cold weather product in line with the aesthetic of 5 different brands under the Abercrombie and Fitch umbrella. Partnered with sourcing teams to research innovative trims, fabrications, and yarns within multiple target budgets.
Created realistic and technical sketches using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
Assembled and maintained all techpacks using Adobe Illustrator and WebPDM.
Maintained tight calendar deadlines. Holiday 08 was first season of cold weather to make boat delivery deadlines.
Creatively designed into aesthetic and pricing challenges, including limited color palette and 80% IMU challenge.
Collaborated with graphic design team to apply current graphic trends to accessory product categories.
WINDSONG ALLEGIANCE GROUP, Westport, CT 2005-2006
Designer
Created original graphics, hang tags and trims for private label male brands.
Researched and designed boys swim line.
Assembled and maintained color palettes, line books, and trim sheets.
SBH INTIMATES/JACQUE MORET, New York, NY 2004-2004
Design Intern
Researched and applied trends in color, fabrication, and print design for licensed intimate apparel.
EDUCATION:
B.A.A, Apparel Merchandising and Design, Central Michigan University, 2005
Fashion Illustration Summer Course, Marangoni Institute, Milan Italy, Summer 2004
200 hr yoga teacher training, YYoga, Vancouver, BC
