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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
HEATHER VERRAN, NY, NY 2005-Present
Owner
A retailers designer. Well known in the Activewear industry for a feminine and sustainable design ethos. Have contracted or worked in house as design director or designer for the following companies:
Eleven by Venus Williams for Spring 2012
Created a brand book for marketing presentations.
Nordstrom, Director of Activewear for Zella, M+M and Stem for Holiday 2011
Lead, mentored and managed the development process and the design team.
Created new presentation tools for merchandising and buy meetings.
Developed brand books, and set color and trend themes for the season.
Partnered with buyers and production team to build assortment at strategic price points.
MBody for Madonna, Director of Design for a new celebrity gym and yoga collection.
Built and managed a freelance and the internal team of graphic, technical and associate designers.
Created the overarching brand ethos and the aesthetic of the collection.
Acted as the liason between Iconix and The Moret Group to align presentations and product development.
Drew CADs and illustrations of the collection from croquis to technical drawings.
Advised print, fit and material selection.
Presented preline collection to Iconix senior executives.
Graj+Gustavsen, Director of Apparel Design for Eco Shirt, a new mens and womens lifestyle brand for American Eagle Outfitters. 1 year contract
Designed all mens and womens tees, fleece, outerwear and activewear.
Responsible for all communications with the development partner, Otto Group.
Sourced organic materials and recycled trims.
Co-created the sales tools and seasonal calendar for presentation to executives.
Launch was successful. ECO Shirt is rapidly becoming a respected and profitable brand.
Design Director for The Athletes Foot. 1 year contract
Managed and lead the design, merchandising and development partner in creating a private label active brand for the retailer.
Partnered with cross functional teams Li and Fung and Nexcen Brands.
Initiated and directed seasonal calendar, line matrices, target wholesale pricing and fabrications
New Balance Athletic Shoe Company-2 year contract
Senior Designer for BCG and Aspire kids collections . Partnered with sales rep have in respect to maximizing the current business and driving sales increased sales volume.
Problem solved pricing and delivery challenges .
Mentored associate technical designer.
Designed the product, authored tech packages and directed the fittings.
During the worst of the economic decline, my areas maintained 30% sales increase.
Hanes Brands, Inc- C9 Womens Platinum Collection for Target
Designed one season of the Hanes lifestyle brand and C9.
Created tech packages for hand off to product development team.
Teamworked with a large network of designers to hit critical calendar dates.
OMALA Activewear -5 year contract
Creative director for a Yoga Lifestyle Brand .
Introduced sustainable fabrications at the early stages of the eco-friendly macro trend.
Increased the volume and distribution channels from a start-up enterprise.
Defined the design ethos of the new brand and designed into it.
Manage all aspects of product development from sampling through to production.
Sourced fabric and factories in both domestic and international markets.
Supervised production. Including sewing, grading, marking and cutting.
FOOR LOCKER INC., NY, NY 2003-2005
Senior Designer, Womens Active and Lifestyle
Responsible for the creative and technical design of all assigned brands including Lady Foot Locker , Umbro and Converse. Managed two staff members.
Increased the volume each season 50% per annum. Gross Margins increased from 28% to 68%.
Researched competitive marketplace for fit and adoptable line strategies.
Set color, trend, fabric and themes for the season.
Identified key volume items for basic programs.
Implement the fit standards and created streamlined systems to save on product development costs.
Integrate with the buyers and DMM to develop the overall direction on the floor to maintain a cohesive vision of footwear, branded apparel and private label.
LOYALTEX, NY, NY 2001-2003
Design Director
Managed design, sourcing and technical staff for a diverse account base of high end and volume retailers such as Saks Inc, Coldwater Creek, Aeropostale, Avenue and Lane Bryant.
Reached growth parameters by increasing sales unilaterally for all major accounts.
Trend spotted European and American markets for color, items and themes.
Developed margin builder opportunities in product offering to accounts.
Design management of internal and Hong Kong office.
JONES NEW YORK , NY, NY 1999-2001
Senior Designer 1995-1999-freelance
Design a casual weekend wear collection of denim and prints for Federated Department Stores and speciality retailers. Sales volume continued to climb during tenure with the company
Design all assigned product classifications
Purchasing of prints and preparing all CAD work including repeats and re-colorations
Approval of all fabric, strike-offs, washes and trims
Partner with sales and production teams
Hind sight analysis of classifications, style count, efficiency and assortment planning
HEATHER SCOTT, NY, PARIS 1992-1999
CEO
An entrepreneurial design and manufacturing studio offering creative services across all Womens classifications with offices in New York City and Paris.
Major accounts include DKNY, Coolwear, Fubu, Troop, Shu-Shu, Morgan, Bloomingdales, Saks, and Nordstrom.
Proficient in trend hunting with focus on Junior and Contemporary markets.
The companys eponymous label sold to 70 speciality retailers and had several magazine covers to its credit.
Manage design, production, accounting, shipping, press and clients.
Supervised staff and factories
Conducted hiring of sales professionals and support staff.
Traveled globally for clientele to execute seasonal collections.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
BFA, Fashion Design
Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design, Los Angeles, CA
1986
TECHINCAL SKILLS
Proficient in Illustrator, Photoshop, PDM, and Microsoft Office: Mac and PC platforms
