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Design Manager
The TJX Companies
Jun 2015 - Present (9 years 3 months)
Promoted to lead and launch new product development division in March of 2017 including the development of handbags, small leather & cold weather goods supporting the entire global organization. Our teams design and development spanned across 11 global retail chains as well as 3 on-line channels including:in the US. *Winners, Homesense & Marshalls in Canada. *TK Maxx and Homesense in UK & Europe, and TK Maxx in Australia. *TJMaxx.com, Marshalls.com, SierraTradingPost.com Directing team of designers and freelancers in print and bag design & research. Line planning of each category - ability to tweak according to needs of the retail chain. Communicating daily with overseas & domestic agents and vendors during sample development, negotiation of costing & production. Design and Develop branded hardware & packaging for our in house license brands making sure brand DNA was represented accurately. Extensive print, pattern and technical design capabilities. Continuing to foster relationship with merchant team encouraging their trust in our design knowledge while learning voids of the market and ensuring to fill those needs utilizing the specialties of each of our vendors most effectively.
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Design Manager
TJX Companies
Jun 2015 - Present (9 years 3 months)
Collaboration with team members and managers to meet deadlines and maintain ability to shift with the needs of the retail environment. Sourcing Vendors overseas (China, Vietnam, Cambodia, India) & domestically seeking relationships for future growth. Trend research internationally & domestically to determine direction & aesthetic for each delivery in collaboration with the trend team in order to aid in cohesive floor presentation across all categories. Present Trend Presentation Quarterly, collaborating with merchant team on selling to creates most effective line plan for each season, paying attention goal of transitioning floor seamlessly & effectively. Design & Development of over 100 styles per delivery of handbags, luggage and small leather goods more than doubling sales each year and building the leather category to exceed 20 million dollars for 2019.
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Designer, Owner
Jodi Rae Design
Jan 2005 - Present (19 years 8 months)
Established and continues to maintain independent graphic design company specializing in branding, social invites & stationery, website design & packaging. Very skilled illustrator who can create fun characters, surface patterns or realistic, instructional representations for packaging, marketing, web site design, email blasts and in-bound marketing graphics. Ongoing design projects for the following: Barneys, Goyard, Steve Madden, GAP, Wizo Foundation, Emily & Ashley, A Finer Consigner, BellaBaker.com, Pretty on Paper, Greenbeads by Emily & Ashley, Gunamuna, Circle of Life, Hollywood Fourth, Cornerstone On Demand, Service Runner and LKI Interiors. Work closely with client to gain understanding of personal preferences and needs Create selection and individualize design based on client specifications Oversee product development from concept to production Adhere to given time line and price point Handle bookkeeping, produce proposals, contracts, invoices and purchase orders
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Senior Brand Designer & Manager
The TJX Companies
Jun 2014 - Jun 2015 (1 year)
Managed team of designers & freelancers in all apparel & accessories branding & packaging for product development teams Developed Time and Actions for each project in order to educate the product development teams on timing and to create an understanding of packaging design time vs product design time - helping them to understand the similarities and importance of the "silent salesman" Developed creative solutions to effectively communicate the visual personality of all licensed (20) & in house apparel & accessory brands 50+) Developed collaborative working relationships with outside Packaging & Label Suppliers Maintained inventory & material library Developed 3D Prototypes & set up print ready files for outside printing companies Supervise the assessment of all graphic materials in order to ensure the quality and accuracy in the design
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Senior Designer
Steve Madden
York, NY
Jun 2005 - Mar 2013 (7 years 9 months)
Managed and directed design staff of private label & licensed handbag lines including:
Steve Madden, SMNY, Madden Girl, Nine West, Anne Klein, Paris Hilton, Starlet for PH, Heatherette, Candie's, Material Girl and Urban Outfitters Head designer for Walmart design team leading to overall development of $16,000,000 worth of product seasonally. Oversaw product development from concept through production. Researched retail markets and analyzed trends seasonally. Created all trend forecast presentations for individual brands focusing on their target audience. Created and managed line plan and calendars for each season. Developed print and graphics including creating repeats, color-ways and scale variations of original artwork. Daily interaction with overseas offices on sample and product development. Adapted quickly and effectively to suit the changing needs of the business. Collaborated daily with sales teams, production and buyers to identify new business opportunities. Designed all public relation and logo design art for Steve Madden/Zone 88 publications.
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Product Designer
BAG BAZAAR
York, NY
Jan 2003 - Jan 2005 (2 years)
Designed and developed seasonal programs for license brands: Bongo, XOXO, Make a Wish Foundation. Designed and developed small leather goods program. Developed prints and graphics including creating repeats, color-ways and scale variations of original artwork. Traveled to Asia quarterly to research trends and meet with suppliers and visit production line. Prepared trend forecast presentations for all key accounts. Communicated daily with overseas offices on sample and product development from concept to final product.
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Product & Package Designer
M.Z. BERGER & CO./Long
Island City, NY
Jan 2002 - Jan 2003 (1 year)
Designed children's watches, clocks and packaging for over 30 established children's licenses including: Nickelodeon NickTime, Jimmy Neutron, Fairly OddParents, Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, Hello Kitty, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shrek 2, and Care Bears Created Generic specialty lines according to style and trends for mass and mid-tier market shops. Communicated daily with overseas offices on sample and product development from initial concept to final product. Interacted daily with sales teams, production and marketing.