Jennifer Weinkauf

Provide trend services, home product designs, and surface textile artwork for Fortune 500 retailers and wholesalers. Serving multiple clients with innovative product and packaging concepts, materials direction, technical design, merchandising POG mock-ups, and full-scale trend presentations. Design and manage social media posts, and development of effective social media marketing strategies to drive growth.

• Product Development and Design: Led Sears and Kmart creative team in the development of original textile art and products for in-house brands across soft home categories of Fashion Bedding, Bath, and Soft Kitchen ($200M business). Conducted competitive retail market research, established comprehensive product development timelines and traveled globally for meetings with sourcing partners, factory visits and vendors (10yr Chinese Visa).

• Trend: Attended Maison & Object Paris-- a global professional trade fair dedicated to lifestyle, decoration and design. Prepared and organized quarterly trend presentations for business unit President, category Vice Presidents, and merchant organization. Fostered a relationship with leading trend organization WGSN with monthly phone calls, on-site visits to HQ, and personal meetings with lead home fashion trend editors.

• Brand Management and Marketing: Oversaw photo shoots for packaging ensuring adherence to brand standards. Curated room looks for online marketing shots and New York marketing events. Collaborated with brand licensors to facilitate external marketing events, design approvals, and artwork acquisitions. Assisted Vice President with brand, trend and assortment strategy presentations for monthly CEO board meeting.

• Lead designer/product manager of the $300 million Kmart fashion bedding business, including high profile brands such as Jaclyn Smith and Country Living
• Manage product skus from start to finish for at least 3 seasons at a time
• Responsible for carrying out the creative vision of Executive Leadership Team by providing creative direction to team members for the execution of all fashion bedding brands
• Work with merchants and Design Director prior to each season to review selling and understand the historical item/classification positioning needed for development based on buyer line plans
• Partner with Design Director to design brand appropriate product within target cost goals that meet the margin needs of the buyers
• Develop skills/enhance productivity of all Designers by mentoring, coaching, providing feedback, and instilling teamwork
• Partner with Sourcing to make sure products are placed with appropriate vendors
• Work with Technical Designer to create clear concise spec packages that will be handed off to Sourcing
• Partner with Presentation Designer and Design Directors to set up presentations and product reviews
• Meet with vendors quarterly to determine who in the marketplace can provide the best product and manufacturing capabilities

• Work closely with Design to develop original artwork which maintains private branding guidelines
• Effectively handle large workload from the private brands of Apostrophe RTW, Apostrophe Intimates, and PID Juniors
• In addition to maintaining workload, assisted Digital Artists in meeting their deadlines by quickly learning Lectra Kaledo Style and the minibody process
• Consistently work between Illustrator, Photoshop, and U4ia to complete unique graphics, appliqués, embroideries, and textile art
• Partner with Freelance Artists by giving direction in the execution of artwork needs
• Responsible for training others on the Cad Team the use of Photoshop for textile design
• Conduct trend and color research as well as analyze competitive offerings each season before and during the development process