Alexandra McMillan

Strategic business planning to achieve financial goals for several divisions.
Develop innovative ideas for new products & concepts to optimize sales for existing product line.
Analyse the sales history and performance to forecast future sales trends & optimize growth while improving margins.
Attend market week presentations to present product line to Major International retailers & Distribution partners.
Coordinate fashion direction by seasonal quarters with buying & sales teams.
Create Master corporate colour flow & print direction for each delivery.
Manage a team of merchandisers/ technical merchandisers/ merchandising support staff
Work with all department managers to gain a common strategy to achieve goals.
Design & execution of product groups by quarter, by monthly delivery, by fixture
Lead all fittings.
Travel for sample shopping.
Hire, train & develop, as well as provide leadership to new hires

Various independent creative projects and collaborations.

Oversee the creation and direction for all Ladies Denim & secondary product
Travelled overseas for sourcing, sample purchasing, shopping the market, competitor analysis
Created mood boards, colour stories and line plan for seasonal collection by monthly delivery.
Design, sketched, merchandised and styled a complete coordinate sportswear collection
Managed team of designers, fit technician and production manager to ensure the delivery of merchandise in line with brand & company standards
Oversaw graphic artist to create original print artworks & embellishments
Direct and styled all lookbooks and web/campaign/social media & photo-shoots
Lead all fittings
Worked directly with Private Label customers to create & modify product based on individual client's needs

Instrumental in creation of concept vision and brand philosophy
Travelled seasonally for Premiere Vision/ Texworld shows fabric and trim purchasing/ sourcing sample purchasing shopping the market
Created trend boards and colour stories for seasonal direction by delivery
Specialized in creating original prints and embellishment artworks. sketched, designed, merchandised and styled a complete coordinate collection, by seasonal delivery
Created mood, worked with stylist to direct and style photo-shoots.
Worked with sales team to ensure product design addressed the consumers needs and filled a void in our market classification
Directed the fit / technical designer to meet the proper design aesthetic.
Oversaw the technical instruction to ensure the construction and specs were suitable for a contemporary high-end brand.
Purchased and sourced sportswear fabrics, supplementary prints, trims and notions.

Created concept boards for seasonal direction, based on current runway and industry trends, vision and brand philosophy
Selected seasonal colour palette, sourced fabrics, novelties, trims/ notions.
Travel seasonally/ bi-seasonally for sample purchasing.
Design, sketched, merchandise and style a complete coordinate collection, with supporting accessories in line with brand ideals and philosophy
Created, directed and styled photo-shoots and made all brand marketing tools: posters, seasonal ad campaign, hangtags, promotional merchandise
Presented the line to in-house accounts, and assisted sales team at seasonal trade expo, providing product knowledge and styling detail information.
Negotiated with factories, pricing and allocated styles accordingly.
Managed production fit. Conducted fittings and supervised corrections with technical assistant (s)
Approved and ensured maintenance of quality on all attributes of styling, trims and fit. In accordance with customer requirements
Created private label programs according to individual customers needs.

Reviewed previous season sales to determine direction and projection for upcoming season.
Selected colours and created prints each season.
Developed and sourced new yarns/ knit fabrics with various suppliers.
Created styling based on nature of fabric/ yarn, past sales and successes at the wholesale and retail level.
Maintained communication with production team to review problems and correct for current and future seasons
Traveled for market weeks/ trade shows, to support sales force and train on product knowledge.
Interpreted fashion trends and translated into commercially acceptable bodies for our varied clientele.
Used technical expertise to create technical detail packs.
Followed up with Orient on salesman sample, and in house sample line production.
Analyzed sales reports and communicated with sales force and direct consumers, in order to keep informed on current demand, and project immediately for future seasonal direction
Met with buyers to present line samples boards and create direction for seasonal merchandise.
Negotiated with buyers to finalize orders and followed up on styles on a daily basis.

Met with buyers to present themes and trend boards and create direction for seasonal merchandise.
Negotiated with buyers to finalize order specifications.
Negotiated with factories and allocated styles according to category of manufacturing expertise.
Oversaw production of samples and follow-up.
Solved production problems and prevented delivery delay.
Created prints and worked with in house design team to organize and a merchandised line.
Traveled out of the country for sample purchasing.
Created purchase orders, based on forecast from previous season.
Worked with sales force to develop styles based on individual client specifications.
Opened Letters of Credit.

Conducted daily communication with overseas buyer and suppliers
Managed new collection and sample production
Worked closely with design team, aided sample manufacturing
Orchestrated sale of stock through new ventures and methods
Created comprehensive press pack and company overview
Oversaw order placement with new and existing factories and price negotiations
Aided in hiring and training all new merchandising staff
Managed initializing contact with new suppliers and potential clients