Erica Leisse

Responsible for creative direction for private label as well as licensed brands via product design & development, packaging & catalog design, brand identity, product marketing and merchandising strategy. Focus: Children’s Products

• Researching market trends, new technologies, and materials for products and packaging to capture market share
• Conducting competitor analysis to determine best strategy for line building
• Creating concept presentations to internal stakeholders with drawings & prototypes
• Creating technical design packs for communicating design needs to factories and negotiating costs
• Identifying direction for packaging solutions and in-store point-of-purchase displays to best support product sales
• Identifying and ensuring a cohesive brand identity for private label program as well as strictly following branding guidelines for licensed product
• Preparing and presenting formal presentations to Sales as well as directly to major retail partners
• Managing a time & action calendar for various catalog seasons at a time; Ensuring all product line launches are complete and timely
• Streamlining the workflow process by identifying techniques to increase efficiency and optimize time management
• Leading design team in creation of logos, copy, photography, packaging, and all other design & marketing needs
• Conceptualization and creation of sales catalog and sales sample kit
• Supporting ecommerce needs with compelling photos & copy needed to make the sale to consumers making split second decisions
• Delegating to Junior Designers as needed

Cultivating a licensed apparel product line for Harley Davidson while being the liaison between vendors, purchasing, sales, and graphic design.

• Supported & consistently maintained brand DNA through product offering and marketing strategies
• Developed strategic catalog product line plans using market analysis, trend research, and customer feedback via CSR’s and Sales
• Strategically drove towards profit goals by utilizing value engineering, price negotiation, and sales analytics
• Built a strong matrix of valued & trusted vendors
• Maintained a time & action calendar for various catalog seasons at a time
• Streamlined the development process with implementation of best practices and identifying techniques to increase efficiency and optimize time management
• Produced quarterly presentations with relevant sales data, trend, and design intent for internal buyoff
• Ownership of the product sourcing process

(Please note that this role had a unique title, but also known as Creative Director)
Responsible for all product and marketing aspects of the Armor Division including product development management, merchandising & sales strategies, and sales support.

• Led Armor merchandising efforts by market research and competitive analysis
• Conceptualized and managed all Armor marketing via packaging, catalog, web, and print
• Directed product photo and video shoots
• Managed trade show collateral and event planning
• Managed product lifecycle by creating product briefs, managing the designers, reviewing prototypes, assuring design hits target cost by altering materials or features and/or negotiating with the vendors, and following through to production
• Created, monitored, and shared project scope and development calendar and assuring all contributors adhere to the deadlines within
• Implemented sound processes to better adhere to deliverables timeline
• Supported sales team with marketing requests

Designed & Developed over 60 SKUs of bags and accessories.

• Researched market trends and new technologies/materials
• Line building and strategic planning of all bags and soft goods accessories
• Prepared and presented formal presentations for new season offerings
• Ensured new designs follow set timelines, target retail, cost, margin requirements, and brand identity
• Created in house prototypes as needed to aid in the understanding of a new design
• Managed a sample maker by providing timelines, patterns, and direction for new prototypes
• Created detailed costing/spec/trim packages complete with technical drawings via Photoshop & Illustrator and patterns within Gerber Accumark
• Worked with and managed domestic and international suppliers
• Evaluated and analyzed product samples and provided recommendations for competitive positioning
• Continually developed processes to better streamline our efforts