Erika Smallridge

• Support design teams for active, menswear and women sportswear apparel.
• Collaborate with design team to build trend boards and color palettes for presentations.
• Create yarn dye plaid/print artwork and distributed and followed up on development requests.
• Sketch, update and maintain technical line drawings in Illustrator and Lawsons PLM program.
• Build collection boards for presentation at “Mind to Market” milestone meetings.
• Maintain bill of materials, trim, sketch and color details inside Lawsons PLM program.
• Create visual line plans which are distributed across channels company wide.

• Manage in-house design, product development, sales and production for several top accounts [including Ralph Lauren Blue Label, Black Label, Green label, Rugby, Golf and RLX, Aritzia, Barneys, John Varvatos, Vince, Juicy Couture, J. Jill and Talbots].
• Analyze seasonal growth while adapting to economic climate to develop strategies to grow the business with trend right yarns, stitches and designs tailored to each customers evolving needs, likes and limitations.
• Preside over the process from initial concept and development through in-store delivery to ensure that creative vision and product integrity are maintained throughout.
• Proactively pinpoint any potential risks involving yarn/fabric limitations, testing concerns, production, QC and any other area necessary and clearly communicate to overseas counterparts to expodite a resolution.
• Strong emphasis on R&D of yarn and stitches keeping fiber characteristics, knitting capabilities and end use in consideration.

• Utilized strong project-management and leadership abilities coupled with a creative vision to independently design and develop a monthly R898 line in addition to proactively maintaining, managing and developing for customer accounts.
• Incorporated awareness of overseas market conditions with technical knowledge to create economically efficient design.
• Conceptualized and proposed new white-space opportunities to major department stores for potential company growth.
• Liaised with sales team and clients, building relationships and strategically developing product.
• Pinpointed and presented trends to department heads while translating relevant trends as they fit within customer profiles.
• Developed prints, stitches, yarn blends and patterns, embellishment layouts (embroidery, beading) and cable/ stitch layouts.

- Managed development process from concept to product to generate a line monthly resulting in 30% growth for the company.
- Shopped domestically and overseas while attending trade shows for trend research to assure trend-right product.
- Developed incentive promotional programs, such as gift-with-purchase, resulting in large volume orders.
- Created design sketches on Illustrator and by hand as well as fashion illustrations for showroom look-books.
- Maintained communication with overseas contacts while continually developing new styles through detailed tech packs.

- Initiated design process by creating trend presentations with original ideas.
- Collaborated with designer to develop a collection bi-monthly.
- Developed, distributed and followed-up on tech packs for proto samples.
- Created and managed changes with CAD presentations and line sheets for weekly meetings.