Tijana Beca

Design and trend lead for one of the world's largest clothing manufacturers. Partner with domestic design teams to spearhead trend direction and co-create brand right product; liaise directly with factory and production overseas.

• Oversee all aspects of Design and Sourcing for total Bottoms/Skirts, Activewear and Plus for an omni-channel brand; product spans across twelve annual deliveries with a brick-and-mortar store portfolio of 943 locations.
• Lead a team of direct reports in seasonal fabric sourcing, trend curation, assortment selection, color/print/trend direction, and all aspects of sample creation, overseas communication, fit, etc.
• With Senior Design Leadership and Concept Teams, create seasonal Casual and Refined product shop direction (typically 1-3 shops per delivery, 6 seasons of two deliveries each - a total of 15-20 shop concepts and color/print stories per year)
• Work with merchandising partners to create Plus retail strategy and concept direction; curate Core assortment translations meaningfully to Plus customer; create Plus Exclusive product to address important category volume drivers and trend
• Create and maintain a category-specific Time & Action calendar.
• Partner with Product Development and Buying teams to utilize “smart design” to create best-in-class product while maintaining costing and delivery parameters.
• Travel several times a year as needed (seasonal meetings, vendor visits, inspiration shopping)
• Manage client-first initiatives (Brand Ambassador partnerships, field visits, etc.)
• Helped to spearhead and lead Ascena’s first Diversity + Inclusion Initiative for their New York brands.

• Oversaw all aspects of Design for Dana Buchman brand at Kohl’s, including seasonal trend/concept, assortment curation, textile/trim sourcing, allocation, testing strategy leadership, and full development and production.
• Interpreted Kohl’s overarchingt brand concepts into a cohesive, volume-driven collection with an emphasis on wearability and value (included wovens, knitwear, sweaters and outerwear).
• Managed the creation of a design concept pitch (including color palette, print direction, and key silhouettes through the Fashion Pyramid); delivered presentation and Brand Book to creative/sales/marketing teams at seasonal milestone meetings.
• Supervised fittings, textile selection/ordering, and the creation of tech packs as needed.
• Key Achievement: supervised a cross-functional team of five direct reports and 12 cross-functional partners to create the seasonal collections.

• Oversaw all aspects of design and product development for contemporary womenswear, knitwear and accessories - set up brand for re-entry into the apparel marketplace in partnership with existing shoe brand.

• Partnered with VP of Design to create seasonal trend/color/print message for a 13-delivery collection via runway and competitive market analysis, supervision of the production of development samples for seasonal presentations; cohesion of seasonal theme/color/trim/fabric, and preservation of costing parameters coordinated with the merchandising and production teams. In collaboration with the Senior team, presented the total collection to cross-functional team at quarterly product presentations at the satellite design office in NYC
• Directed the design team in the assembly of concept, fabric and product boards; worked closely with print, textile, production and buying teams to ensure a balance of key items, bestsellers and trend driving items
• Key Achievements: with cross-functional team, directed the brand’s total dress, skirt and Limited Edition product (including Activewear and the Scandal Collection), totaling 28% of The Limited’s total assortment. Monitored, career-pathed and offered support to two direct reports on the design team - managing to promote both team members in less than two years.

• Responsible for setting the brand's seasonal fashion direction through print and color design. Catalyzed the design process by creating directional, trend-driven print stories that served as a jumping-off point for entire design team. Maintained relationships with original and vintage print studios. Created original CAD artwork.
• Partnered with design team to develop design and fabric/trim strategy; interpreted print/color direction into a viable capsule of dresses, printed tops and woven blouses. Employed learnings from the retail market, runway direction, emerging overseas markets and trade shows to create a sellable collection that bridged projected trends with established bestsellers while maintaining brand vision.
• Lead product development through design/fit/production process in accordance to time and action calendar.
• Key Achievement: Liaised with Design Director and VP of Merchandising to create and present an effective visual pre-buy proposal of seasonal concepts and presented to company's directors at monthly meetings.

• Worked with sales teams and Design team to create a design concept for a multi-delivery collection line, Seventy Two Changes; and, an additional six-delivery diffusion line, Truth + Pride (based on leather and fur goods).
• Cultivated the Seventy Two Changes brand from concept through completion, including management of textile/trim selection and buy coordination, print development and execution, flat pattern assembly, prototyping, fittings, sample production, merchandising and creation of marketing tools for New York Market Week/Coterie.
• Upon line completion, analyzed selling trends to merchandise and style the line with sales teams; planned assortments for department store buys.
• Key Achievements: Catalyzed an update of two established young contemporary brands into one directional, better market contemporary collection; learned the production of skin and fur goods with Italian tannery and leather manufacturing plant.

• Leader of a two-person design department at a fast-paced bridge contemporary brand sold at exclusive boutiques inside Bloomingdale’s department stores and 250+ specialty stores
• Responsible for the entire purchasing process for sample production, including textiles, trims, and notions. Supervised a local sample and patternmaking room and coordinated the production of the entire body of show samples. Coordinated regular meetings with vendors and internal, domestic, and overseas production teams to maintain productivity
• Translated current trends, retail assessment, vintage inspiration, and trend forecasts into a marketable collection
• Key Achievements: maintained the entire workflow of designing and realizing an 11-delivery collection line (including wovens, prints, knits and outerwear) with over 500 SKUs per year. Increased brand selling in all retail categories, including a 14% increase in novelty separates.

• Designer of Private Label division of contemporary women’s sportswear maker sold at over 100 specialty stores. • Responsible for the concept/design processes from inception to end - trend/styling direction, fabric/trim selection, sketching and concept art, tech packs and subsequent communication with domestic and overseas factories, proto approval and fitting, quality control, merchandising, and execution of line marketing tools (look books, linesheets, etc.)
• Supervised activity at New York office, domestic sample room, and overseas factory locations (in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and India)
• Key Achievements: Generated strong sell-through, maintaining an over 60% collection re-order rate. Engaged in bi-yearly travel to overseas partner offices for production.

As Associate Designer (June 2006 – June 2007)
• Designer of three divisions - Woven WTW Shirts, Cut-and-Sew Knits, and Related Separates
• Daily activities included flat sketching, creation of tech packs, communication with overseas teams, fitting, salesample ordering, color selection, merchandising, textile sourcing, color and quality control, etc.
• Interpreted current trends/market intel for a Missy customer; introduced Petite and Women’s product lines.
• Worked with sales team to line build and extrapolate real world results and sales data into a saleable collection.

As Assistant Designer (September 2003 – June 2006)
• Assisted design director in all aspects of the design process
• Responsible for flat sketching, creation of tech packs, communication with overseas teams, fitting, textile sourcing, color/quality control, trim and fabric sourcing, etc.
• Took direction from head designer and actualized her vision with overseas factory