Creative lead designer with a background in visual arts and environmental science who brings a strong artistic and sustainable perspective within luxury fashion. Specialization in menswear tailoring with extensive knowledge in patternmaking and garment construction. 5+ years of experience with overseeing and managing the entire design process through detailed research & experimentation and working with international collaborators. Equipped with an exceptional design vision that is supplemented with a comprehensive understanding of both womenswear and menswear categories. Solves designs challenges through logical and imaginative solution-based thinking to effectively execute a creative vision.
Oversees and directs design team and entire design process concentrating on creative direction and design research. Sustainability centered head designer focusing on materiality and technique research to create timeless environmentally responsible garments. Leads design functions, collaborating with product development, production, and patternmakers to translate ideas into garments through efficient communication of design elements and construction details to ensure a cohesive collection. Responsible with defining tailoring and knitwear categories for seasonal collections, alongside special projects and collaborating with artisans. Manages domestic and international factories for collection development and production of soft and hard woven, knitwear, & accessory categories, from sample making, production fittings, solving fit issues, patternmaking, sourcing fabric and trims, and tech packs. Develops fabrics with Japanese and Italian textile mills that communicate color & fabric stories and focus on sustainable material innovation. Coordinates the art direction, styling, and fitting of collections for presentations and look book photoshoots to establish brand identity. Prepares collections for sales, connects with buyers for market in New York and Paris, directs visual language of showroom presentations.
Manages, executes, and supports the design and development process through vintage research, sketching, draping, textile development, fabric manipulations, and experimentation from initial concept to final sample. Sketches key seasonal garments through all product groups and prepares techpacks & handoffs to patternmakers and factories. Tailoring specialist, concentrating on designing directional tailored styles from research, prototype development, and sample finalization. Knitwear development from researching stitches, sourcing yarn, launching swatch development, and creating tech packs for each style. Leads fittings with product developers and patternmakers to refine proportion and silhouette to ensure design intention, silhouette and proportion is correctly executed and fit comments are communicated. Creates patterns for the most complicated and directional styles, focusing on tailored and outerwear pieces.
Assisted in surface design and development of SS'19 collection through textile research, embroidery layouts, hand beadwork, fabric manipulation, fittings, and patternmaking. Internship culminated with model casting, backstage organization, and debut of NIHL's first runway collection for NYFW Men's Fashion Week.
Troubleshooted production issues (embroidery, fabric, and construction) with domestic and international factories. Aided technical designers with fittings, spec’ing garments and spec sheets, adjusting patterns for intended fit, creating and updating tech packs across all styles, and PLM for costing, shipping, & T&A with factories. Supported atelier patternmakers with finalizing patterns and print placement for SS'17 collection and FW'16 production.
Assisted design research for SS'16 collection through garment research, moodboards, color stories, fabrics, and finishings & trims development. Coordinated collection development and production through working with factories, patternmakers, and sourcing fabrics & trims. Contributed on set for SS'16 lookbook and campaign photoshoots and SS ‘16 New York Fashion Week presentation.