BROOKE WHITE
Greensboro,NC
Summary
Skilled Product Developer and Merchandiser with extensive experience in driving significant sales growth and optimizing product costs. Demonstrated success in cross-team collaboration to deliver high-quality products that exceed customer and brand expectations.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate Product Developer
Kontoor Brands
Greensboro, NC
12.2024 - Current
- Manage the development of 200+ styles per season across multiple business units, contributing to a 44% increase in sales within the Women's Tops business.
- Led end-to-end product development for women's and youth knit and woven tops and dresses across Western and Modern product lines to align with market trends.
- Partner with Design throughout seasonal development to ensure products align with brand vision, customer needs, and merchandising strategies.
- Collaborate with Technical Design and overseas vendors to resolve fit, construction, quality, and costing issues.
- Collaborated with Fabric and Global Procurement teams to source materials that met target FOBs, ensuring performance and aesthetics were maintained.
- Negotiate product costs with overseas suppliers to maximize margins and support business profitability.
- Develop accurate product costing while meeting seasonal calendar milestones and margin objectives.
- Analyzed product costs to identify cost-engineering opportunities, enhancing profitability while upholding quality and design standards.
- Track development samples from concept through salesman samples, ensuring on-time delivery.
Senior Product Developer & Merchandiser | Product Developer
MAS US Holdings
Asheboro, NC
02.2021 - 11.2024
- Collaborated with Sales and Design to secure new women's sleepwear programs valued at more than $8 million annually.
- Grew the sleepwear category by 20% within the first year through successful product assortment expansion.
- Managed product development and merchandising for women's sleepwear, maternity apparel, children's socks, and hosiery programs for a major national retailer.
- Oversaw development milestones for fabric and color, testing, packaging, photography, fit samples, pre-production, and production approvals, ensuring timely delivery of product lines.
- Partnered closely with Design and Technical Design to develop complete technical packages.
- Coordinated daily with overseas factory partners to maintain development calendars and production timelines.
- Identified and partnered with strategic mills, achieving reduced lead times and enhanced cost competitiveness for product development.
- Negotiated costing with factories and fabric mills to achieve company margin goals.
- Conducted market and trend research supporting assortment planning for private label brands.
- Collaborated with Design on sustainability initiatives, minimizing unnecessary sampling and enhancing manufacturability of products.
Sourcing Analyst
Kayser-Roth Corporation
Greensboro, NC
04.2019 - 02.2021
- Collaborated with Sourcing and Product Management to establish landed product costs.
- Managed vendor requisitions and purchase order approvals by confirming pricing and factory delivery dates to ensure timely sourcing.
- Coordinated vendor acknowledgements and maintained supplier communication to streamline sourcing processes.
- Resolved delivery issues by partnering with Order Management, Product Development, and Business Planning teams.
- Maintained accurate delivery updates across cross-functional teams.
- Partnered with Product Development to resolve approval delays, minimizing production schedule disruptions.
- Worked with Finance to resolve vendor payments and debit memos.
- Utilized SAP and PLM systems to manage sourcing activities and production workflows.
Assistant Store Brand Leader
Anthropologie
Charlotte, NC
05.2018 - 04.2019
- Increased annual store sales by 5%, generating more than $365,000 in year-over-year revenue growth.
- Oversaw merchandising, visual presentation, staffing, and operational execution to maximize profitability.
- Led, coached, and developed a team of more than 50 employees.
- Partnered with district leadership to recruit, develop, and retain high-performing management talent.
- Delegated operational responsibilities while empowering team members to make impactful business decisions.
Department Sales Manager
Anthropologie
05.2016 - 05.2018
Home Supervisor
Anthropologie
08.2015 - 05.2016
Manager in Training
Anthropologie
07.2015 - 08.2015
Education
Bachelor of Science - Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies, Business
University of North Carolina At Greensboro
Greensboro, NC08-2015
Skills
- Product development
- Product costing
- Cost optimization techniques
- Product merchandising
- Vendor negotiation
- Time management
- Problem solving
- Effective communication
Timeline
Associate Product Developer
Kontoor Brands
12.2024 - Current
Senior Product Developer & Merchandiser | Product Developer
MAS US Holdings
02.2021 - 11.2024
Sourcing Analyst
Kayser-Roth Corporation
04.2019 - 02.2021
Assistant Store Brand Leader
Anthropologie
05.2018 - 04.2019
Department Sales Manager
Anthropologie
05.2016 - 05.2018
Home Supervisor
Anthropologie
08.2015 - 05.2016
Manager in Training
Anthropologie
07.2015 - 08.2015
Bachelor of Science - Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies, Business
University of North Carolina At Greensboro