Chelsae Smith
Oakland,CA
Summary
Innovative Merchandise Manager who delivers profitable growth through incremental business development and operational excellence. Passionate about improving the lives of customers with well-designed products that solve problems and spark joy. Highly effective at leading a cross-functional team of Merchants, Designers, Sourcing Partners, Planners, Distribution Planners, Site Merchants, and Marketing Partners to bring product to market and drive profitable sales. Maximizes margins by negotiating with vendors and finding creative solutions to improve cost, while maintaining high quality. Committed to developing bench strength with timely feedback and coaching.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Director DMM
WILLIAMS-SONOMA, INC. - Williams Sonoma
03.2013 - Current
- Developed and implemented merchandising strategies that resulted in 23% growth in sales during my tenure in Housewares.
- Devised strategy and launched Hold Everything as a new sub-brand with a clear aesthetic vision and sustainable principles.
- Crafted strategy to re-brand Agrarian as Flower & Garden with a robust product roadmap, marketing, and distribution strategy.
- Crafted a streamlined process to speed up go-to-market timeline for Marketplace chase product through close collaboration with Site Merchants, Asset, Creative, and Product Information teams.
- Created the Love is Love collection in collaboration with the Human Rights Campaign, which resulted in adoption across multiple WSI brands and raising over $1M for LGTBQ+ rights.
- Collaborated with Planners to manage open-to-buy and align on buy plans to optimize inventory.
Merchant
LEVI STRAUSS & CO.
07.2011 - 02.2013
- Lead development of Misses, Petite and Plus Bottoms business by working with Design, Tech Design, Production, Supply Planning, and Buyers to create an impactful assortment and deliver 450 SKUs/ year to North and South America wholesale markets
- Worked with cross-functional partners to develop standard processes after the global re-org to enable better communication and efficient execution - including cost-blending sheets, product-bucketing tools, change logs, meeting agendas, and visual line-plans
- Assorted tops and bottoms for “Americas” region including North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa
Merchant
ABERCROMBIE & FITCH
08.2007 - 07.2011
- Managed a Girls Fleece Tops business by leading a team of Merchants, Designers, Graphic Designers, Tech Designers, Planners, and Allocators to develop 300 SKUs/ year from design sketch to markdown strategy
- Traveled to overseas factories to make production approvals and negotiate with vendors
- Designed and implemented a competitive shopping regiment for the Female Fleece Tops department
- Proposed to Planning and Internet team that we should increase sales opportunities by listing newly-set, promotional programs on the website under regular price, instead of only under clearance. Resulted in approval from CEO to implement change to website listings across all 5 brands.
Education
A.B. in Government -
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Cambridge, MA06.2007
Study Abroad - Italian Language
EASTERN COLLEGE CONSORTIUM
Bologna, Italy06.2006
Skills
- Vision and Storytelling
- New Business Development
- Strategic Planning
- Project Management
- Product Design
- Quality Control
- Cost Negotiation and Engineering
- Staff Development
Affiliations
Harvard University Women in Business, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Co-Founder Harvard Vestis Council
Languages
Italian
Limited Working
Chinese (Mandarin)
Elementary
Timeline
Director DMM
WILLIAMS-SONOMA, INC. - Williams Sonoma
03.2013 - Current
Merchant
LEVI STRAUSS & CO.
07.2011 - 02.2013
Merchant
ABERCROMBIE & FITCH
08.2007 - 07.2011
A.B. in Government -
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Study Abroad - Italian Language
EASTERN COLLEGE CONSORTIUM
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