Denise Smith
Saratoga Springs,UT
Summary
Fashion Product leader and Business Development Director in the fashion industry with experience in “product management”, driving profitability through customer accountability and research, road mapping, lean management, targeted product development, calendaring, and “well designed product innovation”.
Highly skilled in global product design direction and factory communication, sustainable fabric sourcing, doing good in sustainable product manufacturing, and team leadership. Effective team player with large-scope experience at the corporate level and works well with key stakeholders, initiating design development, strategic marketing plans, and best-selling final products to increase brand performance and boost overall success. Talented Creative Director Denise Smith led Chinese manufacturing teams, and Gap coordination through software accountability of intellectual property passed between teams globally, and highly effective at translating vision into reality. Knowledgeable about materials, construction techniques and meeting timeline through management. Decisive and persuasive leader with exceptional creativity and technical knowledge. Accomplished Senior Designer and Merchandiser of stories, plans and retail plan a grams with proficiency in product development, color, print and pattern executions, deliveries and concept designs. Talents include project management, team and schedule management, long term goal planning. Denise brings a deep understanding of market and business developed over seasoned and grew the business over 13 million dollars per year in the apparel and accessory industry. Led Gap's private label in the large categories of knitted hats, scarves, gloves, and accessories in the realm of hand bags, wallets and pouches. Leading top 5 manufactures for Gap, Athleta, Old Navy and Banana Republic, all categories.
Denise hopes to help in the planets green initiative and launch patent worthy design for Interchangeable Pockets (MOD PODs) with quick release for the reuse of apparel and mobile storage solutions for people on the go. Do good, share good.
Overview
41
41
years of professional experience
Work History
Business Development Product Development Director
Ideation01 LLC - Gap, Inc, Old Navy, Athleta, BR
03.2017 - Current
- Lead successful product design and sales development campaigns with GAP family retailers, including Athleta, Old Navy, and Banana Republic
- Facilitate product plans for year and seasons to Product development teams, Planners, Financial analysts, and merchandisers and built critical relationships with division heads, merchants, financial planners, and senior leadership.
- Self-motivated, with strong sense of personal responsibility
- Increase ROI by developing functional solutions for development, production, and cataloging overview in the design and marketing phases
- Presented trend and market directions with security and confidence
- Utilize High-level decision-making regarding production, fit, and styling
- Evaluate sales strategies and analyze thecost of goods, project timelines, and overall vision in order to replace profitability from the prior year’s sales initiatives
- Established design integrity and sales strategy efficiently to teams of Merchants, Financial Planners, Designers, Sourcing and Development departments, resulting in increased sales and successful products at retail for an account of $13M – 18M per category.
- Designed environmentally-friendly spaces using sustainable and recycled materials.
- Met with clients to walk through ideas and determine factors affecting planning design needs.
- Cultivated interpersonal skills by building positive relationships with others
Senior Designer
DownEast Outfitters
03.2015 - 04.2017
- Evaluated project scope and development schedule, and collaborated closely with project owners to establish parameters.
- Spearheaded company to advance industry standing by creating innovative concept designs by 11% annually in swimwear and also in the collection.
- Developed schematics showcasing design layouts, individual components, and production procedures.
- Developed design deliverables that elevated, differentiated, and functioned on-brand and on-strategy.
- Created marketing materials, including brochures, flyers, and product catalogs to brand standards.
Design Team Manager
Signature Products Group SPG
06.2013 - 03.2015
- Managed several hunting and lifestyle brands, product categories, and cross-functional team integration.
- Built NEW colored camouflage in the outdoor industry with winning sales reflected and patterns were adapted into other market categories such as home decor.
- Spearheaded Realtree Launch for Women's Line of new camouflage clothing lines from conception to production, including colored camouflage, and launched successful home décor and hard goods lines
Delivered presentation at National Sales Meeting for Outdoor Industry. - Grew relationship standards with factories globally for Realtree, Browning, Carhart manufactures
- Established scopes of teams work, job schedules, and all project management process and tracked them through computer software analytics.
- Effectively communicate with senior leadership and key stakeholders
- Streamlined operational processes, developed sales strategies, and negotiated competitive vendor contracts and costing communication and leverage
- Oversaw procedures to reduce costs and increase ROI
- Traveled to manufacturing facilities to facilitate solutions to sourcing and end-product challenges
Senior Designer Patent (Contract for Patent)
Miche Bags
01.2013 - 05.2013
- Developed Patent award-winning Design Demi Bag size for Patent USPTO, an interchangeable handbag and handbag covers for the brand.
- Managed several brands, product categories, and cross- functional team integration.
- Established scopes of work, job schedules, and all project management process
Design Team Manager
Stampin Up!
10.2011 - 01.2013
- Directed design and merchandising of hard and soft goods collections
- Managed Design Team and structured workload, timelines, product knowledge, and overall design and color direction for the team in order to grow brand product lines
- Established trend inception, design, color, and pattern in product development
- Managed KPI and profitability of each design project and maintained accuracy with print and art specification standards
- Facilitated new internal processes reducing redundancies and increasing productivity
- Chosen for Kaizen Lean Management training from the top 5% of management.
- Administered monthly and annual reviews to direct reports and set clear and measurable goals, action plans, and follow-up procedures.
Design Team Manager
Die Cuts
06.2009 - 09.2011
- Led Design Team in paper crafts for Michaels and JoAnn’s retailers and led hard goods development process with 16% growth annually in our division.
- Calendared product timelines with design inception, iterations, process planning, and approval timelines and coordinated production with overseas production planners
- Led Sales at Trade Shows and established new accounts through the presentation of brand and product knowledge and successful product strategy
- Initiated and led one of the first scrapbooking and design mobile Apps with contracted developers for Apple IOS and Android or growing the paper goods business by 10%
Senior Product Developer
Nordstrom
11.2003 - 05.2009
- Designed Caslon Private Label Sportswear line, Semantics Private Label Sportswear Suiting line, Children’s wear, and Baby & Layette lines
- Merchandising, regional Buy Teams, and CAD artists to create project planning specifications, drawings, pitching “exclusive “color and print patterns, screen prints, embroideries, and final designs from inception through production
- Impactful Ideations for Children's wear lines for all four sets of regional buy teams, from inception through production
- Oversaw re-branding and labeling design and packaging designs with Merchant Teams
- Implemented retail strategy and Omni channel buying strategy
- Worked directly with suppliers and manufacturers in regard to sourcing materials and color needs and implementation
Senior Designer
Depeche Mode
05.1985 - 08.1998
- Established high product team standards with all private l4 years in Design and product development presenting and sourcing Dresses and Sportswear: Private Label: Ann Taylor, Loft, Talbots, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Bendel's & Barney’s in Better Dresses and Sportswear
- Worked with accounts and grew business accounts each by 8 million per year
- Helped support Cynthia Rowley, Steven Stollman, and Arnold Scassi in licensing realm.
- Contributed through Design and sourcing and striving to grow thecompany to advance industry standing by creating innovative concept designs.
- Overseas communication, team collaboration, and global production asset.
Design and Sample Room Assistant
Nike Inc
06.1982 - 04.1985
- Worked in Nike's first sample room promoting brand oncepts hrough sample development.
- Oversaw sample execution and sample room employees for NBA and all-star athletes in personalized sizes and fabrics.
- Managed sewing team in calendar and timing for special products due
Education
Associate of Applied Sciences - Fashion Design Textile Science, Design
Fashion Institute of Technology
Skills
- Leadership and People Development
- Design & Development Direction
- Strategic Operations Design, Merchandising, Production
- Lean Team Management implementation
- CAD, Trello, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, AI, Flex PLM
- Project Management
- Raw Material Process management
- Cost and Budget Analysis
- Timeline Management
- Stakeholder Relationship Development
- Process Improvement
- Critical Thinking
- Strategic Planning
- P&L Responsibility
- Innovative and Visionary
Timeline
Business Development Product Development Director
Ideation01 LLC - Gap, Inc, Old Navy, Athleta, BR
03.2017 - Current
Senior Designer
DownEast Outfitters
03.2015 - 04.2017
Design Team Manager
Signature Products Group SPG
06.2013 - 03.2015
Senior Designer Patent (Contract for Patent)
Miche Bags
01.2013 - 05.2013
Design Team Manager
Stampin Up!
10.2011 - 01.2013
Design Team Manager
Die Cuts
06.2009 - 09.2011
Senior Product Developer
Nordstrom
11.2003 - 05.2009
Senior Designer
Depeche Mode
05.1985 - 08.1998
Design and Sample Room Assistant
Nike Inc
06.1982 - 04.1985
Associate of Applied Sciences - Fashion Design Textile Science, Design
Fashion Institute of Technology
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