James Johnson

• Collaborated with the Global Editor, the product styling team, and the studio production team to represent the corporate vision through strong styling of e-commerce merchandise for 42 products per day.
• Communicated effectively on daily photoshoots to ensure the product is shot accurately, brand initiatives are well represented, and daily shot count goals are met.
• Researched and developed strong, up-to-date knowledge by producing creative strategies and spearheading meetings with the styling team and buying team to forecast trends, increase site traffic, and improve Mr. Porter’s aesthetic.
• Analyzed and reviewed any actions with the photography team and retouch team that needed to be taken before signing off on product images, prior to going live.
• Created training programs with Global Editor to train fashion assistants and freelancers, overseeing the scanning of outfit credits before and after on-model sets.

• Directed Kento Takayama’s e-commerce and editorials from ideation to completion by developing concepts, overseeing photoshoot production, hiring talent, booking locations, and ensuring all contracts, invoices, and agreements are accurately completed and processed for external and internal staff and models.
• Lead the creative vision for the website, and monitored the social media performance by submitting regular reports on account performance and social media trends to develop and implement strategies to achieve business growth objectives.
• Coordinated with the Kento Takayama team to plan runway collection product launches, landing the brand in Stylejuo’s high fashion magazine for the best Fall brands under Gucci in 2023.
• Supervised over 50 creative crew members to produce Kento Takayama’s runway show for the F/W 2023 collection, resulting in being featured on FF Channel’s YouTube channel during Paris Fashion Week.
• Conducted research meetings to identify new potential clients within the industry, staying updated on market and design trends, competitor activities, and providing feedback to inform strategic decisions and grow brand desirability.
• Booked existing clients, outsourced new clients for showroom visits, and sent out samples to industry stylists for high fashion editorials.

• Contributed to annual store revenue of $3M by overseeing the entire project lifecycle for inventory allocation, from developing floor plans to increase store traffic based on current trends and brand relevance, while managing and training a team of 22 employees on reselling best practices, buying in new merchandise, and customer service experience.
• Established an incremental revenue of $10K per week within two months of upholding the assistant manager position by hiring staff who have a strong understanding of the resale business, deep knowledge of current and niche trends that are special to the store's range of clientele, and proven customer service and sales achievements.
• Lead monthly status calls with C-suite and internal stakeholders by providing financial status reports, such as recently exceeding the $220K monthly sales goal by $100K, acknowledging staff achievements, discussing areas of improvement for the store's functional processes, and brainstorming efficient pricing strategies.
• Scheduled weekly training with buyers to identify the accurate pricing of items by ensuring that the resale value is consistent with the value of the brand, and determining whether the store's product assortment is competitive with other resale retailers.

• Developed and executed creative solutions for fashion brands, celebrities, music artists, and models through image development, social media campaigns, and brand strategy, resulting in sold-out campaigns, music artists signed to top recording contracts, and model clients signed to top modeling agencies.
• Built relationships with high-fashion and streetwear brands, PR specialists, photographers, stylists, makeup artists, talent, studio managers, and vendors to pull samples for projects, gain priority access to photo studios, and create fresh projects for new and existing clientele.
• Monitored project progress and streamlined communication by introducing project management tools to assign responsibilities to team members, track budgets, and deadlines for project deliverables.

Client Project Example: Vashtie (Celebrity Influencer)

• Spearheaded celebrity DJ Vashtie's recognized brand image by styling Vashtie in relevant streetwear and high-fashion brands, and developing influencer content strategies for brand partnerships with PUMA, Extra Butter, Sprite, Coach, and Foot Locker.
• Developed the concept for Vashtie's viral wedding look and styled her on her wedding day for an exclusive interview with Complex.
• Managed and led the development of photoshoot production plans for Vashtie's social content by providing concepts, visual direction, location, and overseeing the internal creative team.