Kara Pattison

Accomplished senior designer with a history of driving collections to $8 million annually. Skilled in CAD software and product lifecycle management, excelling in innovative design and market analysis. Collaborative leader with a commitment to mentoring teams and creating product lines that strengthen brand identity.

• Garment framed and hung for display in the Savannah College of Art and Design building with plaque, 2020
• Featured Designer to speak at The University of Virginia, 2020
• Featured Designer to speak at The Savannah College of Art and Design with collaboration for SCAD PRO program, 2019
• Garments featured in Fox Miss. USA Pageant, 2018
• Garments featured in CBS Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, 2008-2011
• Garments featured on the Helmut Lang runway, 2008
• Awarded garment showcase in storefront of Saks Fifth Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia, 2007
• Featured garments in Annual Collegiate Fashion Show, 2007

• Sr. Design Consultant, Findley Lake, NY, 09/02/24, Current, Consulting in outerwear, apparel, swimwear, intimates, sportswear, handbags, and trend/concept., Advising in category growth, total category management, and full start to finish lifecycle management., Advising and working with start up's to global brands.
• Sr. Designer, Summersalt, St. Louis, MO, 02/14/22, 07/26/24, Management and design of outerwear, coverups, swimwear, and apparel. Collections grew to 8M annually., Lead design for all collaborations., Shop the market to maintain relevance and provide analysis of competitive landscape., Propose and present to leadership team future product lines., Manage, mentor, and train design, associate and intern., Management of lab dips and strike off's for coverups, swimwear, and apparel., Communicate development needs with overseas factories and vendor base., Overseas travel for business needs., Design new innovation product for the swimwear category., Establishment of swim testing, block development, fit requirements, and swimwear standardization in collaboration with technical design team.
• Designer, Venus/Otto/Bon Prix, Jacksonville, FL, 06/12/17, 02/08/22, Management and design of coverups, swimwear, trend and concept., Establishment of companywide trends and color palette., Collaboration, management, and lead designer for Sports Illustrated swimwear as a license., Lead designer for Venus and the Savannah College of Art and Design collaboration., Shop the market to maintain relevance and provide analysis of competitive landscape., Propose and present to leadership team future product lines., Manage, mentor, and train design, associate and assistant design levels., Implementation of industry wide design calendar and design process., Worked for Venus owned manufacturing and production lines when needed based in USA., Communicate development needs with overseas factories and vendor base., Overseas travel for business needs., 2018-Awarded leadership creativity award., Developed and launched new category of versatility., Member of the Diversity and Sustainability committee for entire company., Establishment of design internship program., Designer for sustainable swimwear collection.
• Associate Manager for Design and PD, Soma, Fort Myers, FL, 12/10/12, 05/26/17, Management and design of Bra's, Panties, Shapewear, and Swimwear., Designer for Vanishing Back collection relaunch. Collection grew to 6M annually., Establishment of swim testing, block development, fit requirements, design, product development, and total launch of Soma's new category, swimwear. Collection grew to 5M annually., Design Management of quarterly launch product., Shop the market to maintain relevance and provide analysis of competitive landscape., Propose and present to leadership team future product lines., Manage, train, and grow coordinator and EMT level associates., Analysis of customer base., Communicate development needs with overseas factories and vendor base., Overseas travel for business needs., Manage conceptual wear trials probing for the next volume driver product., 2014-awarded five company performance awards., Traveled as a representative of Soma Intimates at industry shows.
• Freelance Associate Designer, Kohls, New York, NY, 11/09/11, 11/30/12, Provide support to the Sr. Designer's on Dana Buchman apparel, Fila, and SVVW, Princess, and Dana Buchman Handbags and Accessories., Check in and set up samples for market week., Assist in preparation and maintenance of presentation boards., Maintain submits and approvals of fabrication and trims., Shop the market to maintain relevance., Perform other duties as needed., Communicate development needs.
• Assistant Designer, Victoria's Secret PINK, New York, NY, 08/09/09, 10/06/11, Launched the PINK Collegiate collection consisting of yoga, loungewear, sports bras, outerwear, and sportswear. Grew collection to 5M business annually., Launched the PINK Intimates collection consisting of Bras and Panties. Grew collection to 1B annually., Launched the PINK Swimwear collection. Grew collection to 3M annually., Provide support to the Sr. Designer and Associate Designer., Traveled to onsite shoot locations, store visits, focus groups, and for research., Initiate and maintain BOMs, produce flat sketches by hand or in Illustrator., Attend fittings; maintain and update WebPDM with design changes., Assist in the preparation and maintenance of presentation boards., Update WebPDM with color and style drops post line review., Attend color / print / graphic approval meetings., Attend fabric / trim sourcing meetings and fabric / trim vendor visits., Maintain sample and trim library., Shop market, for inspiration, with design team., Check in and set up samples for market week., Work with pre-production team to track samples.
• Design Coordinator, Victoria's Secret Direct, New York, NY, 02/17/08, 08/08/09, Developed color pallets, silhouettes, concept boards, prints/patterns and graphics., Worked with graphic designers to develop seasonal graphic stories., Participated in company wide Insight initiative to develop new networking system FLEX PLM. Attended milestone meetings, made updates to working tracking charts to ensure concepts and deadlines are met.
• Assistant Women's Woven Designer, Helmut Lang, New York, NY, 08/30/07, 02/16/08, Provided support to the Design Manager and Technical Designer., Attended fittings, communicated changes to cross-functional partners., Maintained sample room, trim and swatch binders., Assisted with the creation of inspiration boards and color palettes., Creation of prints.