Kyong Kay Kim
Leonia,NJ
Summary
Driven Product Development professional with extensive background in leading product development initiatives in the home textiles industry. Successfully spearheaded projects that enhanced market competitiveness and customer satisfaction. Demonstrated expertise in strategic planning and cross-functional team leadership.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Product Development
The Bristol Group
01.2022 - 02.2025
- Comp Shopping and Travel: Shop market competition researching new products, innovations and trends for fresh flow of ideas and identifying new bedding product opportunities. Focused on comforter sets, quilts, sheets, decorative pillows, throws and blankets for customers such as dd’s, Ross, Costco.com, Walmart Puerto Rico, Belk, Macy’s and Nexcom. Travel overseas to Heimtex, Canton Fair and domestic shows.
- Manage and coordinate workflow between Sales, design, and operations to ensure timely and successful development of products to grow the business. Maintain a constant awareness of timing, cost, and deadlines.
- Organize and actively run weekly company meetings to review upcoming sales meetings, design projects and timelines, merchandising strategies for business growth.
- Meet (via zoom or in person) with the sales team to determine their business and pricing needs by account. Coordinate all customer presentations with sales.
- Worked together with sales and designers preparing for market week with visual merchandising and styling products.
- Develop price value items while meeting margin goals.
- Daily overseas communication.
- Communicate with design and prioritize projects as needed.
- Review artwork, CAD mappings and fabrics with designers.
- Attend art studio appointments, help select studio art for purchase.
- Market Development.
- PD & Production – Across all accounts/product categories
- Source and develop new fabrics, techniques etc.
- Follow up on new projects with our Asia offices which included China, India and Pakistan.
- Create/maintain development and production work in progress reports.
- Prepared cost grids and reviewed with VP of Sourcing and VP of Product Development.
- Review all incoming development samples and s/o with the design team.
- Trouble shoot challenges in developing products to hit specific price targets.
- Coordinate and manage on time handover of development packets to production team to achieve on time order processing.
- Review tech-packs and resolve technical problems.
- Review and communicate all approvals to Asia offices and vendors directly.
- Review and trouble shoot production quality issues.
- Manage/approve production insert photography – give direction to the photography studio.
- Worked with the packaging team to develop new packaging concepts. Sourcing materials from overseas for innovative packaging.
Director of Product Development
Sam Salem and Son
07.2018 - 12.2021
- Focus and managed new customer developments for bedding, bath, throws and accessories from the sampling, pre-production and to production stages for customers such as 5Below, 99Cent, Steinmart, Kroger and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
- Work closely with the VP of Sourcing to ensure the product is developed to meet the company and customers’ target price.
- New products and costs from our overseas office requested and worked on negotiations to meet competitive prices for each customer base.
- Traveled to India and China to factories and trade fairs. During the overseas trips I would follow up current production and new developments and production as needed.
- Managed the packaging and design dept. to create new packaging artworks and inserts designs accordingly.
- Reviewed technical packets for sampling from development, preproduction to production stages.
- Checked product for construction, color and quality with teams based on specs accordingly.
- Created seasonal line lists and photo sell sheets for customer sales meetings.
Product Development Mgr.
Ellery Homestyles
05.2013 - 06.2018
- Managed new accounts such as HSN, QVC, Evine and Catalog Companies including 7th Avenue, Grandin Road.
- Focus on developments for the bedding dept. from sampling, pre-production to production stages for customers such as Macy’s, Bed Bath and Beyond, Dillard’s and Belk.
- Worked closely with overseas office and designers ensuring that all products are producible and within target costs.
- Requested quotes from our overseas office, prepared cost grids and reviewed with VP of Sourcing.
- Prepared the technical packets for sampling from development to production stages.
- Checked product for construction, color and quality with the designer based on approved specs accordingly.
- Worked on Blue Cherry PLM system to ensure that all technical packets and information are set up correctly.
- Worked on customer specific PLM systems and completed specification forms in a timely manner.
Product Development Mgr.
Victoria Classics
03.2013 - 04.2013
- Focused on bedding, shower and window developments for customers such as Macy’s, Bed Bath and Beyond, Family Dollar, Big Lots, etc.
- Worked closely with salespeople and the designers making sure all samples and product needs are met for meetings.
- Prepared the technical packets for production and followed up on the status with our overseas offices.
Production Manager
Morgan Home
11.2003 - 05.2008
- Design
- Focusing on bed in a bags, sheets and jacquards. We also produced kitchen products, cold weather items and a complete line of bath products.
- Gave color, scale and layout direction.
- Researched and sourced new concepts for all the different items produced.
- Prepared and designed decorative pillows for adult bed in a bags and juvenile beds for market.
- Worked closely with the sales team to ensure customer requests for design work were met.
- Production
- Prepared artwork for production. Checked that designs were in correct scale, repeat and layout.
- Kept on top of all production overseas. Reprioritized our factories as priorities change while building close partnerships with each factory.
- Reviewed, approved and spec’d all strike offs from the initial stages to the finished product.
- Reviewed and approved all fabric lab dips.
- Developed tracking reports, followed up on all strike offs, samples and due dates for customers
- General
- Organized presentation needs for sales and market.
- Set up showroom as needed for Spring and Fall markets.
- Organized all design and production files.
Freelance - Assistant Stylist
Dan River, Inc.
03.2003 - 10.2003
- Prepared artwork to be sent out for sampling and production to the mills.
- Worked closely with senior colorist on designs.
- Organized all developed patterns for sales meetings.
- Organized and logged all samples accounted for.
- Kept track of all sales and customer presentation needs.
- Assisted with preparation of showroom for market
Graphic Designer & Embroidery Digitizer
Superior Panoramic
11.1997 - 06.2002
- Designed a line of kitchen textiles which included, kitchen towels, pot holders and aprons.
- Redrawing production art for final print.
- Checked to make sure designs were in registration for silkscreen printing purposes.
- Digitized designs to be embroidered onto all different types of materials.
Embroidery Digitizer
Paspal U.S.A. Inc.
08.1995 - 11.1997
- Designed embroidery patterns for kids and casual wear, towels and advertising specialties.
- Sourced different types of appliqués and fabrications.
- Reviewed design selection and color with design.
- Customer service was also a part of my responsibilities and therefore I had to maintain frequent consultations regarding application of designs from initial drafting to it’s final production stage.
Education
Certificate of Technical Studies - Textile/ Surface Design
Otis School of Art And Design
Los Angeles, Ca.Associate of Arts - Textile Design
Fashion Institute For Design And Merchandising
Los Angeles, CASkills
- Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point
- Adobe Illustrator
- Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop
- Blue Cherry PLM System
- Tajima Embroidery Systems
- Understanding of Jacquard Woven
- Design thinking
- Cross functional leadership
- Data-driven decision making
- Supply chain optimization
Languages
Spanish
Limited Working
Korean
Professional Working
Timeline
Director of Product Development
The Bristol Group
01.2022 - 02.2025
Director of Product Development
Sam Salem and Son
07.2018 - 12.2021
Product Development Mgr.
Ellery Homestyles
05.2013 - 06.2018
Product Development Mgr.
Victoria Classics
03.2013 - 04.2013
Production Manager
Morgan Home
11.2003 - 05.2008
Freelance - Assistant Stylist
Dan River, Inc.
03.2003 - 10.2003
Graphic Designer & Embroidery Digitizer
Superior Panoramic
11.1997 - 06.2002
Embroidery Digitizer
Paspal U.S.A. Inc.
08.1995 - 11.1997
Certificate of Technical Studies - Textile/ Surface Design
Otis School of Art And Design
Associate of Arts - Textile Design
Fashion Institute For Design And Merchandising
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