Megan Smith
Los Angeles,CA
Summary
Design Director with 15+ years apparel industry experience in creative direction and product development for Women's and Junior brands. Proven ability in trend analysis and strategic brand initiatives resulting in multi-million-dollar sales growth. Skilled in mentoring teams and promoting cross-functional collaboration to achieve innovative design solutions that enhance brand identity.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Design Director
Lily Apparel
New York, NY
01.2018 - Current
- Provided vision and creative direction for the development and execution of women's contemporary and juniors' sportswear lines by creating elevated, compelling, and brand-right products.
- Designed multiple product categories, including outerwear, sweaters, cut & sew knits, wovens, denim, outerwear and accessories.
- Built relationships with cross-functional teams to maximize profitability through brand development, and created strategic programs for major retailer private label, multi-million-dollar accounts such as Dillards and Nordstrom.
- Analyzed customer data and sales reports to elevate products and optimize assortment balance.
- Streamlined all fit meetings to ensure garment construction, fabric engineering, print approval, fit, and specs are exceptional from proto to final production stages.
- Traveled internationally to China, Korea, and Europe on a quarterly basis for trend inspiration, and to supervise overseas vendors and factories to ensure production accuracy and sample quality.
- Communicated with overseas factories to source fabrics, trims, and to comment on or correct any product development issues.
- Managed and mentored three designers and the technical design team while providing creative direction and inspiration for seasonal collections.
Founder
Megan Renee
Los Angeles, California
10.2017 - Current
- Established a sustainable fashion brand specializing in elevated womenswear.
- Designed and launched two seasonal collections, driving consistent year-over-year online sales growth.
- Built and managed a supply chain with ethical manufacturers in L.A. and New York.
- Directed brand identity and social media strategy, increasing Instagram following for brand development.
- Spearheaded all creative direction, resulting in an elevated brand presence and cohesive visual storytelling across platforms.
- Obtained several collaborations with retailers such as Nordstrom and HSN/QVC, which resulted in sold-out collections.
- Awarded competitive business grants totaling $100K, plus to support venture growth and development.
Senior Designer
Secret Charm
Los Angeles, CA
01.2016 - 01.2018
- Designed and merchandised women's sportswear and junior contemporary seasonal collections in the women's cut & sew and soft-wovens categories.
- Presented final assortments to buyers and sales teams.
- Conducted market trend research and analyzed sales reports to stay attuned to industry trends and demands, resulting in achieving a multi-million-dollar sales volume for key accounts such as TJ Maxx, Ross, and Burlington.
- Developed high-performing design teams and effective partnerships with cross-functional teams to ensure timely and flawless execution of monthly collections.
- Excelled in tech pack development and created technical sketches for overseas and domestic product development.
- Oversaw private label accounts, and implemented strategies to expand merchandise and obtain new business opportunities.
- Attended all fittings with the technical design team to ensure fit consistency and accuracy of the product.
Senior Designer
Kellwood - My Michelle
City of Industry, CA
01.2012 - 01.2016
- Designed and merchandised women's sportswear and junior contemporary monthly collections in the women's cut & sew, sweaters, denim, outerwear and soft-wovens categories.
- Managed and mentored four designers and the technical design team while providing creative direction and inspiration for monthly collections.
- Implemented high standards for delivering unique, cohesive, and ahead-of-market-trend monthly collections as per the time and action calendar.
- Achieved multi-million sales volume for private label accounts and major retailers by working in partnership with the sales team to develop programs that generated product and business expansion.
- Built and maintain relationships with key accounts such as Dillards, Kohls, and Maurices.
- Initiated weekly comp shopping to evaluate overall market trends and applied research to advance product assortment for collections.
- Sourced and developed new fabrics and trims for monthly collections.
- Consistently maintained a monthly budget for the design department that ensured maximum profitability for brands and accounts.
- Collaborated with the graphic design team to create original artwork and print designs.
Designer
Manhattan Beachwear
Cypress, CA
01.2011 - 01.2012
- Designed resort, sportswear, and activewear for seasonal collections and private label accounts.
- Collaborated with the graphic design team to create original print and embroidery designs.
- Worked in partnership with the Fabric Sourcing and Production team to source and develop new high-performance fabrics with domestic and overseas vendors.
- Created line sheets and tech packs for all products and seasonal collections and provided the sales and production teams with relevant product information needed for costing.
- Attended all fitting sessions to ensure that the product fit and construction are accurate according to the brand's aesthetic and vision.
Designer
Weavers/ Unger Fabrik
Los Angeles, CA
01.2008 - 01.2011
- Designed and merchandised women's sportswear and junior contemporary monthly collections and presented final assortments to buyers and sales teams.
- Collaborated with the graphic design team to create original artwork for screen printing and embroidery designs.
- Managed two assistant designers and sewing room staff to ensure that monthly collections were executed according to the time and action calendar.
- Traveled to New York to attend sales meetings and market appointments to merchandise and present product lines to buyers and private-label accounts, such as Macy's.
- Created and maintained line sheets for all products and seasonal collections and provided the sales and production teams with relevant product information needed for costing.
- Partnered with cross-functional teams to create cohesive brand aesthetics.
- Oversaw fabric selection and sourcing to ensure quality and sustainability in designs.
- Reviewed fabric swatches, trims, prints, and colors for upcoming collections.
Senior Designer
Self Esteem/ All Access Apparel
Montebello, California
09.2007 - 12.2010
- Designed and merchandised junior and kid's seasonal collections in the cut-and-sew and soft-wovens categories.
- Led design projects from concept to completion, ensuring alignment with brand identity.
- Partnered with cross-functional teams to develop innovative design solutions.
- Mentored junior designers, providing guidance on design principles and best practices.
- Managed multiple projects while meeting tight deadlines and budgets.
- Designed innovative collections aligned with market trends and brand vision.
- Conducted research on fabrics, colors, and styles to enhance design concepts.
- Built and maintained relationships for private label accounts for retailers such as J.C. Penney, Macy's, and Wal-Mart.
Education
MBA - Marketing
Ashford University
Clinton, IA01.2010
BS - Apparel Design and Textiles
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS12-2004
Skills
- Creative direction
- Product development
- Technical sketching
- Trend analysis
- Fabric sourcing
- Market research
- Brand strategy
- Supply chain management
- Visual merchandising
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Team building
- Creative direction
- Effective communication
- Customer relationship management
- Mentorship and coaching
- Color theory
- Visual storytelling
- Art direction
- Photo shoot direction
- Team supervision and oversight
- Print design
- Design research
- Illustration
- Company branding
- Patternmaking
- Material selection
- Patterning skills
- CAD drafting
- Sampling
- Fashion trends
- Creative and artistic
- Concept development
- Multi-tasking
- Time Management
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Leadership & Team Management
- Trend Concept Research
- Merchandising
- Brand Development
- Fabric Sourcing
- Garment Construction
- Tech Packs
- Print & Color Direction
- Art & Print Development
- Tech pack creation
- Team leadership
- Brand management
Awards & Accomplishments
- Tommy Hilfiger Legacy Design Competition Winner
- Mastercard Small Business Grant Recipient, 2021
- Resonance Sustainable Fashion Designer Grant Recipient, 2020
- WWD- Designer Mention, 2020
- British Vogue -Designer Feature, 2018
Timeline
Design Director
Lily Apparel
01.2018 - Current
Founder
Megan Renee
10.2017 - Current
Senior Designer
Secret Charm
01.2016 - 01.2018
Senior Designer
Kellwood - My Michelle
01.2012 - 01.2016
Designer
Manhattan Beachwear
01.2011 - 01.2012
Designer
Weavers/ Unger Fabrik
01.2008 - 01.2011
Senior Designer
Self Esteem/ All Access Apparel
09.2007 - 12.2010
MBA - Marketing
Ashford University
BS - Apparel Design and Textiles
Kansas State University