Dynamic art director and production designer with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to advocating for women in the industry. Passionate about leveraging creativity and expertise to develop innovative, sustainable, and ethical design solutions across diverse projects. Dedicated to continuous learning, pushing boundaries, and fostering collaboration to inspire positive change through impactful design. Prepared to contribute a unique perspective and drive meaningful results in every endeavor.
Hi, I’m
Niki Fairchild Azevedo
Ann Arbor,MI
Summary
Overview
22
years of professional experience
1
Certification
Work History
Seeds of Change
Founder/Owner
06.2015 - Current
Job overview
- At Seeds of Change, we sell Mala but our purpose and vision is sharing mindful living practices. Our products bring awareness into what we consume, from the impact it has on the environment and the quality of life of the makers. It is my on-going mission to support the grass roots health and well being of a village (name the village) and fostering entrepreneurship in women as their cultural roles are quickly shifting. Seeds of change is a business with purpose. As owner and manager I
- Developed a solid knowledge of e-commerce best practices as well as Wordpress Web development. the other numbers are kind of sketchybut supported a team of 8 women and profits went to support a school for children with special needs
- Develop line, implement brand vision
- Market research, sales strategy, social media director
- International travel and sample development
Beau + Arrow
Owner/Operator
01.2014 - 01.2015
Job overview
- My first business worked to fill a need in the market place for a growing demographic for safe conceal carry handbags for women. While I am horrified by gun violence in the United States, serious injuries to children require a technical modular suppliers failed to develop. Filling this niche allowed great freedom because of their profitability, and also because it was for a large group of women.
- Oversight of merchandise and brand retail space, and selection of rotating roster of designers;
- Securing press and drafting releases, both local and national;
- Supervision of managers and staff;
- Creation of operational procedures ensuring smooth day-to-day activities and financial discipline.
Carlos Santana, Fortuna Valentino, Gramercy Designs
Designer/Production Manager
01.2007 - 01.2008
Job overview
- Product designers can be torn by the tension between meticulously shaping a vision and actually delivering a product, project, or solution. Working at a range of scales and across a range of disciplines has allowed me to turn a good idea into reality. As a product designer for Carlos Santana, I did whatever it takes to create great products, this includes:
- Travel to China factories to oversee design, and production;
- Branding and marketing efforts for the launch of handbag licenses;
- Design of technical components, materials sourcing, and hardware design;
- Development of organizational systems
- Design of development/production, including coordinate product order processing, goods testing and international shipment and delivery.
ES Originals Footwear
Designer Men's and Children's
01.2007 - 10.2007
Job overview
- Accessory design is all about attention to detail, the smallest errors can have a great impact on margin. As such, working for ES Originals enhanced my expertise at using design thinking principles to anticipate and avoid costly mistakes. By accompanying this practical expertise with market-driven assessment of style and trend, I ensured the success of our lines. Skills that enable the adherence to these principles include:
- Rendering hand illustrations, develop digital sketches using Illustrator and Photoshop;
- Research trends, develop branding and facilitate the launch;
- Coordinated production and oversee sample development.
Burrow, Designer Collective
Owner/Operator
01.2004 - 01.2007
Job overview
- The passion to create is also what drove me conceive and establish a designer collective retail boutique - Burrow. The process of moving a concept to a retail space required me to both lead and be able to do anything, fill any role, make hard decisions when no one else can. Ownership requires investment, brand-building, marketing, wholesale development, production, finance and accounting. Burrow allowed me to employ these skills:
- Oversight of merchandise and brand retail space, and selection of rotating roster of designers;
- Securing press and drafting releases, both local and national;
- Supervision of managers and staff;
- Creation of operational procedures ensuring smooth day-to-day activities and financial discipline.
Education
University of Michigan
Masters of Design from Integrative Design
University Overview
- STAMPS College of Art and Design
- Certificate in Sustainability
- SEAS School for Environment and Sustainability
New College of Florida
Bachelor of Arts from Fine Art & Humanities
University Overview
- Minor in Psychology
- Honors College of the Florida University System
Fashion Institute of Technology
Associates of Applied Science from Accessory Design
University Overview
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI
Masters Certificate in Sustainability from School For Environment And Sustainability
05-2022
University Overview
Skills
- ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
- MICROSOFT OFFICE
- ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
- ACCESSORY DESIGN
- BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
- LOGISTICS
- FILM PRODUCTION
- Ethics and integrity
Affiliations
Affiliations
- Art Director’s Guild IATSE 800
- Art Director’s Guild North East Representative
- GEO Graduate Employees’ Organization
- New York Women in Film and Television
Certification
AI for Creative Work
University of Michigan
Languages
Spanish
Limited Working
American Sign Language
Professional Working
Indonesian
Limited Working
Timeline
Founder/Owner
Seeds of Change
06.2015 - Current
Owner/Operator
Beau + Arrow
01.2014 - 01.2015
Designer/Production Manager
Carlos Santana, Fortuna Valentino, Gramercy Designs
01.2007 - 01.2008
Designer Men's and Children's
ES Originals Footwear
01.2007 - 10.2007
Owner/Operator
Burrow, Designer Collective
01.2004 - 01.2007
New College of Florida
Bachelor of Arts from Fine Art & Humanities
Fashion Institute of Technology
Associates of Applied Science from Accessory Design
University of Michigan
Masters of Design from Integrative Design
University of Michigan
Masters Certificate in Sustainability from School For Environment And Sustainability
FILMOGRAPHY
FILMOGRAPHY
- Producer/Director 2022 Woven: A Journey of Jeans
- 2019 Hannah’s Little Secret
- 2018 Pretty Dead
- 2014 Danny and the Wild Bunch
- 2013 Channeling
- 2011 Axe: Dirtfaction
- 2010 Ghostfacers
- 2010 Finding Virginia
- Art Department 2013 He’s Way More Famous Than You
- 2011 Golden Age of Hustlers
- Costume Designer 2019 Pretty Dead
- 2009 Finding Virginia
- 2004 Philistines
- Production Assistant 2009 People’s Choice Awards
- 2009 MTV Movie Awards
STYLIST
STYLIST
- Assistant Props Everyday With Rachel Ray
- Self
- Men’s Journal
- People Magazine
- Prevention
- Real Simple
- Dillard’s
- Nike
- GQ
- Origins
- Talbot’s
- La Perla
- David Yurman
- Tumi
- Stuart Weitzman
- Christina Dior
GRANT AWARDS
GRANT AWARDS
- Smucker Wagstaff
- Arts Engine
- Rackham International Research
FREELANCE DESIGN
FREELANCE DESIGN
- 2007-Present
- NikiAzevedo.com Freelance Accessory Designer
- As a fashion and accessory designer for brands including Tory Burch, Calvin Klein and Karl Lagerfeld I have stepped into many roles. Working with overseas production partners, I have developed over 175 million dollars of product for a range of customer profiles. Beyond the development of a brand, key skills that enable my successful delivery of designer goods include:
- Creation of cost sheets, technical design, and factory specifications
- Render sketches using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and hand sketching
- Develop original concepts and build lines within branding identities
- Develop and correct samples, pattern making, hardware development and casting
- Trend shopping and market forecast research
- Freelance Clients Tory Burch Calvin Klein Jeans Karl Lagerfeld Vera Wang Michele Handbags Tommy Hilfiger Steve Madden Target Betsy Johnson Liz Claiborne Gap Nada Saawaya David Yurman Nine & Company Walmart
TEACHING ENGAGEMENTS
TEACHING ENGAGEMENTS
- University of Michigan 2022
- STAMPS College of Art and Design Introduction to Product Design Global Studio
- Studio Arts 2012-2015
- Education for Entertainment Creatives, Los Angeles CA Illustrator I: Exploring Adobe Illustrator and Vector Illustrations Illustrator II: Practical Applications & Applied Design
- Wapa di Ume Bali, Indonesia Adobe Illustrator Alchemy
- Hubud Bali, Indonesia Visual Communication for the 21 Century
- Paradiso Bali, Indonesia How to Take Your Dreams into Production
CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE
- Guerrilla Science Communicating Climate Science Through The Arts
- XR Extended Reality Presenter
- Rackham Merrit Fellow Research in Progress Presenter
- MUSE Michigan University-Wide Sustainability & Environment Workshop Presenter
- CEW+ Center for the Education of Women Symposium Presenter
ACADEMIC AWARDS
ACADEMIC AWARDS
Rackham Merrit Scholar, Rackham Non-Traditional Fellow, CEW+ Carol Hollenshed Inspire AwardsAwards & Grants
Awards & Grants
Rackham International Research Grant
AIIR Grant
Arts Engine Grant
Smucker Waggstaff Grant
Rackham Merrit Fellow
Institute for Social Change Fellow