Oksana Craven

• Liaising with brands, start ups, private clients, editors, authors or designers.
• Negotiating contracts and timescales.
• Undertaking relevant research and generating ideas.
• Drawing rough sketches for approval.
• Producing final illustrations.
• Be aware and passionate about key fashion/beauty market trends
• Ensure designs meet budget and time commitments required
• Be idea generator, presenting multiple designs to internal creative team
• Create mood board and sketches and control product prototypes throughout conceptual design process
• Build and maintain collaborative and effective cross functional relationships
• Develop color palettes and approve lab-dips

Be aware and passionate about key fashion/beauty market trends

Ensure designs meet budget and time commitments required

Be idea generator, presenting multiple designs to internal creative team

Create mood board and sketches and control product prototypes throughout conceptual design process

Build and maintain collaborative and effective cross functional relationships

Collaborate with sales, technical design, and production teams to ensure style, quality and price meet objectives

Develop color palettes and approve lab-dips

Lead design and help manage production process in China

Oversees selection of fabric and trim

Daily communication with overseas factories

Selected fabrics, patterns and trims to use in final designs and meet desired aesthetics and quality standards.

• Collaborate with Head of Design to identify big ideas, key trends, and relevant silhouettes
• Research and development of new stitches and patterns for presentation and line development
• Research and execution of product and design vision from fabric, sketch/design creation, and trim direction
• Extensive competitive market research and shopping including luxury, vintage, and warehouse/library
• Design inspirational protos for both seasonal concept and long-term product development
• Prepare digital and physical presentations (Sketches, color ups, fabrics)
• Execution of flat sketches, detail illustrations, and reference garments for Tech Packs
• Create layouts for patterns, stitches, and graphics
• Develop and maintain daily communications with cross functional teams in Dubai & Italy
• Adhere to and meet Design calendar deadlines

• Reviewed proposals, qualified vendors, and recommended optimal suppliers.
• Determined lowest possible cost, factoring in quality, and reliability and negotiated favorable contracts.
• Make all purchasing decisions independently of Buying Director that satisfies customer demand and achieves sales, turn and margin plan.
• Understands competitive marketplace and pursues white space opportunities that align with Polaris strategy
• Competitive shop and determine action necessary to address competitive challenges. Identify any product opportunities and provide suggestions and input in product development to vendors.
• Support Buying Director to drive in-season business effectively by influencing promotional strategies based on current business needs.
• Regular, dependable attendance and punctuality.
• Attend Market appointments prepared with strategic assortment plans and understanding of product to support customer preferences.
• Set vision and determine call to action for assortment-building opportunities in partnership with Planning, Fashion Office, and Digital teams.
• Collaborate with planning partner to develop and execute assortment strategy.
• Develop pre-season assortment vision that ties to company key priorities and insights from Digital and Planning Director counterparts.
• Partner with Financial Planning to ensure department-level financial targets support assortment strategy.
• Decide on in-season changes for department and vendors based on sales, margin, and turn forecast from Financial Planning.
• Support Financial Planning and Buying Director in building seasonal strategy components based on targets.
• Provide Buying Director with category, class, and item performance analysis to assist in determining in-season item-level changes to make.
• Maintain industry presence that allows for connections, new business opportunities, and ideas at Macy’s. Represent and support Macy’s brand while maintaining this presence.
• First point of contact with Vendor Community, Marketing, Visual, Stores, and Pricing.
• Communicate with vendors to ensure timely collection of MDAs/markdowns/RTVs and partner with Financial Planning to ensure alignment with in-season VMT input.
• Partner with Pricing team on Pricing strategy and in-season adjustments

• Set vision for product category and determine in-season reaction to product performance; leverage analysis to determine quantity, styles, and reorder
• Strategically plan, manage, and control inventory inclusive of Rolling Operating Forecast (ROF) to maximize profits, optimize sales and margin
• Recommend major brand and classification strategies, prepare and present style-out to DMM
• Negotiate with vendors for collection of Return to Vendor (RTV) and Mark Down Dollar Allowance (MDA) money
• Reconcile projected Point of Sale (POS) and headmarks