Polimoda

Bentley University

Lorenzo de' Medici - Florence

Product Development Manager - FOOTWEAR & HANDBAGS at KHAITE

New York, New York, United States

Accessories Product Development Manager at KHAITE
<a href="http://www.khaite.com">www.khaite.com</a>

KHAITE
The Feminine Unique
KHAITE is a women’s ready-to-wear collection that reimagines classic American sportswear for the twenty-first century. Designed to be cherished, each piece proposes a fresh balance of opposing elements—past and future, masculine and feminine, strength and softness, structure and fluidity—while embodying a signature sensuality and ease.

Founded in 2016 by creative director Catherine Holstein, New York-based KHAITE evolves with each new season, building upon a foundation of robust yet polished items distinguished by exceptional materials and subtle yet striking details. The collection (pronounced “Kate”) takes its name from the Greek word (χαίτη) meaning “long, flowing hair.”

KHAITE

Product Development Manager - FOOTWEAR & HANDBAGS

DEVELOPMENT
Builds, manages, and flexes calendar to insure timely turnover of development, return of prototypes, and market samples and placement of final production.
In collaboration with Design, work together to fully understand product intent.
Reviews and oversees issuance of all PLM specs (BOMs/tech packs) for accuracy, completeness, quality, affordability prior to release.
Recommends enhancements, construction and material options to elevate our brand, hitting financial requirements.
Reviews all prototypes and market samples to ensure accuracy in execution to spec.
Oversees the maintenance of all standards issued for brand consistency.

RUNWAY
Be point person for runway collection, responsible for fittings and work the runway shows offering full support.
Make any changes to product needed and find solutions to answer to Creative Directors' vision during fashion week. Timely execute changes for the show.

PRODUCT INTEGRITY
Aims to instill quality in the product from onset of development through final production.
Ensures that all components and constructions used are compliant for performance and restricted substances prior to production. Works in tandem with quality, technical, and compliance to achieve these ends.
Work across various footwear design teams to ensure logo usage compliance.
Approve all confirmation samples for production.

PRODUCT COSTING
Use knowledge of costing and shoemaking to develop cost right product.
Manage pre-costing and develop strategies to meet/exceed margin requirement while maintaining design aesthetic.
Demonstrate a strong technical understanding of footwear materials construction techniques & applications relative to development execution

Coach

Footwear PD Manager - 1941 RUNWAY Collection & Sneakers

- Build all Specification sheets detailing design elements for every style/option in the assortment, which are then provided to the factories along with Purchase Orders to ensure that M.Gemi’s technical and design standards are met.
-  Manage all early development process with Design and Merchandising team from concept to final design. Including developing and ordering of prototypes.
-  Specialized in novelty materials (including all leather processes and terminology). Technical knowledge of material including characteristics, application to product, embossing, minimums and lead times.
-  Conduct extensive trend research and forecasting. Looking for silhouettes that are prophetic, ideas that capture the mood of the times and signal a new fashion trend. Also conduct material and component research, predict the colors, fabrics, textures, materials, and prints that will the most relevant in the upcoming season. Analyze the market and competitor landscape.
-  Attend Trade Shows such as MICAM and LineaPelle to further support trend forecasting and source materials, keeping a positive relationship with all our tanneries. Attend product development trips to provide insight on fit, quality and design.
-  Set up and manage the entire Fit Process and Production Wear Test Programs, from prototype adjustments to last adjustments,  always aiming to lowering Return Rates.
-  Manage assortment balance. Develop collection plan according to price targets, seasonal needs and historical sales data. Ensure appropriate mix of volume drivers, halos, signatures, and newness. Strategic Line building to hit sales plans.

Cross-Functional Player
-  Build effective relationships with Merchandising, Planning, and Marketing teams.
-  Lead and implement seasonal Press Previews in NYC, where Fashion Editors have their first interaction with new styles.
-  Provide all relevant information to Creative Team ensure they have thorough understanding of the inspiration and vision that drove product design.

M.Gemi

Merchandising, Product Development and Fit Manager

- Manage prototype development closely with Italian Team.
- Assist Head Merchant on choosing colors and materials for the entire men’s line each season.
- Assist Head Merchant on creating mood/inspiration boards each season, focusing on stories for every men’s subcategory.
- Place all men’s purchase orders along with an instruction package to the factory.
- Manage monthly ATS and launch calendar. Work with Italian team to make sure factories hit all Exit factory dates, and adjust sales and calendar if goods are late.
- Explain and describe in deep details the specifications of every new style to copywriter.
- Manage all men’s fit wear testing. Working with Italian team to resolve any fit issue.
- Build monthly sales plan forecast, down to style/color level.
- Calculate BUY plan based on OTB, down to style/color/size (Sku level).
- Produce seasonal Post Mortem analysis and style/options count recommendations for the following season.
- Analyze the business (sales, units on hand, sell through, etc) and present weekly performance to leadership team, with a focus on a weekly major subject.
- Manage and place all men’s reorders from Core Item forecast sheet.
- Provide various men’s selling reports and analysis (e.g. Customer Behavior Analysis, Return Rate Analysis, Size Curve Analysis, Sell Through, Actual vs. Plan, Season to Date Sales, Waitlist Analysis).
- Manage all men’s Pre Orders.

Logistics (approx. 15% of time)

- Manage men’s warehouse supplies from charity kits to extra shoeboxes; corrugate orders/deliveries, lace kits, dust bags, inserts, etc.
- Be the men’s point person for any interactions with M.Gemi warehouse. And in case any issues arise, go to the warehouse and work on various projects.
- In case of a quality issues, work closely with the Italian team to receive credit for the order in question. Responsible for the RTV process.

Merchadising Coordinator

- Managed	the	planning	process	for	the	Sleepwear	&	Robes	division	–	a	10M	dollar	 business	–	across	658	Macy’s	locations	for	Fiscal	Year	2013.	Helped grow	the	business	by	6%	that	same	year.
-  Analyze	retail	metrics	such	as	seasonal	trend,	margin,	sales	to	stock	penetrations,	turn	to	plan,	project	and	forecast	sales,	markdowns	and	receipts	on	a	weekly	basis.
-  Manage	the	assortment	and	replenishment	process	for	over	20	vendors	on	a	daily	basis.	Make	category,	sales	and	stock	projections,	replenishment	strategies	and	analyze	seasonal	plans	using	Foresight	systems.
-  Identify	opportunities	and	analyze	sales	trends	by	location	to	maximize	results.
-  Communicate	inventory	issues	with	the	buying	team	to	react	to	current	market	trends.

Macy's

Assistant Merchandise Planner

- Attend vendor meetings to go over collections, choose assortment and negotiate wholesale prices.
- Work with buyer to create allocation strategies (assortment plan) to better suit each door's needs.
- Analyze regional sales trends, vendor stockouts, and replenishment fill rates to provide weekly top-line recaps of business performance.

CAPSTONE Project – Miss Clinique
- With a group of four, created a brand under its parent vendor Clinique to target the millennial market.
- Miss Clinique would be introduced in Impulse Beauty increasing Clinique’s sales by $7.5M annually.
- Chose a tailored assortment of Clinique products (51skus out of 410skus, 12% of the assortment representing 37% of total sales volume) that would suit the Girl Next Door & Freestyle girl.
- Created a very detailed customer profile based on Macy’s Strategic Initiative and Lifestyles.
- Carefully chose 50 test doors based on Impulse Beauty/Clinique sales and performance to plan. Other factors considered were volume groups, ethnic, F&G, and tourists doors.
- Created advertising strategy and schedule to target the young consumer with the use of OmniChannels.

Buying & Planning Development Program

- Partner with Design through the entire conceptual and commercialization process. Participate in all Product Team Meetings and Design Review Meetings. Facilitate the process by acting as communication liaison between Product Development, Category teams and Business Units regarding design changes, margin challenges and retail price adjustments as it affects sales and forecast information. I am responsible for projecting retail prices, target margins and costs.
- Produce and present bi-monthly trend reports and competitive analysis to Classics team. Trend reports were used by the design team as inspiration and base to create new product lines.
- Participate from product story to market launch of marketing campaigns. From gathering props and booking models to the approval of final images. Advertised nationally. (e.g. All White Pack Classic Leather story, Sparkle Sport Campaign, Classics Retro Pack, among other campaigns).
- Worked at MAGIC (Las Vegas, largest trade show in the country) at the Reebok booth coordinating special media events (such as the launch of the Classics Retro Pack) and client meetings.
- Responsible for managing 14 Brand Ambassadors at MAGIC (Project), booking all travel arrangements – flights, hotel, dining, etc.
- Assisted on organizing Reebok Classics largest party of the year at PURE (Caesars Palace - Las Vegas) which featured performances by Swizz Beatz, TYGA & Rick Ross. Party was major success; our main focus was to gain PR buzz and portray the Classics lifestyle brand.
- Managed showroom and all preparation for buyer meetings and visits. Also managed samples between all Reebok’s clients (buyers).
- Assist from creation of product story, to execution of ideas, to final launch of seasonal product assortment.
- Manage product seeding (celebrity gifting) in the market. Seeded product to celebrities including Rihanna, Swizz Beatz, T.I., Alicia Keys, 2Chainz, Kanye, Julianne Hough among many others.

Anna Silva