Fashion

Lifestyle

Streetwear

I have over 11 years of professional experience working in cities & countries around the globe in design, merchandising, art direction, product development & branding.  Throughout my career, & during my tenure at Li & Fung USA, Giant Merchandising & through projects as a consultant I have built relationships with some of the world’s top retailers and buyers ranging from Walmart & Target to Nordstrom & Macy’s, Kitson, Fred Segal & Urban Outfitters among others. I helped build & manage a $100 million division at Li & Fung USA, & as the Design Director in this division, grew one of the product lines from $4 million to $30 million in one year. I also have over 9 years of experience in licensing having partnered with top tier studios & brands such as Warner Bros, Marvel, Fox, Nickelodeon, Sanrio, Peanuts, HBO & Hasbro.  My passion lies in music, licensing, merchandising, creating product & brand management, & connecting consumers with products and experiences. I specialize in taking on accounts with an entrepreneurial spirit overseeing all aspects of creative communication & direction, business strategy & product placement ensuring brand consistency.

• Oversaw all creative & visuals for retail initiatives, e-commerce & non-profit organizations 
• Worked with stakeholders to outline online merchandising strategy, direct to consumer sales, identify product opportunities & trends, maximize growth opportunities & revenue goals, ensure brand consistency, online marketing strategy & web analytics & traffic, product development, product lifecycle & inventory control
• Partnerships, collaborations & licensing with retailers, designers & corporations across multiple categories
• Creative communication & direction, art direction for design, digital, e-commerce, merchandise, photo shoots, videos, advertising, promotional assets, marketing & overall aesthetic, brand positioning within social media, marketing & PR strategy
• Strong existing relationships with partners, merchants, buyers, vendors, retailers & stakeholders
• Project management & event planning
• Clients/ Project Include: The Clinton Global Initiative, WeConnect International, WBE

Creative Director & Project Manager

•	Oversaw design for licensed, generic & private label apparel
•	Specialized in women’s and junior’s division in fashion tops, t-shirts and sleepwear
•	Art direction, design, cut & sew, product development, technical design, pre-production, samples & strike offs
•	Recruited & managing teams of designers, graphic artists & merchandisers 
•	Licensed style guide creation 
•	Product development, sourcing & production
•	Some key accounts & licenses include: Harry Potter, Dark Knight, Glee, America’s Next Top Model for Walmart and Minnie Mouse for Forever 21, Hot Topic, Target, JC Penney, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Kitson, Urban Outfitters, Wet Seal, Forever 21 & Delia’s

DESIGN DIRECTOR

•	Cut & sew development, garment construction in licensed & private label men’s & women’s apparel & t-shirts
•	Art direction, design, cut & sew, product development, technical design, pre-production, samples & strike offs
•	Expertise in screen print direction (basic and specialty inks, applications & fabrics)
•	Sourcing and production
•	Managed buyers and retail accounts for mass, mid-tier, specialty and department stores

SENIOR DESIGNER

•	Product development and art direction of licensed & private label apparel across men’s, women’s, junior’s & kids
•	Artwork & apparel presentations 
•	Cut & sew development, screen print direction, trend forecasting
•	Built new business across all men's, women's, juniors, kids & baby
•	Key accounts include: Walmart, Target, Kohl’s, Forever 21, Wet Seal, Sears, Delia’s, Kmart, Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters & Macy’s

SENIOR MERCHANDISER

Find out detailed information about Amaris Caruso,  in Los Angeles, CA

Amaris Caruso: in Los Angeles, CA

Amaris Caruso

The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising