Michelene Smith: in Union City, NJ

Manage print/embellishment, raw material strategy & wash development process from concept to pre-production. Product categories: Knits/Dresses/Sleep/Gifting Apparel & Packaging/Licensed Products/Destination. • Partnered with Merchants & Design leaders to understand roadmap, fabric needs and surface trend direction by season. • Managed direct report, ensuring all calendar deliverables were met including sample yardage requests, strike off reviews, pre-production samples, costing, and timely, clear communication. • Collaborated with Surface Design and licensing partners on developing Licensed (NFL/MLB/College sports) Apparel & Accessories development calendar aa well as outlined and implemented new product category/artwork approval process with Professional/College sports organizations. • Traveled to on board and troubleshoot development / production issues and process / timeline improvements with Asia regional teams and various vendors. • Managed all graphic and embellishment innovation for total brand to provide unified vision, elevate brand aesthetic and fit cost within retail matrix. • Managed approval and maintained sample library of all approved surface treatments for the brand. In preparation for remote work, spearheaded transitioning this library to digital platform Box.com. • Partnered with Design teams and mills to cut sample yardage orders by 50% to meet budgetary needs. • Collaborated cross-functionally to thoughtfully develop and initiate designs with LDP targets in mind to facilitate affordable and bulk feasible samples. • Initiated cost options cross-functionally at product inception and initial tech pack review to facilitate decision making at first sample review

Manages print/embellishment development from concept to pre-production sample ensuring execution, cost and quality meet brand expectations for Accessories and Swim categories. Product Categories: Knits/Accessories/Swim/Sleep Accessories Categories: Bags, Luggage, Tech accessories, Water Bottles, Footwear, Socks, and Bedding • Developed and initiated repeatable and streamlined processes to facilitate new product category development in Accessories while ensuring sample delivery & approval within established speed Apparel calendar. • Partnered directly with vendors in various Accessories subcategories - to uncover opportunities for development process, new product categories and cost improvement. • Specialized experience in printing on knits, wovens, plastic, TPU, EVA and metal, as well as embellishment and molding techniques. • Partnered with product development leadership to assess opportunities in speed-to-market initiatives • Shopped market for innovative print/embellishment/molding techniques/product categories • Managed and fostered development of product development assistant ensuring timely management of all deliverables while facilitating edification and career growth • Approved all lab dips on various soft and hard goods substrates to ensure cross-category color matching

Managing product cycle from development through bulk production. Product Categories: Women's Fleece / Men's Cut and Sew / Men's Graphic Tees • Developed, negotiated costing and facilitated approval of all fabrics and trims • Managed all tech pack inputs and artwork file distribution to vendors • Negotiated costing of all aspects of each style and aligning to seasonal targets • Managed TNA for production