Phone: (310) 268-0550 Toll Free: (866) 412-5979 rldc@rickidesign.com
FASHION INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL Cross Functional Expertise as Fashion / Graphic / Textile Designer, Merchandiser, Design Director Talented and business-savvy fashion industry professional with a track record of design and business contributions with leading global brands (Eye Shadow, Self Esteem, Rock ‘n Roll Alliance/Dragonfly, Disney, Fang, Nike, Speedo, Reebok, Etienne Aigner, London Fog, Adidas, Hang Ten, Boss, BUM Equipment, Sergio Tacchini, K-Swiss, etc). Innovator and pioneer of cutting edge computer technology in the fashion design process. Leverages keen understanding of industry demands to meet critical financial and time budgets in a high-pressure, deadline-driven environment. Unique talent for designing lines across a broad spectrum of categories, with proven ability to tap into emerging trends. —Key Areas of Expertise— Creative Design ~ Product Development ~ Illustration & Technical Sketches ~ Tech Packs ~ Design Direction Merchandise Planning ~ Fashion Research ~ Trend Forecasting ~ Concept Development Team Building & Leadership ~ Project Management ~ Garment Production Process ~ Oral & Written Communication
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Designer / Merchandiser / Import Production Manager NATIONAL STORES, INC., Gardena, CA $300M retailer with 200 stores in six western states. Lines include: sweaters, outerwear, active sportswear, casual sportswear, jeans, dresses, sleepwear, lingerie, swimwear, accessories, for juniors, men, women, children, and infants. Designed apparel and graphics for private-label and licensed collections. Provided tech packs, final artwork, and specifications for all designs; approved lab-dips and fabric quality. Oversaw entire division; directed two assistants in import department. · Instrumental in driving import sales of garment business 25% as compared to previous year of 8%. · Implemented new production of knit tops at two overseas factories. · Monitored and reported on seasonal production at each factory producing 1200 dozen units monthly per style—a production increase of 35% over previous year. · Created successful branding, name recognition and marketing for new girls’ lines “Princess Collection” and “Beverly Hills Princess;” collaborated with offshore printers to produce hang-tags and labels. · Developed new business by creating exclusive cartoon characters for stores, saving ~ $5M annually in licensing fees.
Fashion / Textile / Graphic Designer and Production Artist FANG CLOTHING CO., Gardena, CA $150M manufacturer of junior and girls apparel with sales to major US retail chains and department stores Designed knits & woven tops for “Dolled Up” division. Created camera-ready artwork and color separations for textile & graphic designs; produced line sheets for sales representative presentations to store buyers. Supervised assistants; evaluated garment fit and delegated to patternmakers. · Expanded client base by adding dressier woven tops to line, differentiating collection from overall company production emphasis on casual styles. · Transformed division into 25% of sales—an 8% increase over previous year, totaling $37.5M. · Consistently met tight deadlines while adding 50 new designs to line monthly. · Introduced catalog system for all past designs and output films, providing easily accessible reference.
Designer /Creative Director / Fashion Industry Consultant RICKI LEWIS DESIGN CONSULTANTS (RLDC), Los Angeles, CA Provided design, merchandising and apparel marketing services to leading garment manufacturers. Created CAD artwork, specifications, and tech packs for overseas factories; designed fabrics, advertisements and layouts, graphic tee shirts; conceived marketing and packaging concepts. Designed collections across diverse categories including activewear, casual sportswear, outerwear, swimwear, jeans, sweaters, and accessories for men, women, contemporary, juniors and kids. · Designed entire collections for Dragonfly/Rock 'n Roll Alliance, for seven years, (tee shirts, jeans, swimwear, outerwear, sweaters, woven and knit shirts) instrumental in driving company growth from $5M to $48M. · Developed premier concept and designs first four years for Lycra® women’s activewear—Marika/The Weekend Exercise Co.— that generated $8M in first year with subsequent increases of 35% (second year), 50% (third year) and 60% (fourth year). Designs were worn by 1st place women’s Ironman Triathlon winner and appeared in Tom Petty video “Free Falling” and the Tracey Ullman Show. · Expanded product line for K-Swiss athletic footwear company to include apparel and accessories for women and men. Developed private label programs for Footlocker, Lady Foot Locker and Champs. Designs appeared on TV for the Raid-Galoise endurance race. Created logo-driven graphics for new lines, that generated first year sales of $2.5M with a second year increase of 250%. · Additional representative clients included: Nike, Speedo, Reebok, Etienne Aigner, London Fog, Adidas, Hang Ten, BUM. Equipment, Boss, Sergio Tacchini, White Stag, Bogner, etc.
EDUCATION / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BS in Fashion Design—DREXEL UNIVERSITY, Philadelphia, PA Honors—Board of Trustees Grant / Activities—Fashion Group
AA in Textile Science—PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF TEXTILES, Philadelphia, PA
Professional Development—Patternmaking Workshop—Mayer School of Fashion Design, NYC Publications—Featured in Sport Style Magazine article: From the House & Mouse of Lewis
Computer Skills Mac and PC Proficient Applications—Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Quark Express, Page Maker, Flash, Poser, Strata 3D Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook),
Foreign Languages / Cross Cultural Experience Verbal and Written French and Spanish; Extensive business travel throughout Asia and Europe
Interests Art museums, collecting art books, shopping.
Community Activities Member—Soroptomist (3 years) Member—Family of Women (11 years; leader, teacher, welcoming committee)
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