***** ******** ** *********, ** ***** 917-***-**** adb8h7@r.postjobfree.com

Creative innovator with an exceptional talent to develop and execute creative designs that command visibility, drive consumer engagement and deliver bottom-line revenue growth.

A high-performing talent with broad experience in full-scope fashion design and merchandising, consistently demonstrating excellence in product line campaigns from concept development to fabric selection and pattern creation, sketching, color and story boards, sewing, fitting and design team direction.

Well-rounded design training and hands-on experience with retail, wholesale, private label, and development environments, delivering design, merchandising strategies, brand development and product line portfolio growth; serves critical role as liaison among merchant and marketing business units to execute campaigns with integrity, reliability and loyalty

KEY STRENGTHS:

Design Direction Trend Analyses Concept Development New Line Launches Visual Merchandising Fabric & Trim Selection Market Research High-Impact Presentations Sample Creation & Development Product Positioning Collaborative Design Campaigns Team Mentoring Computer: Photoshop, Illustrator, CAD Nedgraphics, U4ia, Color Matters, Lectra, Powerpoint, Web PDM/PLM, Sketching, Patternmaking.

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

03/2017 to present:

Sportswear Wovens Designer - Men's & Boy's - Private Brands

Charlotte, NC

Responsible for all designs of Men's & Boy's 8-20 Wovens for Belk Private Brands (Saddlebred, Crown & Ivy, Ocean & Coast, True Craft and MADISON) Sportswear, Dress shirts and Furnishing.

2014 to 03/2017: Freelance Design Consultant. New York, NY

Contribute expansive design experience and industry expertise to develop and implement private-label products for industry giants, including Nieman Marcus, Nordstrom and others.

Designed, developed, and launched private label lines that included Nieman Marcus dress shirts, 4 disparate label dress shirts for Nordstrom, sports and kids-wear products.

— Engaged in-depth research and trend analysis to effectively project consumer demand and develop designs in accordance with stakeholder expectations.

Source, vet and collaborate with Far East fabric mills and factories to organize design, product development, manufacturing and sales, driving cost-effective measures through complex negotiations while maintaining quality expectations.

Maintain accountability for all seasonal designs and

developments across woven and knit categories, creating distinctive productions that deliver a competitive edge across a dynamic, highly-competitive industry.

Drive consumer engagement and sales by demonstrating design and product presentations that incorporate customized design and product developments that align with customer ideals.

Maximize product line and customer success by developing appropriate sales channels, marketing product lines through frequent travel to local and international trade and vendor shows.

Designed and led a $70M dress and sportswear division for The Apparel Group (TAG) that included woven and knit tops and bottoms for distribution to Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Nieman Marcus, SAKS Off 5th, …

2013 to 2014: NDP/Decotex (Co-Best Group). New York, NY Director of Design, Sales and Business Development

Launched, managed and grew the U.S. operations for a China-based weaving mill and manufactory, developing sales channels with key customers, including PVH, Macy’s, Joseph A. Bank, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Nordstrom, Target, Kohl’s, GAP, A&F, J-Crew, ZARA, Talbot’s, UNIQLO, Ralph Lauren, and others.

Delivered comprehensive oversight and direction of a $38M office operation, combining business development, operations oversight, marketing and industry expertise to drive growth and establish U.S. presence.

Established and communicated sales goals and budgets across all U.S. operations, directing cross-functional teams through leadership of design, R&D, production, manufacturing, new product development and portfolio management.

Collaborated with sales and factory productions to prepare appropriate products that met consumer demand through dynamic seasonal changes and in accordance with customization expectations.

Fostered positive customer relations through timely and appropriate communication and follow-up, leading strategy meetings to identify roadblocks and customer requirements.

2011 to 2012: Smart Apparel US. New York, NY

V.P.of Design & Merchandising – Menswear Woven Shirts and Bottoms

Delivered fresh ideas and perspective to drive the NYC-based $300M Menswear woven division of The Younger Group, creating impactful and successful designs, color and trend initiatives for Ralph Lauren, JCP, CLAIBORNE, Land’s End, LLBean, Bloomingdales, Thomas Pink, Tommy Hilfiger, and other global houses and retailers.

Created and launched seasonal concepts, colors and trend materials for collections spaced out to 4 annual campaigns.

Researched and analyzed retail sources throughout the U.S. and Europe to form color, silhouette and fabric direction, developing comprehensive presentations of trend materials, merchandising concepts and development samples for customer review.

Protected stakeholder interests by monitoring licensed and private label development calendars while initiating seasonal samples, blanket and handloom development to direct brand line development.

Coordinated Fabric Mill research with Hong Kong and Ningbo teams, while directing the operations and support teams to develop a comprehensive Sample Library for each season.

Managed and coordinated branding campaigns to ensure alignment with seasonal lines and unified messaging with headquarters.

2007 to 2010: Phillips Van Heusen (IZOD Wholesale Division). New York, NY Sr. Designer IZOD Men’s Woven Shirts

Directed the full line of IZOD men’s sportswear collection that incorporated knits, sweaters and bottoms to deliver cohesive product campaigns, delivering approximately $15M in annual revenues.

Collaborated with VP of Design and sales teams to ensure product flow, production delivery and quality assurance across the SKU plan.

—Worked closely with Associate Designer and Merchandiser to ensure all PDM information was conveyed clearly and accurately to reduce/eliminate roadblocks to delivery.

—Created story boards, inspiration boards and color palettes to align cross-functional operations and ensure a cohesive approach to design and development.

Partnered with merchandising, production, marketing and sourcing to design and product merchandise that fit within established costing parameters and delivered to the target customer profile and brand strategy.

Contributed industry expertise and business acumen to drive operational efficiencies, coordinating calendars and SKU plan development to meet critical, hard deadlines.

Drove sales by presenting brand line overviews to domestic and international licensees, communicating with Hong Kong, India and other global offices to solve production and product development issues.

Instrumental in delivering 6% sales increases for assigned division.

Additional Career Experience:

Creative Director: Epic Designers. Hong Kong, China Senior Designer: Romax Apparel, Ltd. Hong Kong, China Menswear Designer: B.J.D., Inc. Los Angeles, CA

Assistant Designer: Webers Holland. Amsterdam, Holland

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Master of Exceptional Presentations Baker Communications, Inc. New York, NY Certificate in Computer Aided Design California Design College. Los Angeles, CA

B.T.S in Fashion Design Atelier Chardon Savard De La Mode. Paris, France

B.A in Fashion Design Institut De Mode et De Design. Tunis, Tunisia

AHMED HAMDI

FASHION DESIGN & MERCHANDI SING PROFESSIONAL

Design & Development Color Story Forecasting Concept Execution

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