Production and Development in Apparel and Accessories Industry

SABRA HUNT

912-***-**** ******@*****.*** CHARLESTON, SC

FASHION DESIGN, MERCHANDISING & STYLING LEADER

Align brands for success in competitive global markets through innovative design and cre- ative, compelling merchandising, and high-quality materials and production. Collaborate with industry’s senior executives to articulate and execute vision, enable all functional areas to meet creative design objectives, and drive business forward. Build, cultivate, and manage client and vendor partnerships with local and overseas, offshore suppliers and manufacturers.

Foster cultures of accountability, collaboration, and communication. Share design and thought process from beginning to end and encourage team members to do the same. AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Strategic Planning & Design New Business Development Competitive Market Analysis Creative Direction Relationship Management Factory Communications Sketching & Printing Vendor & Material Sourcing Model Casting Tech Package Creation Sample & Design Scheduling Fashion Shoot Coordination PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Blue Force Gear Savannah, GA 2021-Present

A United States manufacturer of Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment gear, firearm slings, and other tacti- cal equipment. Design and manufacture equipment for law enforcement, U.S. Armed Forces, and Sport Shooters. PRODUCTION MANAGER

Overseeing production sewing factory

Responsible for planning, organizing, and controlling production to ensure that goods are produced efficient- ly, on time, and within the highest quality standards.

Responsible for machine operation and maintenance; inventory management; production rates; and sched- uled and unscheduled downtime

Provided leadership/supervision to production department

Coordinated the function for all of production, planning scheduling activities in support of sales and product development

Responsible for Staff and Payroll Timesheets

Set standards and process within the Quality Control, Laser and Product Development Departments

Attended Staff Reviews and hiring meetings

Schedules Production; new ordering bookings;stock demand-min/max from inventory system

Reviewed Patterns for Production efficiency working with Product Development and the Laser Departments

Reviewed current sewing practices and suggest methods to improve production efficiency

Monitored current reporting systems in Fulcrum and Android Applications/created performance reports from these reporting systems

Supervised and Manages the daily activities and performance of production personnel

Leads and coordinates activities of workers engaged in operating sewing, hot/cold cutter, and labeling ma- chines to sew and assemble products

Reviewed worker performance on a daily basis

Worked closely with Sr. Directory, Production Operations, to ensure the availability of all materials and components necessary to build finished products

Determined quality control standard

Operational Cross-departmental work with sales, marketing team, accounting, product development and purchasing

Set policies and procedures for Production Sewing and Quality Control Department

Worked with sub-contractors on building product to Quality Control Standards

Attended management meetings

SABRA HUNT 912-***-****

Assisted in Quality Control and Communication with sub-contractors on tech packs and sew samples for bulk production

Advised on sewing instructions to build product

Reports to Strategic Management Team and Operations Senior Director Fit USA Manufacturing Ormond Beach, FL 2020-2021

Full-package apparel production company. Some of their major areas of focus are sublimation, cut/sew, pattern making and grading, fabric sourcing, warehousing, and logistics. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT/ CREATIVE DESIGN MANAGER

Overseeing the product development & creative design process

Staffing, hire & fire product development/creative design employees with input from Management

Created Tech packs for new and current products

Consulted with new and existing customers like Team Field Sports, Volleyball, MLB, Military, PPE & Walt Dis- ney World Parks & Resorts

Set standards and process within the Design & Product development

Conducted annual reviews of staff

Operational Cross-departmental work with marketing team, accounting, and factory

Set policies and procedures for product development & creative design

Worked with fabric manufactures and private label lines

Attended management meetings

Gave insight to new trends, fabrications and colors.

Assisted in vendor section and procurement of new fabrics and notions

Advised on expansion of lines into other sports, i.e women sports limes for Fit USA

Reports to Strategic Management Team, Operations and Director of OPPS Manager & CEO Paradies & Company Sanford, FL 2020- 2020

Apparel and hard goods for theme parks Walt Disney & Seaworld, resorts and merchandisers international. APPAREL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Responsible for maintaining the flow of production in collaboration with the sales team, buyers, creative director, and post-production specialists.

Initial buyer meetings/ projection perpetration send in art request for trend/concept boards, gather sam- ples. Research preliminary sourcing and costing for new products. Organize presentation books.

Sales recap from buyer meetings initiate any new art request or edits. Initiate sample request. Updating packet to include tech packs, update price quotes, spec sheets, cut/sew. Collaborate with all cross function- al teams, ensuring all customers milestone are executed.

Buyer communication follow ups, sample approvals, PO approvals, check inventories on new orders before turing in PO’s, updated Shopworks system with buyer comments and update excel whips. Christie Eloise Toronto, ON 2014 – 2020

Custom handmade jewelry designer specializing in one-of-a-kind statement pieces with real gemstones and sterling silver hardware.

DESIGNER PRODUCT DEVELOPER

Create all design concepts, collections, technical sketches, design cost sheets, and packaging. Manage end-to-end production from material and vendor sourcing to quality control. Create design specifications using iPad pencil, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and Rhino software. Facilitate prototype development process with local and over- seas vendors.

Attend runway shows including Colombia Moda Fashion Week to network with showcased vendors and identify / de- velop potential business opportunities. Manage client and local / offshore supplier relationships, as well as online sales via company website. Develop seasonal collection presentation boards for effective merchandising.

Conceptualized, designed, and produced 3 different collections of handmade custom jewelry to meet supplier budgets and timelines while maintaining superior quality standards.

Aligned designs with market and competitive trends through market research, specification development for design creations, and prototype production.

Sourced, selected, negotiated, and managed partnerships with 3 separate suppliers in China, Colombia, and Spain.

Achieved profit margins without compromising design or quality through vendor cost negotiations. SABRA HUNT 912-***-****

Winston Retail Solutions New York, NY 2010 – 2014 Retail merchandising and marketing firm specializing in creating unified commerce in retail, wholesale, and online channels.

FASHION RETAIL MERCHANDISER – LIFESTYLE BRANDS

Championed brand positioning and sales for top-ranked fashion and lifestyle brands including Emporio Armani, Lau- ren by Ralph Lauren, and Diesel through compelling, accurate, and creative retail presentation. Implemented brand collateral, point of sale, and product placement to support brand floor presence in stores. Managed stock replen- ishment and visual standards within stores.

Expanded in-store brand presence by negotiating better floor locations / space and implementing merchan- dise planograms.

Ensured proper brand positioning within stores by training and educating department store sales man- agers, sales associates, and marketing associates on brand product knowledge and merchandising initiatives.

Built and leveraged partnerships with sales, visual, and marketing managers to secure approvals for brand merchandising and collateral placement.

Tommy Hilfiger, Inc. New York, NY 2007 – 2009

American premium clothing company specializing in apparel, footwear, accessories, fragrances, and home furnish- ings.

MERCHANDISER – HANDBAG DIVISION

Reviewed and analyzed development charts for each seasonal category to create line sheets in Excel and Illustrator. Updated line sheets, sketches, and colors in Illustrator and Photoshop. Liaised between VP and design, production, buying, and sales teams. Assisted PR in fulfilling advertising sample requests; tracked production with offshore fac- tories. Generated weekly sales reports.

Informed buyer decisions and ensured profit margins were met by partnering with design team to update line sheets with minimum of hourly silhouette and color changes during weeks preceding market week.

Supported buyers in meeting revenue targets by creating merchandise plans for all styles bought. A Classic Time Watch Company Inc. New York, NY 2005 – 2007 Men’s and women’s watch designer, manufacturer, and wholesaler. MERCHANDISER

Managed trend forecasting from concept to completion. Collaborated with buyers, sales reps, and account executives to create visual presentation and seasonal boards of showroom line assortments. Presented showroom line to buyers each market week and worked with them to select right assortment for department / specialty stores. Created and processed sales and purchase orders.

Ensured pre-production and production sample quality against purchase orders. Communicated sample approvals, style changes, pricing, deliveries, production, and purchasing to warehouses. Generated weekly sales reports.

Fueled sales growth by leveraging forecasting trends to craft fashion stories for each assortment enabling buyers to visually merchandise products in department stores.

Maintained profit margins and sales performance during manager’s one-year leave of absence by personally executing all management tasks – buyer relations, sales tracking, purchase order management, and sample / inventory management.

Achieved superior buyer satisfaction by communicating design requests to production and design teams. ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

SABRA HUNT 912-***-****

ANM (Anita Norris Model) Management – Talent and Lifestyle Model Genes Designs, NYC – Assistant Design Intern Bergdorf Goodman, NYC – Men’s Luxury Sportswear Sales and Merchandising Associate Neiman Marcus – Men’s Contemporary Sportswear Sales Associate Walt Disney and Hollywood Studios Creative Costuming – Assistant to Costume Designers EDUCATION

Florida State University BACHELOR OF ARTS Major in Apparel Design and Technology Chamberlyn School of Design and Merchandising ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE Major in Fashion Design CERTIFICATIONS

Schindler Technologies Corporation

Certified in Jewelry Design with Rhino and Rhino Gold Canadian Gemological Association

Registered Master Valuer (RVM) Graduate of Master Valuer International Jewelry Appraisal Program Fellow of the Canadian Gemological Association (FCGmA) Diamond Grading Certified Colored Gemstone Grading and Valuation Certified Graduate of Accelerated Gemolo- gy Program

TECHNICAL INVENTORY

Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator Rhino and Rhino Gold MS Office Suite: Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook iPad Pencil

Basic Sewing Garment Construction Pattern Making Cutting and Draping

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